NEW ORLEANS – Following a season in which two Sun Belt programs hosted NCAA Baseball Regionals for the first time in conference history and Coastal Carolina advanced to the championship series at the College World Series, Sun Belt programs and student-athletes garnered national accolades from a number of publications in addition to the conference’s three nationally-noted programs in Preseason Polls and seven Preseason All-Americans.
 
Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year Troy senior first baseman Blake Cavill reaped the same honor from D1Baseball and Perfect Game, while Southern Miss senior first baseman Matthew Russo earned the recognition from Baseball America. 
 
Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year Coastal Carolina junior starting pitcher Cameron Flukey was unanimously recognized with the same award by Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. 
 
Louisiana freshman infielder Blaze Rodriguez (Baseball America) and App State freshman outfielder Nico Soul (D1Baseball and Perfect Game) were each spotlighted as the Sun Belt Preseason Freshman of the Year. 
 
Troy, which fell just outside D1Baseball’s Preseason Top 25 and received votes in two other national preseason ledgers, was named among the publication’s 12 More Teams to Watch heading into the 2026 season. 
 
As part of D1Baseball’s Bold Predications, Flukey earned 7-of-11 votes for the National Pitcher of the Year, while fellow Chanticleer junior starting pitcher Hayden Johnson and Southern Miss sophomore starting pitcher Grayden Harris each earned mention as a potential Breakout Star. 
 
Troy senior shortstop Aaron Piasecki was listed among D1Baseball’s Top 50 Transfer Hitters, while Soul and Rodriguez headlined seven Sun Belt student-athletes listed among D1Baseball’s Top 150 Impact Freshmen. 
 
A member of MLB.com’s College All-Prospect Team, Flukey was ranked as the Sun Belt’s top 2026 MLB Draft prospect by both D1Baseball (No. 6) and MLB.com (No. 9), while five additional Sun Belt student-athletes joined him among D1Baseball’s Top 150 college prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft. 
 
The Sun Belt has been a multi-bid conference in 30-of-36 seasons since 1989 and has earned four regional berths on six occasions since 2000, including three of the past four seasons. 
 
Over the past four seasons, the Sun Belt has sent 14 teams to NCAA Baseball Regionals, 10 to NCAA Baseball Regional finals, two to NCAA Baseball Super Regionals and one to the championship series at the College World Series. That grouping has included four regional hosts and national seeds—No. 13 Coastal Carolina (2025), No. 16 Southern Miss (2025), No. 10 Coastal Carolina (2023) and No. 16 Georgia Southern (2022). 
 
NATIONAL PRESEASON HONORS
Baseball America Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year
Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Sr., 1B – Madisonville, La.) 
 
Baseball America Preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 
 
Baseball America Preseason Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Blaze Rodriguez, Louisiana (Fr., IF – Slidell, La.) 
 
D1Baseball Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year
Blake Cavill, Troy (Sr., 1B – Sydney, Australia) 
 
D1Baseball Preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 
 
D1Baseball Preseason Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Nico Soul, App State (Fr., OF – Marvin, N.C.) 
 
Perfect Game Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year
Blake Cavill, Troy (Sr., 1B – Sydney, Australia) 
 
Perfect Game Preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 
 
Perfect Game Preseason Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Nico Soul, App State (Fr., OF – Marvin, N.C.) 
 
D1Baseball 12 More Teams to Watch
Troy
 
D1Baseball Bold Predictions
Pitcher of the Year – Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 
Breakout Star – Hayden Johnson, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Breakout Star – Grayden Harris, Southern Miss (So., SP – Greenwell Springs, La.) 

D1Baseball Top 50 Transfer Hitters
No. 46 Aaron Piasecki, Troy (Sr., SS – Muskegon, Mich.) 

D1Baseball Top 150 Impact Freshmen
No. 31 Nico Soul, App State (Fr., OF – Marvin, N.C.) 
No. 47 Mason Gazaway, Georgia Southern (Fr., OF – Marietta, Ga.) 
No. 50 Blaze Rodriguez, Louisiana (Fr., IF – Slidell, La.) 
No. 82 John Davis, Georgia Southern (Fr., OF – Tifton, Ga.) 
No. 97 Derek Martinez, Arkansas State (Fr., C/IF – Clermont, Fla.) 
No. 106 Noah Jordi, Georgia State (Fr., IF/OF – Mendon, Mass.) 
No. 116 Noah Lewis, Louisiana (Fr., OF – Baton Rouge, La.) 
 
D1Baseball Top 150 College 2026 MLB Draft Prospects
No. 6 Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 
No. 59 Hayden Johnson, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
No. 105 Chase Morgan, Louisiana (Jr., SP – Cypress, Texas) 
No. 106 Dylan Alonso, Troy (Jr., SP – Tiger, Ga.) 
No. 133 Ben Stubbs, Troy (Sr., FP – Macon, Ga.) 
No. 145 Ross Norman, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Ringgold, Ga.) 
 
MLB.com College All-Prospect Team
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) 

MLB.com Top 100 2026 MLB Draft Prospects
No. 9 Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.)