NEW ORLEANS – The 2026 Sun Belt Baseball Preseason Awards and Coaches’ Poll were announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon and Old Dominion has been picked to finish tied for seventh, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.
ODU received 104 points in the poll and is tied with Georgia Southern. Coastal Carolina, which reached the College World Series Finals against LSU, was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league with 12 first-place votes and 194 points. Southern Miss was chosen second with one first-place vote and 182 points, and Troy was selected third with 166 points.
Troy’s Blake Cavill, a senior first baseman, was tabbed the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year, while Coastal’s junior starting pitcher Cameron Flukey was voted Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The Monarchs are coming off a 2025 season that saw them finish 22-31 overall and 15-15 in conference play. With construction under way on the Ellmer Family Baseball Complex, the team played its home games at nearby Harbor Park as well as at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton. Old Dominion traveled nearly 14,000 miles and claimed four victories over Top 25 teams last season – at Auburn, Southern Miss and Troy as well as a win over the Trojans in the first round of the Sun Belt Championship. Starting pitchers Dylan Brown, Ben Moore, and Blake Morgan were drafted by the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. Additionally, infielder Kyle Edwards signed with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League.
This year’s squad features 23 returners and 19 newcomers. The Monarchs open their season with a three-game homestand versus Quinnipiac on Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15. The 2026 Sun Belt Baseball Championship will be held at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama on May 19-24.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First place votes in parentheses)
- Coastal Carolina (12) – 194
- Southern Miss (1) – 182
- Troy – 166
- Marshall – 129
- Louisiana (1) – 126
- Texas State – 114
T7. Georgia Southern – 104
T7. Old Dominion – 104
- Arkansas State – 96
- App State – 78
- South Alabama – 62
- Georgia State – 49
- James Madison – 48
- ULM – 18
Preseason Player of the Year
Blake Cavill, Troy (Sr., 1B – Sydney, Australia)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.)
Hayden Johnson, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SP – Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Sr., SP – Louisville, Miss.)
Ryan Lynch, Coastal Carolina (Gr., RP – Snohomish, Wash.)
Tucker Stockman, Southern Miss (RS Jr., C – Athens, Ala.)
Blake Cavill, Troy (Sr., 1B – Sydney, Australia)
Joseph Zamora, App State (Gr., 2B – Miami, Fla.)
Patrick Engskov, Arkansas State (Sr., SS – Little Rock, Ark.)
Chase Mora, Texas State (Sr., 3B – Tomball, Texas)
Ashton Quiller, Arkansas State (RS So., OF – Lake Charles, La.)
Dean Mihos, Coastal Carolina (Sr., OF – Chester Springs, Pa.)
Ben Higdon, Southern Miss (RS Sr., OF – Paducah, Ky.)
Kameron Miller, App State (Jr., DH – Harrisburg, N.C.)
Jimmy Janicki, Troy (So., UT – Downers Grove, Ill.)