NEW ORLEANS – The 2026 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Postseason Awards were announced on Monday and Old Dominion’s Will Johnson earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors and Ben Tanton landed on the league’s All-Freshman Team. The awards and All-Conference Teams were voted upon by the league's 14 head coaches.
A junior infielder from Allen, Texas, Johnson started all 53 games he appeared in during his first season with the Monarchs (29-25, 15-15 Sun Belt). The transfer from Northern Oklahoma College hit .347 (68-for-196) during the regular season with a .485 slugging percentage and a .442 on-base percentage. His other season totals included five home runs, 12 doubles, 43 runs scored, 35 RBIs, 22 walks, and nine stolen bases on 13 attempts. He led ODU with 21 multi-hit games and a 12-game hit streak and tallied 10 multi-RBI games and 12 multi-run games. Defensively, he posted a .917 fielding percentage with 69 putouts and 129 assists while helping turn 26 double plays.
Against Sun Belt opponents, Johnson was the team’s co-leader in batting average with a .365 clip (42-for-115). His other conference totals included a .504 slugging percentage, a .443 on-base percentage, three home runs, seven doubles, 19 runs, 28 RBIs, 10 walks, and three stolen bases.
In the series opener at Troy on March 13, he went 1-for-4 at the plate, had one double, and drove in four runs. On March 20 versus App State, Johnson finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, two runs, and one base on balls. He helped propel ODU to an 8-3 series-opening win over Georgia Southern on April 17 after going 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a double, and five RBIs. Johnson was then voted Sun Belt Player of the Week on May 12 after hitting .643 (9-for-14) with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage to help the Monarchs to a 2-1 series win at No. 8 Coastal Carolina. His other series totals included one home run, two doubles, five runs scored, four RBIs, one walk, and one sacrifice bunt. He recorded multiple hits and scored at least one run in all three games versus the Chanticleers.
Tanton led ODU pitchers with a 7-0 record, one save, two shutouts, and a 1.87 ERA after making one start and 16 appearances for the Monarchs. The right-hander from Vestal, New York allowed just seven runs, five of them earned, on 17 hits and 12 walks while recording 37 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work. He owns a 0.86 WHIP, gave up just three extra-base hits, all of them doubles, and held opposing hitters to a .147 average.
The bulk of his wins came in league play, with Tanton tying for the conference lead with six wins. Through one start and 10 appearances in conference action, he went 6-0 with a 1.08 ERA, two shutouts, one save, and a 0.92 WHIP. He conceded five runs, three earned, on 12 hits and 11 walks. He struck out 31 in 25 innings tossed with opponents hitting just .141 against him.
Tanton earned his first collegiate win on March 8 against UConn, tossing three shutout innings in relief to help the Monarchs to a 6-5 victory over the Huskies. On April 24 at Georgia State, he pitched four scoreless innings in relief and held the Panthers to two hits and two walks while striking out six to secure the win. He then helped the Monarchs top No. 8 Coastal Carolina, 6-3 on May 9 after holding the Chanticleers to one hit and one walk in five innings out of the bullpen. He struck out seven, a new career best for the freshman.
Player of the Year honors went to catcher Jimmy Janicki from Troy while Southern Miss’ Grayden Harris was voted Pitcher of the Year. App State pitcher Gage Peterson was selected as the Newcomer of the Year, Georgia Southern’s Brady Christman earned Freshman of the Year honors, and Marshall’s Bryce Blevins was the recipient of the Tony Robichaux Leadership Award. Southern Miss’ Christian Ostrander was voted Ron Maestri Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Eagles to the regular season title.
The Monarchs earned the eighth seed for this week’s Sun Belt Conference Championship and will face ninth-seeded Georgia State in a single-elimination game this Tuesday. First pitch at DABOS Park, formerly Riverwalk Stadium, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
2026 Sun Belt Baseball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year – Jimmy Janicki, Troy
Pitcher of the Year – Grayden Harris, Southern Miss
Newcomer of the Year – Gage Peterson, App State
Freshman of the Year – Brady Christman, Georgia Southern
Tony Robichaux Leadership Award – Bryce Blevins, Marshall
Ron Maestri Coach of the Year – Christian Ostrander, Southern Miss
All-Sun Belt First Team
P – Gage Peterson, App State (Jr., RHP – Jonesborough, Tenn.)
P – Camden Clark, Southern Miss (So., RHP – Laurel, Miss.)
P – Grayden Harris, Southern Miss (So., LHP – Central, La.)
RP – Darin Horn, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., RHP – Bluffton, S.C.)
C – Jimmy Janicki, Troy (So., C – Downers Grove, Ill.)
1B – Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Sr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
2B – Kyle Morrison, Southern Miss (Sr., 2B – Wetumpka, Ala.)
SS – Steven Smith, App State (Gr., SS – Salisbury, N.C.)
3B – Wills Maginnis, Georgia State (So., 3B – Newnan, Ga.)
OF – Evan Bottone, Marshall (Jr., OF – Bay Village, Ohio)
OF – Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss (RS Jr., OF – Birmingham, Ala.)
OF – Aaron Piasecki, Troy (Sr., OF – Muskegon, Mich.)
DH – Brady Christman, Georgia Southern (Fr., DH – Forsyth, Ga.)
UT – Drew Nelson, Troy (Sr., UT – Troy, Ala.)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
P – Cody Brasch, Louisiana (Jr., RHP – Haslet, Texas)
P – Andrew Herrmann, Louisiana (Gr., LHP – Kennesaw, Ga.)
P – Bryce Blevins, Marshall (Sr., LHP – Louisa, Ky.)
RP – Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Sr., RHP – Louisville, Miss.)
C – Colt Brown, Louisiana (Fr., C – Seguin, Texas)
1B – Derek Martinez, Arkansas State (Fr., 1B – Clermont, Fla.)
2B – Brennon Wright, South Alabama (Jr., 2B – Starkville, Miss.)
SS – Will Johnson, Old Dominion (Jr., SS – Allen, Texas)
3B – Stewart Puckett, South Alabama (RS Jr., 3B – DeLeon Springs, Fla.)
OF – Charlie Evans, App State (Sr., OF – Levittown, Pa.)
OF – Rex Watson, Coastal Carolina (So., OF – Manteca, Calif.)
OF – Rashawn Galloway, Texas State (Sr., OF – Boerne, Texas)
DH – Manny Salas, Texas State (Jr., DH – North Richland Hills, Texas)
UT – Jaquae Stewart, Texas State (Jr., UT – Sinton, Texas)
All-Sun Belt Freshman Team
Colton Denton, App State (Fr., C – Knoxville, Tenn.)
Derek Martinez, Arkansas State (Fr., 1B – Clermont, Fla.)
Case Bosch, Coastal Carolina (Fr., LHP – Jenison, Mich.)
Jackson Smallets, Coastal Carolina (Fr., RHP – Sicklerville, N.J.)
Brady Christman, Georgia Southern (Fr., C/OF – Forsyth, Ga.)
Bennett Edwards, Georgia Southern (Fr., C/OF – Laurens, S.C.)
Colt Brown, Louisiana (Fr., C – Seguin, Texas)
Noah Lewis, Louisiana (Fr., OF – Baton Rouge, La.)
Sawyer Pruitt, Louisiana (Fr., RHP – Watson, La.)
Blaze Rodriguez, Louisiana (Fr., SS – Slidell, La.)
Garett Wiethorn, ULM (Fr., OF – McGregor, Texas)
Ben Tanton, Old Dominion (Fr., RHP – Vestal, N.Y.)
Jackson Cotton, Texas State (Fr., OF – Missouri City, Texas)
Clayton Namken, Texas State (Fr., C – New Braunfels, Texas)