New Orleans, La. --- The Sun Belt Conference announced its preseason poll and awards selections on Wednesday afternoon, as voted on by coaches and SIDs around the league. Georgia Southern earned one Preseason All-SBC nod and was selected to finish fifth in the conference.
 

Josh Tate earned his first Preseason All-SBC selection as well as being the lone representative for the Eagles. Along with being only one of two Eagles to start all 59 games in 2024, tate led the team in batting average (.369), at bats (233), runs (63), hits (86), and stolen bases (27). The junior transfer from Georgia also nabbed 30 RBIs and a .49 slugging pct. His batting average was also third in the Sun Belt last season, while also in the top-ten in both runs and hits. Tate will continue to be the leadoff man in 2025 and will see most of his time defensively in the outfield.

Georgia Southern was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, which saw a mixed bag of first-place votes between the top four teams of Southern Miss (5 first-place votes), Troy (4 votes), Louisiana (3 votes), and Coastal Carolina (2 votes). The entire Preseason All-SBC team and preseason poll can be found below.

2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Player of the Year
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
 
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
 
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Chase Morgan, Louisiana (So., SP – Cypress, Texas)
Bryce Blevins, Marshall (Jr., SP – Louisa, Ky.)
Colby Allen, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Louisville, Miss.)
Max Kuhle, James Madison (Jr., RP – Virginia Beach, Va.)
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (Jr., C – Haddon Heights, N.J.)
Matthew Russo, Southern Miss (Jr., 1B – Madisonville, La.)
Blake Barthol, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 2B – Allentown, Pa.)
Ozzie Pratt, Southern Miss (Sr., SS – Alesville, Miss.)
Lee Amedee, Louisiana (Jr., 3B – Gonzales, La.)
Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (Jr., OF – Peachtree City, Ga.)
Luke Waters, Old Dominion (Sr., OF – Laurel, Del.)
Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss (RS So., OF – Birmingham, Ala.)
Ryan Dooley, James Madison (Sr., DH – Reston, Va.)
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (Jr., UT – Brandon, Miss.)
 
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes)
1. Southern Miss (5) – 179
2. Troy (4) – 178
3. Louisiana (3) – 174
4. Coastal Carolina (2) – 161
5. Georgia Southern – 125
6. James Madison – 106
7. Old Dominion – 105
8. Texas State – 102
9. App State – 94
10. South Alabama – 93
11. Georgia State – 49
12. Marshall – 46
13. ULM – 34
14. Arkansas State – 24