Defending NCAA Division II national champion Angelo State is the favorite to win its third consecutive Lone Star Conference baseball title according to the 2024 preseason poll, it was announced on Tuesday (Jan. 23). ASU’s Jacob Guerrero and Braxton Pearson also claimed preseason player of the year honors.
The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
ASU totaled 503 points and collected all but one of the possible 39 first-place votes in the poll. Head coach Kevin Brooks’ Rams were 56-9 overall and 40-8 in league play last season en route to the first baseball national championship for the school and LSC. They also won 15 of their final 16 games, which included going unbeaten in the South Central Super Regional and Division II Finals.
ASU led the conference with a 3.36 ERA and .984 fielding percentage. They also batted .343 as a team.
UT Tyler was picked as the conference runner-up with 450 points and the other first-place vote. The Patriots, who led the league in hitting (.344), finished 39-19 overall last season and received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program’s Division II era.
St. Edward’s was the third-place selection with 396 points. The Hilltoppers went 40-17 last season and advanced to a NCAA regional final.
Lubbock Christian was selected in the fourth spot with 388 points. The Chapparals went 35-23 last season, made the NCAA tournament and led the league with 80 home runs.
West Texas A&M (379 points) was predicted to finish fifth, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville (313 points), St. Mary’s (257 points) and UT Permian Basin (217 points) to round out what would be the eight teams to qualify for the LSC Championship.
Eastern New Mexico (188 points) was the ninth-place selection. Texas A&M International (162 points), Oklahoma Christian (127 points), Cameron (97 points) and UAFS (72 points) rounded out the poll.
Guerrero was named LSC Preseason Player of the Year. The junior outfielder from Colleyville, Texas batted .420 – including a league-high 97 hits – with seven home runs, five triples and 25 doubles last season. He also drove in 57 runs, scored 79 times and stole 22 bases.
Pearson was named LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. The senior right-hander from Georgetown, Texas went 8-2 with one save and a 2.64 ERA last season. He walked just 11 batters and struck out 48 over 58 innings of work. Pearson tossed two complete games and opponents hit just .215 off him.
Additionally, 25 players – 13 position players and 12 pitchers including Guerrero and Pearson – were selected for the LSC Baseball Preseason Players to Watch list. The student-athletes were nominated by their member institution.
The LSC baseball season begins Feb. 2. Throughout the year, all 13 LSC teams will play a single round-robin schedule with a four-game weekend series against each league opponent. To see the league schedule, click
here. All games can be viewed on the
LSC Digital Network.
The
LSC Championship will feature a two-week tournament comprised of the top eight teams. The opening round (three-game series) will be May 3-5 at the sites of the top four seeds. The winners will advance to a double-elimination tournament played May 9-11 at the site of the top remaining seed. The LSC Tournament Champion will receive the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA postseason.
2024 LSC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL, AWARDS
Preseason Poll
| Rank |
Team |
1st |
Total |
| 1 |
Angelo State |
38 |
503 |
| 2 |
UT Tyler |
1 |
450 |
| 3 |
St. Edward’s |
|
396 |
| 4 |
Lubbock Christian |
|
388 |
| 5 |
West Texas A&M |
|
379 |
| 6 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
313 |
| 7 |
St. Mary’s |
|
257 |
| 8 |
UT Permian Basin |
|
217 |
| 9 |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
188 |
| 10 |
Texas A&M International |
|
162 |
| 11 |
Oklahoma Christian |
|
127 |
| 12 |
Cameron |
|
97 |
| 13 |
UAFS |
|
72 |
Preseason Player of the Year
Jacob Guerrero, OF, Jr., Angelo State
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Braxton Pearson, RHP, Sr., Angelo State
Preseason Players to Watch
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Jacob Guerrero |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
OF |
Accounting |
Colleyville, Texas |
| Drew Durst |
Cameron |
Sr. |
1B |
Business |
Frisco, Texas |
| Tucker Gideon |
Eastern New Mexico |
Jr. |
OF |
University Studies |
Lubbock, Texas |
| Carson Ogilvie |
Lubbock Christian |
Sr. |
INF |
Finance |
Spring, Texas |
| Hunter Jones |
Oklahoma Christian |
So. |
C |
Exercise Science |
Norman, Okla. |
| Lance Little |
St. Edward's |
Jr. |
1B |
Accounting |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Garrett Brooks |
St. Mary's |
So. |
OF |
Undeclared |
Spring Branch, Texas |
| Joseph Cruz |
Texas A&M International |
Sr. |
C/OF |
Business Admin. |
Est Mayoral Calle Guajana, PR |
| Jacob Rosales |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
OF |
Psychology |
Mission, Texas |
| Michael Brinton |
UAFS |
Sr. |
OF |
General Studies |
Keller, Texas |
| Ethan Flodstrom |
UT Permian Basin |
Sr. |
OF |
Management |
Port Angeles, Wash. |
| Kaston Mason |
UT Tyler |
So. |
1B/OF |
Management |
Rockwall, Texas |
| Kory Schmidt |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
C |
Sports & Ex. Sci. |
Liberty Hill, Texas |
Preseason Pitchers to Watch
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Braxton Pearson |
Angelo State |
Sr. |
RHP |
Communications |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Gavin Perry |
Eastern New Mexico |
Jr. |
RHP |
Business Admin. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Aydan Alger |
Lubbock Christian |
Sr. |
LHP |
Communication |
Lancaster, Calif. |
| Naut Kragt |
Oklahoma Christian |
Sr. |
RHP |
Mech. Eng. |
Badhoevedorp, Netherlands |
| Jack Granack |
St. Edward's |
Sr. |
RHP |
Marketing |
Spring, Texas |
| Andrew Girod |
St. Mary's |
Sr. |
LHP |
Fin. & Risk Mngt. |
San Antonio |
| Jan Cabrera |
Texas A&M International |
Sr. |
RHP |
Spanish |
Denton, TX |
| Colton Taylor |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
RHP |
Kinesiology |
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada |
| Jakob Petross |
UAFS |
Sr. |
RHP |
Business Admin. |
Cabot, AR |
| Creede Jeffers |
UT Permian Basin |
Sr. |
RHP |
History |
Ramona, Calif. |
| Garrett Arredondo |
UT Tyler |
Jr. |
RHP |
Business Adm. |
Sugar Land, Texas |
| Nick Marshall |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
RHP |
Business |
Antigo, Wisconsin |