SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Samford Baseball Team was picked fourth in the 2023 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll and third in the media poll, while Michael Ross, Jacob Cravey, Alex Goff, Stephen Klein, and Garrett Staton were named to the Preseason All-SoCon Teams.
Ross (Lakeland, Fla.) picked up the Bulldogs' lone Preseason All-SoCon First Team nod. The junior right-hander posted a 7-1 record in 2022 while leading the Bulldogs with a 3.77 earned run average. A 2022 Coaches Second Team All-SoCon selection, Ross held opposing SoCon hitters to a minuscule .191 batting average last season, striking out a team-best 32 over 45 innings of labor in conference play.
Cravey (Andalusia, Ala.) logged a team-high 82.2 innings on the mound for Samford last season, posting a record of 5-3 and striking out a team-high 71 hitters. The junior righty went 4-1 in SoCon starts, striking out 31 over 43 innings.
Goff (Winter Springs, Fla.) Made 22 relief appearances for the Bulldogs last season, amassing a record of 5-2 with three saves. The senior reliever shined brightest in conference play in 2022, where he compiled a 1.77 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .225 average in 11 outings.
Klein (Metairie, La.) earned 2022 Media Second Team All-SoCon after leading the Bulldogs in both batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.452) last season. The senior first baseman provided gold-glove caliber defense in 2022, posting a .995 fielding percentage and committing just one error.
Staton (Gainesville, Ga.) burst onto the scene in 2022 as a redshirt freshman, hitting .276 with a .403 on-base clip. The freshman middle infielder earned a spot on both the 2022 All-SoCon Freshman team and All-Tournament Team.
Wofford and Mercer finished first and second in both polls. UNCG edged the Bulldogs by one point for third place in the Coaches poll, with the Bulldogs doing the same in the media poll.
In his first season at the helm in 2022, Head Coach Tony David's squad posted a record of 28-29. The Bulldogs earned series victories against five of their seven SoCon opponents and finished 12-9 in league play to finish third in the regular-season standings.
The Bulldogs will begin their 2023 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17 for the first of three games at Memphis.
2023 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Wofford (5) 46
2. Mercer (2) 41
3. UNCG (1) 34
4. Samford 33
5. ETSU 25
6. Western Carolina 20
7. VMI 13
8. The Citadel 12
2023 SoCon Baseball Preseason Media Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Wofford (9) 130
2. Mercer (6) 122
3. Samford (1) 103
4. UNCG (2) 102
5. ETSU 68
6. Western Carolina 60
7. The Citadel 35
8. VMI 28
2023 SoCon Preseason Player of the Year
Pascanel Ferreras, Jr., SS, Western Carolina
2023 SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Matthew Marchal, Sr., RHP, Wofford
2023 Preseason All-SoCon Baseball Team
First team
SP –
Michael Ross, Jr., Samford
SP – Matthew Marchal, Sr., Wofford
RP – Luke Stephens, Sr., Wofford
C – Noah Webb, Jr., ETS
1B – Ryan Galanie, Sr., Wofford
2B – Brice Martinez, Jr., Wofford
SS – Pacanel Ferreras, Jr., Western Carolina
3B – Mitchell Smith, Jr., UNCG
OF – Tommy Barth, So., ETSU
OF – Treyson Hughes, So., Mercer
OF – Kennedy Jones, So., UNCG
DH – Brett Cook, Jr., VMI
Second team
SP – Josh Harlow, Sr., Mercer
SP –
Jacob Cravey, Jr., Samford
RP –
Alex Goff, Sr., Samford
C – Dallas Callahan, Sr., UNCG
1B –
Stephen Klein, Sr., Samford
2B –
Garrett Staton, R-So., Samford
SS – Zac Morris, R-Jr., VMI
3B – Justin Starke, R-Jr., VMI
OF – Jozsef Rohrbacher, Sr., Mercer
OF – Nate Stocum, Jr., Western Carolina
OF – Trey Yunger, Sr., Wofford
DH – Garett Wallace, Sr., ETSU
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