SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced baseball preseason honors on Thursday. The Terriers had three players earn preseason honors. Senior righthanded pitcher Champ Davis earned first team honors, while senior first baseman James Layman and sophomore second baseman Tanner Hardin earned second team honors. The selections were made by the league's head coaches.

Davis, a righthanded pitcher out of Atlanta, Georgia, made 11 relief appearances last season before missing the remainder due to injury. Davis owned a 5-0 record with a 1.97 ERA over 32.0 innings. Despite missing the remainder of the season, Davis was still ranked 11^th in the Southern Conference for saves. He was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week once and was named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll.

Layman, a native of Bluffton, South Carolina, played in 49 games last season with 47 starts. Layman hit .369 with 58 hits, 11 doubles, two triples, and one home run. He also recorded 46 runs, 33 RBI, 26 walks and 23 stolen bases. Layman was ranked third in the Southern Conference for batting average and on-base percentage (.493) while finishing sixth in stolen bases.

Hardin, a 2025 All-Freshman Team selection, played in 53 games last season, making 45 starts. Hardin hit .346 with 53 hits, five doubles, 23 runs, 29 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. He was ranked fifth in the Southern Conference for batting average and 11^th in the league with seven sacrifice bunts. Hardin was second on the team with a .430 on-base percentage.

Wofford was selected to finish eighth in the conference this season with Samford taking first and Preseason Pitcher of the Year in righthanded pitcher Mason Blasche. Preseason Player of the Year was awarded to VMI first baseman Grayson Fitzwater.

The Terriers will open their 2026 season at Russell C. King Field on Friday, February 13, against Mercyhurst for a weekend series starting at 5:30 p.m., streaming on ESPN +.
 
Preseason Poll (first place votes in parentheses) 

1. Samford (4) – 45
2. Mercer (3) - 44
3. ETSU (1) – 38
4. The Citadel – 30
5. Western Carolina – 24
6. UNC Greensboro - 16
7. VMI - 14
8. Wofford - 13

 
Preseason Player of the Year: Grayson Fitzwater, 1B, VMI (Sr., Suffolk, VA / Nansemond River HS)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Mason Blasche, RHP, Samford (So., Hoover, AL / Hoover HS)
 
Preseason All-SoCon First Team
SP – Mason Blasche, Samford
SP – Michael Harpster, ETSU
SP – Garrett Lambert, Mercer
SP – Davis Wright, Western Carolina
RP – Derek McCarley, ETSU
RP – Champ Davis, Wofford
RP – Collin Edwaldsen, Mercer
C – Cade Carr, Samford
1B – Grayson Fitzwater, VMI
2B – Jeffrey Ince, Samford
SS – Trent Turner, Western Carolina
3B – Parker McDonald, Samford
OF – Jake Souders, Samford
OF – Bradley Garner, VMI
OF – Jamie Palmese, ETSU
DH – Trey Spees, Western Carolina
 
Preseason All-SoCon Second Team
SP – Will Holmes, The Citadel
SP – Noah Chapman, UNCG
SP – Andrew Stanley, The Citadel
SP – Jess Ackerman, Mercer
RP – Braydon Kersey, Mercer
RP – Owen Austin, Western Carolina
RP – Ryan White, Western Carolina
C – Phillips Daniels, The Citadel
1B – James Layman, Wofford
1B – Tristan Curless, ETSU
2B – Tanner Hardin, Wofford
SS – Titan Kamaka, Mercer
3B – Brant Baughcum, Mercer
OF – Owen Prince, VMI
OF – Axel Melendez, ETSU
OF – TJ Anderson, The Citadel
DH – Trey Higgins, Samford