SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The Southern Conference office announced on Tuesday its year-end honors for baseball as voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Junior right-handed pitcher Alec Bouchard was named the 2026 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-SoCon first team. Sophomore outfielder Ben Timblin and starting right-handed pitcher Cullen Condon earned All-Conference second team honors, while shortstop Brady Gold earned All-Freshman team recognition, and senior outfielder Niko Brini was named to the All-Defensive team. The league's coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

"We are excited and proud for Alec, Ben, Cullen, Brady and Niko to be recognized with All-SoCon honors," said head coach J.J. Edwards. "It's the combination of the hard work and dedication these guys always showcase at the right time. We are proud of them, and I know they'll continue to work hard and show out in postseason."

This is Bouchard's first career All-SoCon selection and he joins Elliot Carney (2021) as the second pitcher in program history to be named pitcher of the year. This is the first time since 2024 a starting pitcher has earned All-SoCon honors and the sixth straight season a pitcher has been named to the All-SoCon honors list. This is Cullen Condon's second All-SoCon honor after earning an All-Freshman team selection last season. Brady Gold's All-Freshman team honors marks the ninth-straight season a Terrier has received the honor.

"I'm incredibly proud of Alec for being awarded Pitcher of the Year," associate head coach Pat Brown said. "It's a testament to his hard work and dedication over the last three years. This is an accomplishment we strive to have in our program every single year and we couldn't be prouder."

Bouchard, a right-handed pitcher from Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, broke through on the mound this season. The junior has a 2.29 ERA over 82.2 innings pitched, starting in 14 games. Bouchard secured two SoCon Pitcher of the Week selections this season. He boasts a 9-2 record to lead the team in wins and strikeouts with 101. Bouchard threw a complete game against top seed Western Carolina, where he had a career-high 14 strikeouts with just two hits and one run allowed. Bouchard has walked 23 batters with opponents hitting just .213 against him. Bouchard ranks first in the conference in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and wins. His nine wins rank 10^th in the nation.

Condon, a right-handed pitcher from Manasquan, New Jersey, kept his momentum going from last season to record a 2.61 ERA over 58.2 innings with 12 starts. He has a 7-2 record with 51 strikeouts. Condon made an impressive quality start against Samford on May 15, tossing a season-high nine strikeouts. He has walked only 21 batters with opponents hitting just .204 against him.

Timblin, an outfielder from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, touts a .322 average over 50 starts. He has 51 runs on 56 hits, including eight doubles, six triples and 15 home runs with 63 RBIs. Timblin leads the team in RBIs, home runs, stolen bases, and slugging percentage. He sits with a .435 on-base percentage, adding 28 walks to his resume, alongside a 15-to-17 mark on stolen base attempts. Timblin had a career night at Samford on May 15 where he went 5-for-5 with a triple and two home runs, bringing in a season-high of seven RBI.  Timblin is second in the conference in triples, which ranks eighth in the nation. Timblin was named SoCon Player of the Week on April 6.

Gold, a shortstop from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, has appeared in 43 games with 38 starts. The freshman owns a .277 average with 28 runs on 36 hits, including eight doubles, two triples and five home runs. Gold has 21 RBIs and is 7-to-9 on stolen base attempts.  On the field, he sports a .909 clip and leads the team with 82 assists.

Brini, an outfielder from Plymouth, Massachusetts, has a .344 average through 54 starts with 58 runs scored on 73 hits, including 17 doubles, seven triples, and eight home runs with 53 runners batted in. Brini leads the team in hits, doubles, triples and runs and is ranked fourth in the nation in triples. He is also second on the team in batting average, OPS, home runs and slugging percentage. Brini is fielding a perfect 1.000 with 130 putouts and two assists.

Wofford is 34-20 and 12-9 in conference play at the end of the regular season. The 2026 Southern Conference Championship presented by Holston Gases begins Wednesday, May 20, at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina. The No. 4 seeded Terriers will open their postseason campaign against either No. 5 seeded The Citadel or No. 8 seeded VMI at 4 p.m., streaming on ESPN +.
 
2026 All-SoCon Baseball Team & Awards
Player of the Year - Chris Katz, Mercer
Pitcher of the Year -Alec Bouchard, Wofford
Freshman of the Year - Garrett Lambert, Mercer
Golden Glove Award (Defensive Player of the Year) - Aryan Patel, The Citadel
Coach of the Year - Craig Gibson, Mercer
 
First-Team All-SoCon
SP – Alec Bouchard, Wofford
SP – Garrett Lambert, Mercer
SP – Will Holmes, The Citadel
RP – Mason Snyder, Western Carolina
RP – Jess Ackerman, Mercer
RP – Zak Spurrier, Samford
C – Cade Carr, Samford
1B – Grayson Fitzwater, VMI
1B – Tristan Curless, ETSU
2B – Trent Turner, Western Carolina
SS – Titan Kamaka, Mercer
3B – Brant Baughcum, Mercer
OF – Chris Katz, Mercer
OF – Eli Stephens, Mercer
OF – Jake Souders, Samford
DH – Braydon Kersey, Mercer
 
Second-Team All-SoCon
SP – Michael Harpster, ETSU
SP – Andrew Buffkin, The Citadel
SP – Cullen Condon, Wofford
RP – Michael Gibson, The Citadel
RP – Andrew Garnett, Mercer
RP – Zane Davis, The Citadel
C – Cole Raile, VMI
C – Noah Quarless, Western Carolina
1B – Michael Gibson, The Citadel
2B – Ian Guanzon, ETSU
SS – Henry Ferguson, ETSU
3B – Jacob Budzik, UNC Greensboro
OF – Ben Timblin, Wofford
OF – Jamie Palmese, ETSU
OF – Luke Boykin, Samford
DH – Nate Conner, ETSU
 
2026 SoCon All-Freshman Team
Garrett Lambert, P, Mercer
Jaylen Jones, OF, Western Carolina
Brady Gold, SS, Wofford
Jayden Williams, OF, The Citadel
Evan Myers, P, Western Carolina
Eddie Marshall, C, Samford
Cooper Jones, P, ETSU
Tanner Berry, C, UNC Greensboro
Mason Ault, C, ETSU
Ethan Buffone, 2B, Mercer
Ayden West, P, UNC Greensboro
Buddy Baker, P, VMI
 
2026 SoCon All-Defensive Team
Aryan Patel, 3B, The Citadel
Grayson Fitzwater, 1B, VMI
Owen Prince, OF, VMI
Henry Ferguson, 2B, ETSU
Jayden Williams, OF, The Citadel
Parker McDonald, 3B, Samford
Jamie Palmese, OF, ETSU
Cade Carr, C, Samford
Jeff Ince, 2B, Samford
Niko Brini, OF, Wofford
Trent Turner, 2B, Western Carolina        
Gus Gandy, SS, Samford