INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Kentucky Wesleyan baseball team was picked second in the South Division in the annual G-MAC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office Wednesday afternoon.
Wesleyan received five out of 12 first-place votes and 60 total points. Walsh received the other seven first-place votes for the South Division and just edged out the Panthers at 63 total points.
The Panthers have several key returners from last year's team that reached the G-MAC Tournament and upset two-seeded Walsh in the first round. Those returners are headlined by reigning G-MAC Pitcher of the Year Evan Oakley, who pitched to a 2.24 ERA and 8-3 record over 13 starts in 2025.
The bulk of KWC's returning experiences come at the plate: Liam Hutson (.350 AVG, 17 XBH, 28 RBI in 44 games), Rhett Dysholm (.318 AVG, 11 XBH, 33 RBI in 50 games), Logan Molnar (.277 AVG, 4 XBH, 14 RBI in 48 games), Elijah Stockton (.254 AVG, 10 XBH, 22 RBI in 45 games), and Colson Perry (.294 AVG, 6 XBH, 11 RBI in 21 games).
Head coach Todd Lillpop is appreciative of the early season respect given to his program but is focused on the journey ahead regardless of preseason projections.
"We're grateful to be recognized, but it doesn't change our approach. Our focus is on the work we put in each day and continuing to improve as a team," Lillpop said. "We have a nice mix of returning studnet-athletes as well as newcomers, so we're excited to see how our group comes together. Everything we want to accomplish will be earned on the field."
On the other side of the conference, defending champion Northwood took the top spot in the North Division with seven first-place votes and 63 total points. Ashland came in not far behind with five first-place votes and 61 total points.
The full Kentucky Wesleyan baseball schedule will be released next week. The season is set to begin in early February.
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