ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University baseball team has been picked to finish fifth in the upcoming 2021 South Atlantic Conference season announced league officials with the release of the conference's coaches' poll. 

Tusculum infielders Daulton Martin and Jaden Steagall were also selected to the Preseason All-SAC Team as selected by the league's media relations directors.

Tusculum received 112 total points in a vote of the conference's 13 head coaches. Catawba is the favorite to claim the title as the Indians garnered 156 points including 12 first place votes. Newberry is second with 141 points, while Wingate was third with 137 points and one first place nod. Carson-Newman is fourth with 115 points, followed by Tusculum (112), Lenoir-Rhyne (100), Lincoln Memorial (91), Anderson (72), Queens (71), Mars Hill (52), Coker (46), SAC newcomer Limestone (41) and UVA Wise (36).

Martin, a graduate student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, finished third on the team last season with a .333 batting average during the COVID abbreviated season. He started in all 25 games at second base and led the SAC with 21 walks which were the fifth-most in the nation. He tied for second on the team with 28 hits including six doubles, two triples and a home run. He also led the SAC with his 16 stolen bases which were fifth in the nation. He went 16-of-16 on the base paths including a single-game record five against Gannon University.

Martin is currently Tusculum's all-time leader in runs scored (183), doubles (6), walks (126) and hit by pitch (37). In his 178-game career, he is a two-time All-American and three-time All-SAC performer. He enters this year with 242 career hits, which are 20 off the school record 262 held by TU Hall of Famer Josh Wolff (2003-2006). Last year, Martin was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection.

Steagall, a junior from Hiram, Georgia, led the Pioneers in 2020 with 28 runs scored (3^rd in SAC) and four home runs (T7th in SAC). His 24 runs batted in were second on the team and tied for fifth-most in the SAC. He also tallied 28 total hits including five doubles and went 10-of-11 in stolen bases (T5th in SAC). He posted a .298 batting average and led the team with nine multiple-RBI games. He opened the season batting 9-of-12 in his first three games and earned SAC Player of the Week accolades.

Tusculum returns 27 lettermen from last year's squad that finished the shortened season with a 15-10 record including victories in five of its last six games before the stoppage. The Pioneers open the season Feb. 16 at Young Harris.

SAC Baseball Coaches Poll

2021 SAC Preseason All-Conference Baseball Team
First Team
OF – Jordan Griffin, Carson-Newman
OF – Tyler Thompson, Carson-Newman
OF – Jed Bryant, Wingate
1B – Hunter Shepherd, Catawba
2B – Daulton Martin, Tusculum
SS – Jeremy Simpson, Catawba
3B – Tyler Adams, Lincoln Memorial
C – Tyler Blaum, UVA Wise
DH – Nick Vella, Anderson
SP – Bryan Ketchie, Catawba
SP – Tomas Sorcia, Jr., Newberry
SP – Josh Bookbinder, Newberry
RP – Hunter Dula, Wingate

Second Team
OF – Zane Tarrance, Newberry
OF – E.J. Ranel, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Nick Butler, Newberry
1B – Noah Jones, Queens
2B – Dalton Lansdowne, Newberry
SS – Colin Allman, Newberry
3B – Jaden Steagall, Tusculum
C – Dalton Dedas, Lincoln Memorial
DH – Gabe Wurtz, UVA Wise
SP – David Nash, Wingate
SP – Alex Shirazi, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Sawyer Strickland, Catawba
RP – Ben Friebel, Lenoir-Rhyne