ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum Pioneers have been picked eighth in the 2025 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Coaches' Poll announced league officials on Tuesday. It was also announced that TU shortstop Ben Scartz has been named to the Preseason All-Conference first team.

The Pioneers received 84 total points in a vote of the league's 13 head baseball coaches.

Catawba is the favorite to win the title with 132 points including 10 first place votes. Wingate is second with 122 points, followed by Lincoln Memorial (111), Coker (108) and Lenoir-Rhyne (102) to comprise the top-five. Newberry is sixth with 95 points followed by Carson-Newman (87), Tusculum (84), Anderson (53), Limestone (44), Mars Hill (32), UVA Wise (28) and Emory & Henry (16).

Scartz, a 6-1, 210-pound graduate student from Tarpon Springs, Florida, is the lone Pioneer on the Preseason All-SAC Team. Scartz earned All-SAC second team honors last spring where he finished second on the club with his .377 batting average, which included 69 hits as well as a team-best 14 doubles. He also led the squad with three triples to go along with 38 RBI.

The two-time All-Conference shortstop led the NCAA Division II Southeast Region in "toughest to strikeout" fanning only one in every 22.9 at-bats, which was also fourth-best nationally. He accounted for 20 multiple-hit games including nine with three or more hits.

In his 89 games at Tusculum, Scartz has a .370 batting average which includes 129 hits with 25 doubles, four triples, one home run and 72 RBI. He completed his undergraduate degree last May where he earned magna cum laude distinction. In 2024, he was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District 3 first team.

Tusculum returns 20 lettermen from last year's 26-26 club which faced the 52^nd toughest schedule in the nation and third-toughest in the league. TU went 15-9 in conference play to finish tied for third in the league standings. The Pioneers have four starters returning offensively, while nine pitchers are back including two-thirds of the starting weekend rotation in Brice Anders and Luke Absher.

The Preseason All-SAC team is selected by a vote of the conference's media relations directors.

Tusculum opens its season next weekend (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) when they travel to Francis Marion University for a three-game series against the Patriots.

2025 SAC Baseball Coaches' Poll

2025 Preseason All-SAC Baseball Team
First Team
OF – Dylan Driver, Catawba
OF – Sam Hunter, Catawba
OF – Chris Hall, Lincoln Memorial
1B – Gray Wells, Anderson
2B – Cam Harris, Wingate
SS – Ben Scartz, Tusculum
3B – Kasten Harvey, Lincoln Memorial
C – Cole Stanford, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH – Sal Carricato, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Payne Stolsworth, Catawba
SP – Austin Fine, Catawba
SP – Christian Pencek, Lincoln Memorial
RP – Hayden Simmerson, Catawba

Second Team
OF – Luke Compton, Newberry
OF – Owen Blackledge, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Kade Faircloth, Newberry
1B – Logan Floyd, Carson-Newman
2B – Cole Laskowski, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Nick Badgett, UVA Wise
3B – Jared Foley, Emory & Henry
C – Jaylen Mack, Coker
DH – Breon Ishmael, Wingate
SP – Kelan Hoover, Wingate
SP – Aaron Diaz, Coker
SP – Kelan Hoover, Wingate
RP – Tyler Satterley, Coker

Players to Watch
Elec Yount, Jr., INF, Mars Hill
Carter Potts, So., INF, Mars Hill
Sion Barnette, Sr., 3B, Limestone
Peter Adams, Sr., SS, Limestone