Cobras Tabbed 5th in Preseason SAC Poll
Coming off back-to-back 30-win seasons, the Coker baseball team has been picked to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the league announced Monday.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Coming off back-to-back 30-win seasons, the Coker baseball team has been picked to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Monday.
The Cobras, led by fourth-year head coach Fico Kondla, posted a 30–22 overall record and went 17–13 in SAC play during the 2025 season, earning a berth in the conference tournament. Coker returns four starters from that squad, including sophomore infielders Gavin Edens (.320 batting average) and Rocco Wojcik (.304), along with junior utility player Luke Peterson, who led the team with a .352 average. Junior left-hander Casey Cleghorn also returns to the mound after making six appearances during the 2025 campaign.
Wojcik and Cleghorn were joined on the SAC Preseason Players to Watch list by newcomers Peter Adams, Gavin Johnson, Owen Brockner, and Patrick Larson. Adams, a graduate student transfer from Limestone, recorded a career .292 batting average with 54 RBIs over four seasons as an infielder. Johnson, a junior transfer from Gardner-Webb, appeared in 54 games across two seasons. Brockner, a left-handed pitcher, transferred from York College, while Larson, a right-handed pitcher, came to Hartsville from Camp Community College. Both pitchers will be juniors in 2026.
Coker totaled 87 points in the preseason poll to place fifth. Defending regular season and tournament champion Catawba was selected atop the poll, followed by NCAA national runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne. Carson-Newman and Wingate rounded out the top four.
The Cobras will open the 2026 season on Friday, hosting Belmont Abbey at Tom J. New Field at Dave Schmotzer Stadium in the opener of a three-game home-and-home series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with the series concluding Saturday at Belmont Abbey with a doubleheader.
Rank School (first place votes) Points
- Catawba (7) 126
- Lenoir-Rhyne (4) 122
- Carson-Newman 112
- Wingate 102
- COKER 87
- Lincoln Memorial (1) 78
- Newberry 71
- UVA Wise 70
- Anderson 56
- Tusculum 45
- Mars Hill 28
- Emory & Henry 27