2025 Sun Belt Baseball Season Preview

Projected Standings (2024 Record):

1. Southern Miss (43-20, 20-10)
2. Troy (37-22, 18-12)
3. Coastal Carolina (36-25, 16-14)
4. Louisiana (42-20, 23-7)
5. Georgia Southern (33-26, 17-13)
6. Old Dominion (31-26, 15-15)
7. James Madison (36-25, 17-13)
8. Texas State (27-29, 13-17)
9. South Alabama (31-25, 14-16)
10. Appalachian State (33-21-1, 16-13-1)
11. Georgia State (25-32, 13-17)
12. Marshall (18-37, 9-21)
13. Louisiana-Monroe (25-30, 11-19)
14. Arkansas State (21-32-1, 7-22-1)

Top 5 Draft Prospects For 2025

1. Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
2. Ben Moore, LHP, Old Dominion
3. Brooks Bryan, C, Troy
4. JB Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss
5. Dylan Brown, LHP, Old Dominion

Team To Beat: Southern Miss

2024 was the start of a new era in Hattiesburg, as head coach Christian Ostrander took over for the legendary Scott Berry. In his first season at the helm, Ostrander guided the Golden Eagles to their second-straight conference tournament title and their eighth-straight tournament appearance. As the page turns to 2025, Southern Miss has the talent to extend both of those streaks. Three of its top five hitters from 2024—Davis Gillespie (.318/.391/.516), Ozzie Pratt (.317/.367/.440) and Matthew Russo (.315/.443/.503)—are back to lead the lineup, and so are Nick Monistere (.247/.360/.467) and Carson Paetow (.285/.429/.543). They hit 11 home runs apiece last spring, which was tied for the second-highest total on the team. Monistere’s 53 RBIs were also the second-highest total on the team. All in all, the Golden Eagles’ group of returning hitters accounted for 44 of their 65 home runs in 2024.

On the mound, Ostrander is tasked with replacing his top two starters from last season in Niko Mazza (9-3, 3.99 ERA) and Billy Oldham (7-3, 4.48 ERA). However, righthander JB Middleton (2-1, 4.34 ERA)—who possesses some of the best pure stuff in the conference—is in line to make the jump to the rotation. Colby Allen (10-2, 3.58 ERA) is in a similar boat after making 25 of his 27 appearances last season in relief. Lefthander Kros Sivley (4-5, 4.41 ERA) is the best strike-thrower in the conference and can be deployed in any situation. Righthander Drake Meeks (0-0, 40.50 ERA) saw limited action last spring, but he collected 11 strikeouts across 9.1 innings in the Cape Cod League. He features a mid-to-upper-90s fastball, as well as a sharp slider that will flash at times. Strikes are an issue, so competing around the zone on a more consistent basis is his biggest key. A trio of key returners in Chandler Best (3-1, 4.89 ERA), McCarty English (1-0, 4.91 ERA) and Josh Och (0-0, 2.81 ERA) provide plenty of bullpen depth. Southern Miss boasts a deep, talented roster on both sides of the baseball that is capable of a deep tournament run.

Player Of The Year: Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina

Bodine burst onto the scene as a freshman and posted a gaudy .367/.456/.609 line with 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 47 RBIs en route to taking home Sun Belt freshman of the year honors and being named a second team freshman all-American. He didn’t miss a beat last year, hitting .328/.411/.523 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 71 RBIs. Bodine earned an invitation to Team USA’s Collegiate National Team and was again an all-conference selection. He has one of the most polished hit tools in this year’s draft, and his defense has improved year-over-year. A potential first-round pick this July, Bodine will again headline Coastal Carolina’s offense. 

Pitcher Of The Year: Chase Morgan, LHP, Louisiana

Morgan made an immediate impact last spring for the Ragin’ Cajuns and pitched his way to a 3.18 ERA with 69 strikeouts to 20 walks across 73.2 innings. He was named the Sun Belt freshman of the year and was a first team all-conference selection. A 6-foot-3 lefthander, Morgan attacks from a near-over-the-top slot and features an upper-80s-to-low-90s fastball, an upper-70s-to-low-80s curveball—his best pitch, generating a 47% miss rate last season—and a solid low-to-mid-80s changeup. As a cherry on top, Morgan has above-average control of his entire arsenal.

Freshman Of The Year: Jimmy Janicki, 3B/C, Troy

Janicki enjoyed a standout fall for the Trojans in which he likely played his way into the opening day lineup. At 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds, Janicki has a strong, physical build. This fall, he showed the ability to drive the baseball with authority to all fields and generate quality contact on a regular basis. Janicki looks like a key piece of the puzzle for Troy from the get-go.

Notable Storylines

●  For the first time in 29 years, there will be a new head coach in Conway. Legendary Coastal Carolina head coach Gary Gilmore retired at the end of last season after a storied run in which he guided the Chanticleers to 18 regionals, three super regionals and the program’s first—and only—national championship. His shoes were never not going to be impossible to fill, but former associate head coach Kevin Schnall is a dynamite “next man up.” Schnall was a catcher for Coastal Carolina from 1995-1999 and took home conference player of the year honors in 1999. His first coaching stint in Conway lasted from 2001-2012 and after a three-year run at Central Florida from 2013-2015, he has been with the Chanticleers ever since. Schnall knows the program inside and out, and is poised to carry on the winning tradition established by Gilmore.

●  Since 2022, the Sun Belt has seen at least one player drafted in the top two rounds of the draft. That streak will almost certainly be extended to four straight drafts thanks to Coastal Carolina’s Caden Bodine. The preseason player of the year, Bodine pairs his plus hit tool with a solid defensive acumen. Old Dominion lefthander Ben Moore won’t be selected in the first two rounds, but he opened plenty of eyes this fall and profiles as a potential top-five round pick.