ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Six Tusculum University student-athletes have been named "Players to Watch" with the release of the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Poll.
The Pioneers were picked to finish 10th in a vote of the league's head coaches. Defending SAC Champion Catawba is the favorite to repeat as the Catawba Indians received 126 points including seven first place votes.
Lenoir-Rhyne is second with 122 points and four first place nods. Carson-Newman is third with 112 points, followed by Wingate (102), Coker (87), Lincoln Memorial (78 – 1 first place vote), Newberry (71), UVA Wise (70), Anderson (56), Tusculum (45), Mars Hill (28) and Emory & Henry (27).
Earning SAC Player to Watch recognition for Tusculum are: Brice Anders, Evan Cage, Owen Canter, Mason Johnson, Ryan Ortega and Walker Pedante.
Anderson, a senior right-handed pitcher from Brevard, North Carolina has recorded eight wins and 78 strikeouts in his 29 career appearances for Tusculum. He was a member of the weekend rotation last season where he made 11 starts and 15 appearances overall. He tossed two shutout innings of relief to record a victory over eighth-ranked Young Harris.
Cage, a junior outfielder from Knoxville, Tennessee, played previously at Pellissippi State where played in 55 games and totaled 62 hits with 13 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 51 RBI and 41 runs scored. He accounted for 18 multiple-hit games and led the Panthers to a 33-23 record including 19-10 in league action.
Canter, a sophomore right-handed pitcher attended Walsh University last season. The New Franklin, Ohio native played his prep career at Manchester High School where he is the holder of two strikeout records and tossed three career no-hitters.
Johnson, a junior infielder from Tiffin, Ohio, played his junior college baseball at Terra State Community College. He was a NJCAA All-America first team selection last year where he batted .494 with 79 hits including 18 doubles, three triples and led the nation with 17 home runs and 82 RBI. He also scored 54 runs and boasted a nation's best .963 slugging percentage. He was named the Conference Player of the Year and finished with JUCO career with a .443 batting average with 25 home runs, 130 RBI and 62 walks.
Ortega, sophomore outfielder from Miami, Florida, finished fourth on the TU squad last year with his .313 batting average. He totaled 42 hits with eight doubles, two home runs and 26 RBI. He also finished with 21 walks and a hit by pitch versus only striking out 12 times. He was a perfect 5-of-5 in stolen bases and made only one error in his 91 total fielding chances. He recorded 13 multiple-hit games and played in 39 games with 38 starts as a true freshman.
Pedante, a senior right-handed pitcher from Glen Allen, Virginia, played last season at Lenoir-Rhyne as he helped the Bears to a NCAA II Southeast Region Championship and moved deep into the College World Series. He went 1-0 and recorded nine strikeouts as LR finished with a 50-15 record and finished runner-up in the SAC regular-season and SAC Tournament. He also played at Caldwell Tech where he finished with 64 strikeouts and a 5.14 earned run average.
Tusculum will open its season this weekend as they travel to UNC Pembroke for a three-game series beginning with Friday's 3 p.m. season-opener against the Braves.
