BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference released on Thursday afternoon the preseason awards and poll for the 2024 baseball season.
Blake Vineyard was tabbed an All-GSC preseason favorite after garnering second team laurels last season.
Vineyard slashed .376/.426/.532 in his junior campaign last season. The numbers shown here are his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The Panama City, Fla. native's bat came to life in the month of April, recording a hit in 13 of his final 16 contests and seven multi-hit games.
Along with the All-GSC Preseason Team, the league also announced its newcomers to watch.
Judah Buckner,
Chase Dejean and
Albert Hernandez were listed from UWA.
Buckner, a transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College, tossed 51 innings for the Rangers over three seasons. After missing most of the 2022 season, the Starkville, Miss. native punched out 35 batters in 33 innings last season.
Dejean played two seasons at Division I Louisiana Monroe with 62 career contests as a two-way player on the mound and in the infield. He spent his first two seasons of collegiate ball at Hinds Community College, appearing in 49 games.
Hernandez comes to Livingston after spending the 2023 season at Bishop State, where he recorded a .292 batting average in 29 games with 19 RBIs. He played his first two seasons of college ball at Division I South Florida.
The GSC also released the preseason poll, as voted on by the head coaches. West Alabama was picked tenth in the ranking with 47 points, one ahead of Mississippi College.
West Florida, winners of last season's regular season crown, picked up 12 of the 13 first-place votes in the 2024 listing, totaling 144 points. Valdosta State (125) was picked second, followed by Lee (109) and Montevallo (101).
UWA will play 10 GSC series in 2024, facing Alabama Huntsville, Auburn Montgomery, Delta State, Lee, Mississippi College, Shorter, Union, Valdosta State, West Florida and West Georgia. The Tigers will have a home-and-home with Montevallo in non-conference action, and they will not see Christian Brothers.
Conference play starts up on Feb. 16 and 17 at Union, but before the road swing to west Tennessee, UWA will open the 2024 season on an eight-game home stand, beginning with Missouri St. Louis for a four-game tilt on Friday, Feb. 2.
