DALLAS – Conference USA has announced its 2021 preseason baseball awards, as chosen by the league’s 12 head coaches. Louisiana Tech senior outfielder Parker Bates has been chosen as the preseason Player of the Year, while Southern Miss senior right-hander Walker Powell was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year. Florida Atlantic was picked to win the East Division, while Southern Miss was chosen to finish first in the West Division as the as the favorite to win the league’s championship. The Golden Eagles won the last C-USA regular season tournament title that was awarded in 2019.
Powell is one of a league-high four Golden Eagles that were voted to the preseason All-Conference team. In 2020, Powell collected a 3-0 record in four starts, with all of his outings going at least seven innings and all were quality starts. He ended the year with 22 strikeouts and only two walks over 29 innings of work. A pair of Southern Miss pitchers join him on the team in sophomore starter Gabe Shepard (16 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched last year) and senior reliever Hunter Stanley (2-0, 1.42 ERA, 22 strikeouts, 3 saves). Also tabbed to the team was junior OF Gabe Montenegro (.290, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 5 stolen bases).
Bates posted a .422/.531/.891 (AVG/OBP/SLG) triple-slash line during the shortened 2020 season. He led Conference USA in hits (27), RBI (28), home runs (eight) and slugging percentage (.891). A pair of Bulldog infielders join Bates in being named to the preseason team. Senior Taylor Young started all 17 games for the Bulldogs and led the team with 21 runs scored, batting .309 with four doubles, five homers and 15 RBI. Redshirt senior Hunter Wellsstarted all 17 games at third base and batted .324 with a .417 OBP and .465 SLG, registering the second-highest BB% on the team after walking in 14.4% of his plate appearances.
East Division favorite and 2019 C-USA regular season champion Florida Atlantic has two standouts receiving preseason all-league accolades. Senior OF Bobby Morgensen made all 16 starts, had a team-best 29 total bases, tied for the team lead with three home runs, and placed second with 17 hits, 12 RBI and three doubles in 2020. Sophomore OF/RHP Mitchell Hartigan earned a spot at the utility position. He batted .308 last season, with seven of his 16 hits going for extra-bases, while driving in nine runs at the plate and making four scoreless appearances on the mound with two saves.
Old Dominion was picked second in the East, just ahead of FIU, and Rice was chosen third in the West, with all three schools producing a preseason All-Conference performer. Monarchs’ junior RHP Hunter Gregory was named for the second straight year after he was 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched last spring. Panthers redshirt freshman 2B Derek Cartaya started all 15 games in 2020, hitting .367 with two doubles and six RBI. He drew 11 walks and tied for second on the team with four stolen bases. Owls senior 3B Braden Comeaux led the team in hitting (.349) and slugging percentage (.535), and was second on the squad in runs scored (7), on-base average (.404) and home runs (1) – all while playing in just ten of the team’s 16 games during the abbreviated season.
The 2021 Conference USA baseball season begins Friday, February 19. The 2021 C-USA Baseball Championship will be May 26-30 in Ruston, Louisiana.
2021 PRESEASON BASEBALL AWARDS
(as selected by C-USA’s head coaches)
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
EAST
1. Florida Atlantic (10)
2. Old Dominion (1)
3. FIU (1)
4. WKU
5. Charlotte
6. Marshall
WEST
1. Southern Miss (10)
2. Louisiana Tech (2)
3. Rice
4. Middle Tennessee
5. UTSA
6. UAB
(first place votes in parentheses)
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Parker Bates, Louisiana Tech (Senior, OF)
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Walker Powell, Southern Miss (Senior, RHP)
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
SP Gabe Shepard So. Southern Miss
SP Hunter Gregory Jr. Old Dominion
SP Walker Powell Sr. Southern Miss
RP Hunter Stanley Sr. Southern Miss
C J Paul Fullerton Sr. UAB
IF Derek Cartaya r-Sr. FIU
IF Brett Coker So. Middle Tennessee
IF Braden Comeaux Sr. Rice
IF Hunter Wells Sr. Louisiana Tech
IF Taylor Young Sr. Louisiana Tech
OF Parker Bates Sr. Louisiana Tech
OF Bobby Morgensen Sr. Florida Atlantic
OF Gabe Montenegro Jr. Southern Miss
DH/UT Mitchell Hartigan So. Florida Atlantic
DH/UT Davis Sims Sr. WKU
