DALLAS – Two Southern Conference baseball student-athletes were included in the 19^th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers preseason All-America teams, announced by the NCBWA on Thursday, Feb. 6. Western Carolina’s Justice Bigbie and Wofford’s Hayes Heinecke were both selected to the third team.

Bigbie was named the SoCon's Preseason Player of the Year after garnering the same honors in the postseason in 2019. The third baseman from Chesapeake, Virginia, was also selected to the All-SoCon First Team by the league's head coaches on Thursday. Last season Bigbie batted .355 – third in the SoCon – with a team-best 75 hits including 11 doubles and 12 home runs. He was also third in the league in RBI (51).

Heinecke was also an All-SoCon First Team selection after a 10-2 record last season in 15 starts. The Fayetteville, Georgia, native posted a 2.65 ERA and had 84 strikeouts in 88.1 innings. He led the league in wins with ten and was ranked fifth in ERA. He was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, along with All-Southern Conference second team honors by the coaches and media. He also was named a Freshman All-American.

Both teams are set to open the season at home on Feb. 14, with Western Carolina hosting Chicago State at 4 p.m. and Wofford taking on Binghamton at 6 p.m.