SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina junior third baseman Justice Bigbie and Samford senior right-hander Zach Hester have been voted the Southern Conference baseball preseason player and pitcher of the year, respectively, in the voting of the nine league head coaches. The coaches also selected a pair of preseason all-conference teams.
 
Seven of the nine SoCon baseball schools were represented on the preseason teams. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players. Both the first and second teams feature 12 players due to ties in the voting. 
 
Samford and Wofford led the way with four preseason all-conference first-team selections each. Samford took last year’s regular-season championship and is the 2020 preseason favorite in the media poll, while Wofford was selected as the favorite by the coaches after finishing one win shy of winning the 2019 Southern Conference Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases and earning a trip to the NCAA regionals.
 
Western Carolina had two first-team preseason all-conference picks, while ETSU, Furman and Mercer rounded out the team with one selection each.
 
The Samford Bulldogs are led by preseason first-team selection and preseason pitcher of the year Zach Hester. The senior right-hander was named to the 2020 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-America Third Team after garnering a 2019 All-SoCon First Team selection last year, as well as being the media’s pick for the pitcher of the year. Hester finished second in the league in opposing batting average (.216), third in ERA (2.17), sixth in wins (seven) and ninth in strikeouts (82). Fellow preseason All-American and 2019 All-SoCon First Team selection Sonny DiChiara joined Hester on the preseason first team. The first baseman was also the media’s freshman of the year selection and earned freshman All-America honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA after last season. DiChiara led the Bulldogs in both home runs (21) and RBIs (55) while hitting .293 for the season and recording a team-best .646 slugging percentage. Relief pitcher Carson Cupo earned a first-team selection after working a 2.04 ERA over 28 appearances and 39 2/3 innings of work. Second baseman Brooks Carlson rounded out the Samford first-team selections after a stellar season offensively that landed him on the 2019 All-SoCon First Team. Carlson led the Bulldogs with a .345 batting average, which was the fourth-best mark in the league, with 41 RBIs, 17 doubles and six home runs.
 
Wofford is represented on this year’s first team by pitcher Hayes Heineke, shortstop Matty Brown and outfielders Hudson Byorick and Colin Davis. Heinecke, a 2019 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, All-SoCon Second Team selection and the coaches’ freshman of the year, led the Wofford contingent after already being named to the 2020 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-America Second Team. The left-hander headlined the Terrier pitching staff and led the SoCon in wins with 10, which was the 11th-most in the nation. Heinecke posted a 10-2 record over 15 starts with 84 strikeouts and just 15 walks over 88 1/3 innings. He recorded an ERA of 2.65, which was good for fifth in the league. Brown recorded a .304 batting average, 21 runs, 19 RBIs and 14 stolen bases over 37 games and 31 starts last year, earning Southern Conference All-Freshman Team honors. Byorick, the first of two Wofford outfielders selected, finished tied for the team lead in home runs (7) and ended the year second in RBIs (45) and doubles (18), third in batting average (.326) and fourth in hits (71). Davis also had an impressive year with a .302 batting average, notching 68 hits, 41 RBIs and 38 runs and tied Byorick with a team-leading seven home runs. Byorick and Davis were both named to the All-SoCon Second Team by the coaches last season.
 
Western Carolina’s lone representative is this year’s preseason player of the year and first-team selection Justice Bigbie. The third baseman is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him voted as the player of the year and first-team all-conference selection by both the coaches and media. Bigbie finished second on the team and third in the SoCon with a .355 batting average, while recording a team-best 75 hits with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. 
 
Catcher Jackson Greer was the only ETSU player picked to the first team after a breakout junior year. The 2019 first-team selection led the Bucs with a .314 batting average with 65 hits, 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs.
 
Furman’s Dax Roper and Mercer’s Le Basset rounded out the first team at designated hitter. Roper, a 2019 second-team all-conference selection at catcher, posted a .278 batting average with 14 doubles, 35 walks and 35 RBIs in his first season for the Paladins. Bassett, a 2019 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American, looks to bounce back after missing last season due to injury following an impressive freshman campaign that saw him set a Mercer freshman record with 17 home runs and 60 RBIs.
 
Mercer and Wofford headlined the second team with three selections each, while ETSU, UNC Greensboro, Samford and Western Carolina each had a pair. The Bears are represented by first baseman Angelo DiSpigna, shortstop RJ Yeager and outfielder Collin Price. The Terriers placed relief pitcher Rasesh Pandya, second baseman John Dempsey and outfielder Mike Brown to give them a conference-leading seven selections between both teams.
 
ETSU’s Landon Knack (starting pitcher) and Nathaniel Tate (relief pitcher) and UNCG’s Caleb Webster (third base) and Greg Hardison (outfield) all represent their respective teams. Samford’s Jesse McCord (starting pitcher) and Taylor Garris (shortstop) and Western Carolina’s Luke Robinson (catcher) and Andrew Bullock (designated hitter) round out the second team.
 
The 2020 season opens for all nine league teams on Friday, Feb. 14. This season’s SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases will return to Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina, from May 19-24 and will include all nine teams.
 
2020 Preseason All-Southern Conference
Preseason Player of the Year
Justice Bigbie, Jr., Western Carolina 
 
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Zach Hester, Sr., Samford
 
First Team
SP        Zach Hester, Samford 
SP        Hayes Heinecke, Wofford
RP       Carson Cupo, Samford
C          Jackson Greer, ETSU 
1B        Sonny DiChiara, Samford 
2B        Brooks Carlson, Samford
SS        Matty Brown, Wofford
3B        Justice Bigbie, Western Carolina
OF       Hudson Byorick, Wofford
OF       Colin Davis, Wofford
OF       Daylan Nanny, Western Carolina
DH       Dax Roper, Furman
DH       Le Bassett, Mercer
 
Second Team
SP        Landon Knack, ETSU
SP        Jesse McCord, Samford
RP       Nathaniel Tate, ETSU
RP       Rasesh Pandya, Wofford
C          Luke Robinson, Western Carolina
1B        Angelo DiSpigna, Mercer
2B        John Dempsey, Wofford
SS        RJ Yeager, Mercer
SS        Taylor Garris, Samford
3B        Caleb Webster, UNCG
OF       Greg Hardison, UNCG
OF       Mike Brown, Wofford
OF       Collin Price, Mercer
DH       Andrew Bullock, Western Carolina