JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Stetson is favored to capture the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Baseball title after being selected to the top spot in the preseason coaches poll, announced by the league office Thursday.
The Hatters went 41-22 last season and captured their ninth ASUN Championship. FGCU was selected second in the coaches poll after reaching the semifinals of last year's conference tournament. Austin Peay secured 120 votes and came in third in the preseason rankings. The Eagles, Governors and Hatters all earned a share of the 2024 Regular Season Championship with matching 20-10 marks in league play. Lipscomb, Jacksonville and Central Arkansas rounded the top half of the coaches poll in fourth through sixth place, respectively.
The Govs' John Bay was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. He enters the 2025 season after batting .365 with 24 home runs and 72 RBI last spring. He ranked second in the ASUN with an OPS of 1.288 and a .817 slugging percentage. Stetson's Lorenzo Meola followed up his 2024 ASUN Championship MVP nod with the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year accolade. Last season, he assisted on 122 putouts, making 16 errors on 212 chances, and was involved in 19 double plays. Richard Long is the 2025 Preseason Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.80 ERA over 15 starts, earning an 8-2 record. Across 83.0 innings pitched last season, he recorded 62 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .221 average.
2025 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Steston (8), 140
2. FGCU (2), 123
3. Austin Peay (1), 120
4. Lipscomb, 105
5. Jacksonville, 94
6. Central Arkansas (1), 86
7. North Florida, 72
8. EKU, 70
9. Queens, 48
10. North Alabama, 42
11. Bellarmine, 24
12. West Georgia, 18
2025 Preseason All-ASUN Team
SP - Charlie Christensen, Central Arkansas
SP - Justin Henschel, FGCU
SP - Richard Long, Jacksonville
RP - Zane Coppersmith, Stetson
C - Mac Moise, FGCU
1B - Casey Sorg, Bellarmine
1B - Robert Moya, FGCU
2B - Yohann Dessureault, Stetson
3B - David Coppedge, Lipscomb
3B - Isaiah Barkett, Stetson
SS - Lorenzo Meola, Steston^
OF - John Bay, Austin Peay
OF - Brody Szako, Austin Peay
OF - Evan Dempsey, FGCU
DH - Chandler Howard, Jacksonville^
^ - denotes a unanimous selection
a tie in voting resulted in a 15-person team