GREENVILLE, S.C.– The Conference Carolinas office released the 2026 Baseball preseason poll Friday afternoon, with Chowan University among the 14 institutions represented in the conference.
Chowan was picked tied for 13th in the preseason rankings as the Hawks prepare to open the season in two weeks. Entering the 2026 season, the program begins a new chapter under first-year head coach Bob Smith, alongside newly appointed assistant coaches Brady Goode and Trey Morgan. While the Hawks will feature several new faces on the roster, they are no strangers to the demands and level of collegiate baseball.
Players to watch this season include senior Ahmaad Goldson of Newport News, Virginia; sophomore Zach Williams from Richmond, Virginia; and redshirt sophomore KJ Durand Jr. of Apopka, Florida.
North Greenville University and Francis Marion University were picked tied for 1st as both programs received 149 points and four first place votes. Francis Marion earned a share of their first Conference Carolinas regular season title a season ago with North Greenville winning the previous three regular season crowns.
Young Harris College and Belmont Abbey College both received three first place votes and are picked third and fourth, respectively. The Mountain Lions received 145 points while the 2025 tournament champion Crusaders received 136 points. The University of Mount Olive finished the top five with 136 points.
UNC Pembroke (118), Emmanuel University (92), Barton College (92), Shorter University (75), Erskine College (58), King University (48), Southern Wesleyan University (40), Chowan University (23) and Ferrum College (23), rounded out the poll.
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, April 29-Monday, May 4 at CaroMont Health Park and Sims Legion Park in Gastonia, North Carolina.
The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and they can't vote for their own school.
2026 Conference Carolinas
Baseball Preseason Poll
|
School |
Votes (first place) |
| 1 |
North Greenville |
149 (4) |
| 1 |
Francis Marion |
149 (4) |
| 3 |
Young Harris |
145 (3) |
| 4 |
Belmont Abbey |
136 (3) |
| 5 |
Mount Olive |
126 |
| 6 |
UNC Pembroke |
118 |
| 7 |
Emmanuel |
92 |
| 7 |
Barton |
92 |
| 9 |
Shorter |
75 |
| 10 |
Erskine |
58 |
| 11 |
King |
48 |
| 12 |
Southern Wesleyan |
40 |
| 13 |
Chowan |
23 |
| 13 |
Ferrum |
23 |
2026 Conference Carolinas Baseball
Players to Watch
Barton
- Mason McDougall, Fr., RHP/1B, Tampa, Florida
- Cam Greenway, Jr., OF, Greenville, North Carolina
- Tyler Hughesman, So., SS, Mooresville, North Carolina
Belmont Abbey
- Caleb Burr, Sr., OF, Mount Holly, North Carolina (2025 NCBWA, D2 CCA and ABCA All-Region Honors, 2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Spencer Cipro, Grad., RHP, Brookfield, Massachusetts (2025 NCBWA and D2 CCA All-Region Honors, 2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Drew Stegura, Sr., RHP, Lutz, Florida (2024 second team All-Conference Carolinas)
Chowan
- Ahmaad Goldson, Sr., OF/LHP, Newport News, Virginia
- Zach Williams, So., RHP, Richmond, Virginia
- KJ Durand Jr., R-So., IF, Apopka, Florida
Emmanuel
- Dee Oliver, Jr., OF, Martin, Georgia
- Ethan Pooler, Jr., RHP, Salem, Alabama
- Hunter Pirkle, Jr., RHP, Buford, Georgia
Erskine
- Hunter Pankey, Jr., RHP, St. Augustine, Florida
- Stephen Kriner, Jr., RHP, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Danny Villafane, Jr., IF, Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Ferrum
- Jai Penn, Jr., P, Stuart, Virginia
- Tyler Mason, Jr., UTL, Brookneal, Virginia
- Garrett Sawyer, Fr., P, Efland, North Carolina
Francis Marion
- Charlie Bussey III, Jr., 1B, Graniteville, South Carolina (2025 D2 Baseball second team All-America, 2025 ABCA/Rawlings third team All-America, 2025 D2 CCA third team All-America, 2025 NCBWA honorable mention All-America, 2025 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year)
- Robbie Jordan, Sr., RHP, Florence, South Carolina
- Jackson Madden, So., LHP, Lancaster, South Carolina
King
- Ben Hale, So., RHP, Cedar Bluff, Virginia
- Mitchell Kahlenberg, Jr., RHP, Waxhaw, North Carolina
- Josh Nuno, Sr., OF, San Jose, California
Mount Olive
- Lane McLean, Sr., SS, Pine Level, North Carolina (2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas and all-defensive team, 2025 D2 CCA first team All-Southeast Region)
- Malachi Gales, So., 1B, Pembroke, North Carolina
- Lucas Glover, Sr., RHP, High Point, North Carolina
UNC Pembroke
- Kasen McCawley, Sr., RHP, Haw River, North Carolina
- Rhett Burley, Sr., RHP, Atlanta, Georgia
- Landon Lucas, Gr., UTL/RHP, Blythewood, South Carolina
North Greenville
- Matty Brown, So., LHP, Charleston, South Carolina (2025 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, 2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas, 2025 NCBWA first team All-Southeast Region, 2025 NCBWA third team All-America)
- Bennett Roemer, Jr., RHP, Bluffton, South Carolina
- Josh Foulks, Jr., OF, Oak Ridge, North Carolina
Shorter
- Tyler Zawacki, Sr., OF, Huntsville, Alabama
- Drake Cobb, Jr., IF, San Diego, California
- Wilmer Henriquez, Sr., IF, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Southern Wesleyan
- Tristan Tillman, Sr., IF, Summerville, South Carolina
- Ash Faulk, Sr., RHP, Columbus, Georgia
- Lukas Arvantides, Sr., RHP, Bluffton, South Carolina
Young Harris
- Drew Bray, IF, Sr., Canton, Georgia (2025 first team All-Conference Carolinas and all-defensive team)
- Kade Smallwood, 1B/OF, Jr., Flowery Branch, Georgia (2025 second team All-Conference Carolinas)
- Jonny Smith, IF, So., Suwanee, Ga., (2025 second team All-Conference Carolinas)
