ATLANTA, Ga. - The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced its 2023 Baseball Preseason Teams as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. 
 
The 2023 preseason team returns 14 of the 30 players from the 2022 Baseball All-Conference Teams.
 
Benedict College sophomore catcher Taj Bates was named to the preseason first team. Bates had a strong freshman campaign in 2022, hitting .309 with 28 RBIs and 22 runs scored. Defensively, he threw out 15 runners on attempted steals, allowed just 12 passed balls and had a 90.3 fielding percentage.

The Tigers open the 2023 season on Feb. 18 with a doubleheader against Miles College, starting at noon.
 
Savannah State paced this year's preseason team with nine selections after closing last season with one of the best records in modern Tigers' history at 34-12. They led the regular season with a 28-2 conference mark and entered last year's tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Tigers return 2022 SIAC Player of the Year, Joe Smith.
 
The Golden Rams of Albany State (32-16, 24-5 SIAC) are tied at seven preseason selections with the Badgers of Spring Hill College. The Rams are returning most of the hitters from a team that ranked sixth in the country in batting average (.350) last season and second in the country in runs per game (10.7).
 
Defending SIAC champions, Spring Hill (38-15, 23-4 SIAC), closed out their 2022 campaign at the NCAA Division II South 1 Region Tournament and landed seven standout student-athletes on the league's preseason team.
 
Kentucky State (25-24, 15-11 SIAC) picked up three preseason selections. Miles College Golden Bears (27-23, 19-10 SIAC) return two preseason selections. Morehouse also collected one selection.
 
A complete listing of the 2023 Baseball Preseason All-SIAC Teams can be found below.
 
 

2023 SIAC Baseball Preseason Team
First Team
Position	Name	School	Class	Hometown
Starting Pitcher	Jeremiah Reddell*	Albany State	Sophomore	Albany, GA
Starting Pitcher	Jose Santiago*	Savannah State	Junior	North Lauderdale, FL
Starting Pitcher	Jared Showalter*	Savannah State	Senior	Huntingdon, PA
Starting Pitcher	Enrico Peele*	Savannah State	Senior	Lehigh Acres, FL
Catcher	Taj Bates	Benedict	Sophomore	St. Croix, Virgin Islands
First Base	Andrai Wright	Savannah State	Senior	Lorain, OH
Second Base	Champion Robbins	Savannah State	Junior	Conyers, GA
Short Stop	Norris McClure*	Spring Hill	Junior	Mandeville, LA
Third Base	Alex Martinez	Spring Hill	R-Senior	El Paso, TX
Outfield	Joe Smith*	Savannah State	Senior	Brunswick, GA
Outfield	Gage Ragona*	Spring Hill	Senior	Mobile, AL
Outfield	Collier Higgs*	Kentucky State	Junior	Owensboro, KY
Relief Pitcher	Rahmir Vaughn*	Savannah State	Junior	Stockbridge, GA
Designated Hitter	Michael Archie*	Miles	Sophomore	Birmingham, AL
Utility Player	Nathan Lloyd	Albany State	Senior	Oxford, AL

 

Second Team
Position	Name	School	Class	Hometown
Starting Pitcher	Jackson Short*	Spring Hill	Senior	Trenton, GA
Starting Pitcher	Logan Clark*	Spring Hill	Grad Student	Cleveland, MS
Starting Pitcher	Solomon Reed	Kentucky State	Junior	Cincinnati, OH
Starting Pitcher	Austin Douglas	Miles	Senior	Childersburg, AL
Catcher	David Coleman II	Morehouse	Junior	Atlanta, GA
First Base	Cade Simpson	Spring Hill	R-Junior	New Orleans, LA
Second Base	Hill Corley	Albany State	Sophomore	Albany, GA
Short Stop	Gabriel Patxot*	Savannah State	Junior	Miami, FL
Third Base	Nathan Lloyd	Albany State	Senior	Oxford, AL
Outfield	Lavoisier Fisher*	Albany State	Junior	Suwanee, GA
Outfield	Luke Sweeney	Spring Hill	R-Junior	Hammond, LA
Outfield	Zane Ross	Albany State	Junior	Sydney, Australia
Relief Pitcher	Michael Pedraza	Kentucky State	Junior	Lexington, KY
Designated Hitter	Tucker Jordan	Albany State	Junior	Blountstown, FL
Utility Player	Jaden Oden	Savannah State	Junior	Hampton, GA

 
*2022 SIAC All-Conference Honoree