ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2026 preseason all-conference baseball teams and predicted order of finish on Wednesday featuring nine returning players from the 2025 All-SIAC lineup.
 
Benedict College had two players earn preseason All-SIAC honors, with both making the first team.
 
Earning first-team preseason All-SIAC at second base is Jonathan Olmedo. Olmedo is coming off a 2025 season that saw him hit .268 with a team-high 13 doubles, which ranked 14^th in the SIAC. He drove in 40 runs.
 
Cameron Haley earned first team as an outfielder. Haley hit .366 last season for the Tigers, 14^th-best in the SIAC, and his 48 hits ranked second-best on the team. He drove in 46 runs and hit six home runs.
 
In the preseason predicted order of finish, Benedict was fifth out of 12 teams. The Tigers went 24-18 overall in 2025 and 17-14 in the SIAC, finishing in a tie for fifth place, and advanced to the Cricket SIAC Baseball Championship.
 
The Tigers will open the 2026 season on Saturday, Feb. 14 with a SIAC doubleheader against Spring Hill College, starting at noon at Tiger Field. The Badgers were picked to finish third behind Albany State and Savannah State.
 
Preseason honors are as voted by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
 

FIRST TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Starting Pitcher	Brayden Thomas*	Savannah State	Junior	Lake City, Fla.
Starting Pitcher	Jaelyn Rhynes*	Miles	R-Senior	Waco, Texas
Starting Pitcher	Jayden Smith*	LeMoyne-Owen	Sophomore	Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Starting Pitcher	Jeremiah Reddell	Albany State	Senior	Albany, Ga.
Catcher	Tyler Turner	Albany State	R-Sophomore	Savannah, Ga.
First Base	Tyler Tucker*	Savannah State	Sophomore	Atlanta, Ga.
Second Base	Jonathan Olmedo	Benedict	Senior	Santa Monica, Calif.
Shortstop	Emory Stephens*	Albany State	R-Junior	Marietta, Ga.
Third Base	TJ Whiteman	Morehouse	Senior	Inglewood, Calif.
Outfield	Luke Addison*	Albany State	Senior	Leesburg, Ga.
Outfield	Andrew Leonard	Clark Atlanta	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Outfield	Cameron Haley	Benedict	Senior	Los Angeles, Calif.
Relief Pitcher	Adonis Perez*	Savannah State	Graduate	Woodbury, N.J.
Designated Hitter	Johan Sandoval*	Savannah State	Junior	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Utility Player	Ryan Morrow*	Tuskegee	Junior	St. Petersburg, Fla.
– * RETURNING 2025 ALL-SIAC SELECTION

 

SECOND TEAM
POSITION	NAME	SCHOOL	CLASS	HOMETOWN
Starting Pitcher	Austin McCormack	Savannah State	Sophomore	Tampa, Fla.
Starting Pitcher	Jayson Wood	Miles	Senior	Gardendale, Ala.
Starting Pitcher	Gregorio Gonzalez	Savannah State	Junior	Lawrenceville, Ga.
Starting Pitcher	Liam Prepetit	Edward Waters	Junior	Sanford, Fla.
Catcher	Ibrahim Marrero	LeMoyne-Owen	Junior	Miami, Fla.
First Base	Isaiah Haygood	Albany State	Sophomore	Valdosta, Ga.
Second Base	Dannon Smith	Edward Waters	Senior	Jacksonville, Fla.
Shortstop	Devon Lee	Tuskegee	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Third Base	Kijani Clarington	Savannah State	Junior	McDonough, Ga.
Outfield	Elijah James	Morehouse	Senior	Oakland, Calif.
Outfield	Jordan Smith	Edward Waters	Sophomore	Jacksonville, Fla.
Outfield	Cason Blunt	Lane	Senior	Pine Bluff, Ark.
Relief Pitcher	Calvin Baker	Albany State	Senior	Atlanta, Ga.
Designated Hitter	James Thorpe	Morehouse	Senior	Atlanta, Ga.
Utility Player	Jabari Johnson	Tuskegee	Junior	Douglasville, Ga.

 

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Albany State

2. Savannah State

3. Spring Hill

4. Edward Waters

5. Benedict

6. Miles

7. Morehouse

8. Tuskegee

9. Clark Atlanta

10. Lane

11. Kentucky State

12. LeMoyne-Owen

 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.