BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball team has been picked third in the Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office, Thursday.
In addition,
Gino Cozzi,
Sam Kuchinski,
Reed Latimer,
Connor Phelan, and
Jake Smallwood were each named to the Preseason All-GSC team while
Barry Eiseman,
Will LaFollette, and
Brandon Jernigan were recognized as Top Newcomers.
The Falcons received 122 total points in the poll and one first-place vote to finish just behind Lee with 127 points, and six first-place votes, and Delta State at the top with 130 points and five first-place votes.
Last year the Falcons finished 36-15 overall with an 18-11 mark in conference play for third place.
Cozzi led the Falcons on the mound in 2022 and was named to the 2022 All-GSC Second Team with a 3.82 ERA and a team-leading 83 strikeouts.
Kuchinski was named the GSC Co-Player of the Year in 2022 after smashing 18 homers and driving in 60 runs. He earned NCBWA All-American Honorable Mention, NCBWA All-South Region, ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region, and D2CCA All-South Region honors in his first year with the Falcons.
Latimer earned a First-Team All-GSC selection in 2022 and was named ABCA/Rawlings All-Region, D2CCA All-South Region, NCBWA All-South Region, and NCBWA All-American Honorable Mention. The Scottsboro, Ala. native led Montevallo in multiple offensive categories, including a batting average, of .397, and RBI, of 66. He also totaled 14 home runs.
Phelan led the Falcons from the bullpen in 2022 and appeared in 22 games with 35 innings pitched in relief. He posted a team-leading 1.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts and a 3-1 record. He also recorded six saves. He was named to the 2022 All-GSC First Team and the 2022 NCBWA All-Region Second team.
Rounding out the group of preseason All-GSC selections, catcher
Jake Smallwood appeared in all 51 games in 2022 and batted .385 from the plate. He hit eight home runs and drove in 42 runs. He was named an All-GSC First Team Selection in 2022 as well as D2CCA All-South Region, ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, and NCBWA All-American Honorable Mention.
On the Top Newcomer list,
Will LaFollette transfers to Montevallo after spending three seasons at UT-Martin where he became sixth all-time in career home runs with 21. In 2020, the Chelsea, Ala. native was named to the Freshman All-American squad by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after hitting .283 with 13 RBI in a COVID-shortened season.
Joining LaFollette on the Top Newcomer list and as transfers are juniors
Barry Eiseman from Florida State College of Jacksonville and
Brandon Jernigan from Jackson State Community College. Eiseman, an outfielder from Palm Harbor, Fla., led the Blue Wave with a .400 batting average in 52 games played. He also led the team with 45 RBI and totaled a team-high 70 hits, totaling a team-best 20 doubles and hitting three homers. Jernigan, a right-handed pitcher from Manchester, Tenn., appeared in 14 games and pitched 21 innings in relief. He posted a 2-2 record with a pair of saves and struck out 25 batters.
In addition to being picked third in the GSC, Montevallo is ranked No. 36 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Rankings and seventh in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Preseason South Region Poll. Kuchinski, Smallwood, and Latimer were each named to the Preseason NCBWA All-Region squad.
The 2023 season opens on Friday, Feb. 3 as the Falcons take on Flagler in the 2023 Houston Winter Invitational at 10 a.m. Montevallo will also take on No. 13 Central Missouri and Arkansas Tech in the event.
Stay up to date on Montevallo baseball at montevallofalcons.com, on Twitter @UMoTownBaseball and on Instagram @montevallobaseball
