Baseball Picked 10th in GAC Preseason Poll

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern baseball will open the Alen Trayler era as an underdog in the Great American Conference after being picked 10^th in the league's preseason poll released on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Savage Storm picked up 32 points in the poll, finishing 10 points ahead of 11^th place Southern Nazarene and just four points behind Southwestern Oklahoma State who was in ninth.
 
Arkansas-Monticello was the preseason favorite in the poll, earning six first-place votes, while Harding was next in line with four first-place nods.
 
Arkansas Tech was third followed by Southern Arkansas, with each picking up a first-place vote.
 
Henderson State checked in fifth, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma Baptist, and Ouachita Baptist to round out the top-eight, while East Central was picked in the 12^th place position.
 
Trayler will now step in after serving as an assistant for the last seven seasons and will be doping so with several new faces on the diamond.
 
The Storm does return its top hitter from a season ago in Wesley Mitchell who hit .325 with 12 doubles, eight homers and 31 RBI, as well as catcher Brady Evans who hit .309 with five homers and 23 RBI.
 
The squad will also be looking for contributions from Ausitn Thorp, Coby Grimsley, Antonio Crews, and Jake Miller who appeared in at least half the team's games and earned multiple starts.
 
Southeastern will be unleashing an almost entirely new pitching staff that will feature one senior, nine juniors, five sophomores, and three freshmen.
 
The Storm is coming off a 17-32 season in 2024 that saw them miss the postseason with a 7-26 record in GAC play.
 
The 2025 edition of Southeastern baseball will throw out its first pitch on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. versus Emporia State in Edmond, Okla., in game one of the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
 
SE will return to Mike Metheny Field and open the home portion of its schedule on Feb. 5 with a 1 p.m. matchup versus Northeastern State.