THIBODAUX, La. -- Following a historic 34-win season, the Nicholls State University baseball team was voted to repeat as champions in the Southland Conference Preseason Poll while six players were named to the preseason squads, as the league office announced Thursday afternoon its 2024 preseason teams and poll.
 
Last season, Nicholls was the first team to win both the regular season and tournament titles since 2016 as they earned its first SLC Baseball Tournament title since 1998. This season the Colonels led the preseason poll with 14 first-place votes and 126 points. Lamar was the only other team with over 100 points (106), but only received one first-place vote, while 2023 tournament runner up New Orleans garnered three first-place votes and 92 points. UIW finished with 81 points followed by McNeese (67), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (55), Southeastern (53), Northwestern State (42), and HCU (26).
 
For the preseason teams, first baseman Edgar Alvarez, shortstop Parker Coddou and starting pitcher Jacob Mayers were all automatic selections after earning All-Southland First Team a season ago. Relief pitcher Gavin Galy garnered second-team honors in 2023 but landed on the preseason first team. Second baseman MaCrae Kendrick was voted onto the first team while outfielder Garrett Felix was named preseason second team.
 
Alvarez had an impressive junior campaign where he started all 54 games played and was named to the All-Southland First Team, All-Defensive, and All-Tournament team. He finished in top 10 in the Southland in batting with a .330 average, and also ranked in the top 10 in doubles (17) while finishing with seven homers and 39 RBIs. The Orlando native legged out three triples, including one in the NCAA Regional against Alabama.
 
Coddou received All-Southland for the second straight season while also adding Southland All-Defensive. A local product from Thibodaux, Coddou batted .291 for the season from the leadoff spot with 13 doubles, six triples and six home runs. His triples tied for second in the SLC and he finished third on the team with 32 RBIs. Additionally, he totaled 21 multi-hit games including a 5-for-6 effort where he hit for the cycle in a win at Nebraska. Coddou continued his stellar defensive play with numerous highlight plays, including the game-ending diving catch to beat No. 1 LSU.
 
Mayers is coming off a decorated rookie campaign where he earned five Freshman All-American honors. He was named Freshman Pitcher of the Year by both Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA, in addition to garnering All-Southland First Team and Southland Freshman of the Year. The Gonzales native finished with a 9-1 record, a 2.02 ERA and 105 strikeouts. He ranked in the top 15 of the NCAA in ERA (8th), hits allowed per nine innings (2nd/5.23) and strikeouts per nine (15th/12.49). He closed out his season by earning both Southland All-Tournament and Tuscaloosa Regional All-Tournament.
 
Galy excelled as a relief pitcher after he made 21 appearances out of the bullpen, totaling 35.1 innings with a 2.04 ERA. He limited the opposition to a .192 batting average and had 34 strikeouts with only five walks. In conference play, the Orlando, Florida native posted an impressive .162 opponent batting average, tossed 3.1 hitless innings against Northwestern State and also had one-hit showings in four-plus innings versus HCU and three-plus against Lamar. He made two appearances in the SLC Tournament, throwing 4.0 hitless innings with six strikeouts and fanned five batters in first win over New Orleans, earning his lone save of the season.
 
Kendrick was the lone Colonel voted onto first team. He finished his debut season with a .269 batting average which included nine doubles and five home runs. His first homer as a Colonel was a grand slam against Memphis, and he also hit long balls against SEC opponents Mississippi State and Alabama. One of his best games of the season was a 5-for-5 day at the plate to lift Nicholls to a win over Southeastern.
 
Felix was third on the Colonels with a .320 batting average, racking up 65 hits which included a triple and three home runs. He tied for sixth in the Southland with 17 doubles and finished with 31 RBIs. Felix put together four different four-hit outings, including in the finale against Boston College in the NCAA Regional where he belted a solo home run.

The preseason poll is voted on by head coaches and sports information directors in the conference, with coaches selecting the preseason all-conference team.
 
The 2024 Southland Conference Baseball Championship tournament will be held on May 22-25 at Southeastern's Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, with the tournament champion claiming the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. All nine teams will play a 24-game round robin conference schedule against the other eight teams, with the top seven teams in the conference qualifying for the double-elimination conference tournament.

ON DECK
The Red & Gray will begin the 2024 campaign with a three-game series against Sacred Heart. The first game from Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field will be on Friday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.
 
Season tickets are available for purchase via the Nicholls Ticketing office in Barker Hall or online HERE.

SLC Baseball Preseason Poll

1. Nicholls (14) - 126
2. Lamar (1) - 106
3. New Orleans (3) - 92
4. UIW - 81
5. McNeese - 67
6. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 55
7. Southeastern - 53
8. Northwestern State - 42
9. HCU - 26

First Team (** = automatic return selection)

1B – Edgar Alvarez, Nicholls**

2B – MaCrae Kendrick, Nicholls

SS – Parker Coddou, Nicholls** 
3B – Ethan Ruiz, Lamar

C – Miguel Useche, New Orleans

DH – Rey Mendoza, UIW**

OF – Mitchell Sanford, New Orleans**
OF – Samuel Benjamin, HCU**
OF – Isaac Williams, New Orleans
SP – Jacob Mayers, Nicholls**

SP – Brooks Caple, Lamar**

SP – Hunter Hesseltine, Lamar**

RP – Gavin Galy, Nicholls**

UT – Kamin Dodge, Lamar

 

Second Team

1B – Cameron Crotte, UIW 

2B – Austin Roccaforte, Lamar

SS – Jake Haze, Southeastern** 

3B – Dylan Mach, New Orleans 

C – Bo Willis, Northwestern State 

DH – River Orsak, Lamar 

OF – Garrett Felix, Nicholls 

OF – Cooper Hext, McNeese 

OF – Christian Smith-Johnson, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 

SP – Chase Prestwich, Northwestern State

SP – Isaiah Zavala, UIW

SP – Jacob Ellis, Lamar

RP – Jackson Cleveland, Lamar

UT – Grant Randall, UIW