Despite coming off of what is a down year for the Pirates, they made a regional thanks to a tournament run where they would stymie Tulane from three-peating the AAC conference tournament championship, ultimately seeing their season end in the Conway Regional.

Don’t let the 13-14 AAC record fool you, the down year was large in part to losing one of the best rotations in baseball in Trey Yesavage and Zach Root after the 2024 season, but Cliff Godwin knows winning as much as anyone in the country.

A large reason why they were picked to win the AAC in 2026, even over UTSA, which appeared in a super regional in 2025.

AAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Ethan Norby will headline the conference on Friday nights after making 14 starts a year ago, putting together a great season where he punched out 119 over 90 innings to the tune of a 3.80 ERA.

To much surprise, Norby elected to stay in Greenville for another ride with the Pirates and is expected to take another big step.

The Pirates also return key pieces of the staff in Sean Jenkins, who made 12 starts last year, throwing 70.1 innings and Nick Moran, who made 17 appearances in 2025, holding opposing hitters to a .220 average. 

The offense is where ECU will thrive this year, returning seven of 10 qualified hitters in the lineup, where they already averaged over six runs per game.

Headlined by Braden Burress, who led the team in OPS with a .986, and Austin Irb,y who finished second in RBI, OPS, and home runs for the Pirates in 2025.

With an upper-classmen and experienced team with plenty of returners on offense, and Ethan Norby, who could be a walking-win on Friday nights, it’s easy to see why they were picked first, and should see Cliff Godwin and Co. in another regional in 2026. (Will Mossa)

Tennessee

Austin Peay Governors – Atlantic Sun

2025 Overall Record: 45-14

2025 Conference Record: 26-4

The Govs! What a season they had in 2025. The winning ways continue for Head Coach Roland Fanning. The former Oklahoma assistant and Kentucky recruiting coordinator has worked wonders with this Austin Peay program.

Last year, they finished an incredible 45-14 overall and 26-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. It was Coach Fanning’s second season in a row finishing 1st in the regular season conference standings. 

Even though they won 40+ games last year, Austin Peay fell short of the NCAA Tournament, finishing second in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. They’ll look to finally take that next step in 2026. 

What’s big for Austin Peay is the fact that they return FIVE everyday starters to their lineup in 2026. That’s led by redshirt junior infielder Ray Velazquez who put up some video game numbers last year. He posted a 1.207 OPS while hitting nine doubles, 18 home runs, and 57 RBI. 

They also bring back ASUN Freshman of the Year, first baseman Cole Johnson. He slashed .347/.429/.563 with 22 doubles, eight home runs, and 68 RBI. Kyler Proctor, Andres Matias, and Trevor Conely all also return. 

Their offense will be potent, and they also brought in some interesting transfers, like Ty Wisdom out of Kansas, who could play a huge role for this team. 

The pitching side is where Austin Peay will have to do some serious replacements. They lose Lyndon Glidewell, Jacob Weaver, and Gavin Braunecker. All had experience starting, and all threw 70+ innings last year for the Govs.

They do bring back right-hander Cody Airington, who posted a 3.54 ERA last year while striking out 38 batters in 40.2 innings. He started eight games for the Govs. Kaleb Applebey should also compete for a lot of innings for this team as well. 

The Govs really cleaned up in the transfer portal on the mound. They obviously identified a need and went after it. Gavin Alveti out of Central Arkansas, Ryker Walton out of Eastern Kentucky, Drew DeLucia out of Franklin Pierce, and Elijah Underhill out of Eastern Kentucky are all names to watch. 

The offense will be there for the Govs and the only question will be whether they can figure it out on the mound or not after losing so many key arms. Signs are trending in the right direction, and I believe you’ll likely see the Govs at the top of the Atlantic Sun in 2026. (Jared Perkins)

Virginia

Liberty Flames – C-USA

2025 Overall Record: 30-27

2025 Conference Record: 10-17

A 10-17 conference record doesn’t always get you a write-up, but the Liberty Flames have such a history of winning. This is a team that has eight NCAA tournament appearances. They won 41 games in 2021 and 37 in 2022. 

Bradley LeCroy enters his second season coaching the Flames after producing a 30-win season in his first year as head coach. He seems to have this squad trending back in the right direction. 

On the offensive side, the big returner for the Flames is junior shortstop Tanner Marsh. He slashed .294/.378/.377 with a .755 OPS with 11 doubles, 22 RBI, and 18 SB. They also bring back their outfielder masher in Nick Barone, who hit 12 doubles, 10 home runs, and 52 RBI. 

Liberty looked to supplement some of its offensive losses with a powerful transfer portal class. Their class ranked 22nd overall according to 64Analytics. 

They brought in Jordan Jaffe from Richmond, Ryan Drumm from Butler, and Kyle Hvidsten from Western Kentucky. 

Hvidsten is a solid backstop who slashed .282/.497/.524 with five doubles, six home runs, and 22 RBI for the Hilltoppers. 

Jaffe is a big-time bopper who’s hit 32 home runs for the Spiders in three years. He slashed a solid .314/.391/.598 last year.

Liberty’s pitching depth is shaping up to be a major separator heading into 2026, especially with so much of its 2025 production returning. The Flames leaned heavily on their arms last season, and that strength looks even more stable now with a frontline starter firmly in place. 

Ben Blair anchors the staff as a true Friday option and gives Liberty a legitimate ace profile: power fastball, swing-and-miss secondary stuff, and the confidence of a pitcher who chose continuity over transfer opportunities. 

With his ability to miss bats, manage contact, and pitch deep into games, Blair sets the tone for a staff that should again rank among the best in Conference USA while also drawing serious draft attention next summer.

Behind him, Liberty has no shortage of options to build out a weekend rotation and bullpen, which may ultimately be the biggest advantage on the roster. 

Josh Swink’s strong summer and improved command point to a possible breakout if he’s stretched back into a starting role, while Cooper Harrington, Jake Potts, Jaxon Lucas, and Bradley Zayac all bring starter-caliber velocity and multiple usable pitches. 

Even if some of those arms slide into relief, the bullpen projects as deep, versatile, and power-heavy, especially with Tyler August’s elite arm strength and ability to handle high-leverage innings on short rest. 

Add in experienced returners and a handful of intriguing transfers and freshmen, and Liberty looks positioned not just to match last year’s pitching success, but potentially exceed it with more options, more depth, and more matchup flexibility than most teams in the league.

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