FRISCO, Texas – For the third consecutive season, the New Orleans Privateers baseball team has placed four men on the Southland Preseason All-Conference Team. The Privateers were also picked to finish third in the standings by the conference head coaches and sports information directors.
Mitchell Sanford,
Issac Williams and
Miguel Useche all earned First Team distinction while
Dylan Mach earned a spot on the Second Team ahead of the 2024 season.
Sanford was carried over from last year after having a phenomenal first season on the Lakefront and earning Second Team honors among the postseason awards in 2023. Sanford hit .324, which was the best batting average on the team. He had eight home runs and 60 RBI in his first year with New Orleans.
The 60 RBI wound up second in the conference only behind UIW's Rey Mendoza (61).
Williams had a strong year in center and improved his numbers across the board at the plate. The senior from Alexandria hit .302 with 13 doubles and nine home runs while driving in 41 all while batting ninth in the order.
Issac raised his batting average by 31 points and his on-base percentage by 40 points from 2022 to 2023. He also drew 11 more walks last season. He was Second Team All-Southland in 2022.
Useche has been a doubles machine since coming to the Lakefront. The senior catcher had 16 doubles in his first year (2022) and achieved the same total in '23. Useche hit .298 with six home runs and 36 RBI during the '23 campaign.
The Venezuela native also earned All-Louisiana Honorable Mention. He played and started in 55 games last season.
Mach played in 41 games with 33 starts in his debut season with the Privateers after transferring from Gulf Coast State. His batting average was .271 overall but was significantly higher against conference foes (.328). He had two homers and 19 RBI.
Mach earned his second All-Conference nod in his collegiate career. He was Second Team All-Conference at Gulf Coast State.
The Privateers earned three first-place votes in the preseason poll. Nicholls was voted the preseason favorite after winning the regular season and postseason title. Lamar was picked to finish second.
New Orleans has finished third in the standings in each of the last three seasons. The Privateers made it to the Southland Championship game in '23 for the second time since they joined the conference.
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 –
Issac 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
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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