RICHARDSON, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the Lone Star Conference championship, the league office announced Thursday.
The Patriots were also well represented in the preseason awards, as Drew Schmidt was named the LSC Preseason Player of the Year and Caden Copeland earned Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors.
The preseason poll and individual awards are voted on by Lone Star Conference head coaches, sports information directors and media members. UT Tyler collected 603 points in the poll and earned 20 first-place votes, reflecting the league's confidence in a program that continues to build momentum at the Division II level. The Patriots are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history after finishing 49-13 overall and 40-8 in conference play in 2025, setting a new school record for wins in a single season.
Last year's Patriots established themselves as one of the most balanced teams in the nation, pairing one of the top pitching staffs in the conference with a deep and experienced lineup. UT Tyler went unbeaten through both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional rounds, capturing the South Central Super Regional title and earning the programs first ever berth to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina.
Entering the new season, UT Tyler is ranked No. 4 nationally in the D2Baseball Preseason Top 25 Poll, the highest-ranked Lone Star Conference program. The Patriots return a strong core of key contributors from last year's lineup while also welcoming the nation's top-ranked transfer portal class in Division II baseball.
Several conference opponents closely followed the Patriots in the preseason poll, with Angelo State, Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's, and West Texas A&M rounding out the top five.
Schmidt, a junior shortstop from Lewisville, Texas, returns after an outstanding season in which he hit .410 while providing consistent production at the top of the lineup. He finished the year with eight home runs, 22 doubles, five triples and 60 RBI, earning All-American and All-LSC First Team recognition. Schmidt also set a program record with 98 hits in a single season.
Copeland, a senior left-hander from Midlothian, Texas, joins the Patriots after competing at the Division I level at Sam Houston State and Louisiana Tech. With UT Tyler replacing several key arms from last season's pitching staff, Copeland is expected to play a significant role in providing experience and stability on the mound. His background against high-level competition adds depth to a Patriot staff that was among the Lone Star Conference's best a year ago.
UT Tyler opens the 2026 season at home with a three-game Lone Star Conference series against Lubbock Christian, beginning January 30, marking the start of another highly anticipated season at Irwin Field.
2026 LSC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL, AWARDS, PLAYERS/PITCHERS TO WATCH
Preseason Poll
Rank Team 1st Total
1 UT Tyler 20 603
2 Angelo State 20 599
3 Lubbock Christian 510
4 St. Edward's 501
5 West Texas A&M 474
6 St. Mary's 404
7 Texas A&M-Kingsville 1 389
8 Eastern New Mexico 326
9 UT Permian Basin 249
10 Texas A&M International 1 246
11 UT Dallas 243
12 Oklahoma Christian 181
13 Cameron 164
14 Sul Ross State 67
Preseason Player of the Year
Drew Schmidt, SS, Jr., UT Tyler
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Caden Copeland, LHP, Sr., UT Tyler
Preseason Players to Watch
Name Team Pos. Class Major Hometown
Chase Pendley Angelo State INF Sr. Interdisciplinary Studies Prosper, Texas
Zane Roos Cameron OF Sr. Sports Exercise Science St. Louis, Mo.
Adrien Martin Eastern New Mexico INF Jr. Criminal Justice Albuquerque, N.M.
Kyle Lewis Lubbock Christian OF Sr. Business Lubbock, Texas
Trey Migl Oklahoma Christian OF Sr. Accounting Piedmont, Okla.
Connor Cox St. Edward's INF Sr. Business Administration Longview, Texas
Garrett Brooks St. Mary's OF/1B Sr. Management Spring Branch, Texas
Leo Salas Sul Ross State 1B/OF Jr. Industrial Technology Haltom City, Texas
Eddie Saenz Texas A&M International INF Sr. Exercise Sci. & Kinesiology Laredo, Texas
Jayden Martinez Texas A&M-Kingsville C Sr. General Studies Corpus Christi, Texas
Nico Fernandez UT Dallas C Sr. Mechanical Engineering Cypress, Texas
Gael Bernal UT Permian Basin INF Jr. Exercise Science El Paso, Texas
Drew Schmidt UT Tyler SS Jr. Management Lewisville, Texas
Tristin Thomas West Texas A&M OF/LHP So. Business Carlsbad, N.M.
Preseason Pitchers to Watch
Name Team Pos. Class Major Hometown
Josh Reed Angelo State LHP So. Business Management Midland, Texas
Jared Hughes Cameron RHP Sr. Sports Exercise Science Hillsboro, Mo.
Nick Mooney Eastern New Mexico LHP Sr. Business Administration Houston, Texas
Caden Cline Lubbock Christian RHP Sr. Management Lubbock, Texas
Corbin Kwan Oklahoma Christian LHP Jr. Finance Edmond, Okla.
Camden White St. Edward's RHP Jr. Undecided Choctaw, Okla.
Kaleb Gauna St. Mary's RHP Sr. Exercise & Sports Science Hondo, Texas
Jack Topolski Sul Ross State RHP Jr. Business Cleveland, Ohio
Mark Chapa Texas A&M International RHP Jr. Pre-Physical / Occ Therapy Corpus Christi, Texas
Tyler Schumann Texas A&M-Kingsville RHP So. Sports Business Fulshear, Texas
David Dean UT Dallas LHP Jr. Business Administration Owasso, Okla.
Timmy LaChappa UT Permian Basin RHP So. Management Hemet, Calif.
Caden Copeland UT Tyler LHP Sr. Finance Midlothian, Texas
Cade Griffin West Texas A&M RHP Jr. Sports & Exercise Science Willis, Texas
