Rock Hill, S.C. – With first pitch of the 2022 season just nine days away, the Lincoln Memorial University baseball program has been selected to finish eighth in the 13-team South Atlantic Conference following a vote by the head coaches in the league.
The three-time SAC Tournament champions will be attempting to reach 30 wins for the fourth time in the last six seasons after claiming three straight 30-win seasons from 2017-19. Under the direction of second-year head coach
Justin Haywood, the 2022 roster boasts 26 veteran players and will welcome 18 newcomers for the Blue and Gray.
Lincoln Memorial returns
Brandon Parrott, who finished the 2021 season leading the Splitters' offense with a .354 batting average with 40 hits, 20 runs and 15 runs batted in. Outfielder
Andrew Keene returns to the diamond for LMU after hitting .320 with 39 hits and 26 runs in the 2021 campaign.
On the mound, the Railsplitters return
Ryan Franklin,
Mason Turner,
Bryce Woody,
Andrew Keene and
Patrick Queener. Franklin, now a graduate student for the Blue and Gray, paced the pitching crew a year ago with a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched in 16 appearances. Turner followed closely with a 2.49 ERA over 21.2 innings pitched in 18 appearances.
The Railsplitters open the 2022 campaign nestled in the mountains at Lamar Hennon Field on Friday, February 4
th with a three-game series against Charleston. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with the doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST.
2022 SAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Wingate (10) |
154 |
| 2 |
Catawba (3) |
144 |
| 3 |
Newberry |
120 |
| 4 |
Carson-Newman |
118 |
| 5 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
117 |
| 6 |
Tusculum |
110 |
| 7 |
Anderson |
71 |
| 8 |
LMU |
65 |
| 9 |
Coker |
64 |
| 10 |
Mars Hill |
63 |
| 11 |
Queens |
60 |
| 12 |
Limestone |
59 |
| 13 |
UVA Wise |
25 |
2022 SAC Baseball Preseason All-Conference
All-SAC First Team
OF – Jed Bryant, Wingate
OF – Andrew McKay, Wingate
OF – Riley Cheek, Queens
1B – Matt Mackey, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Joe Butts, Catawba
SS – Michael Dansky, Wingate
3B – Cameron Mills, Catawba
C – Logan McNeely, Wingate
DH – Dylan Wilkinson, Catawba
SP – Andrew Patrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Joshua Lanham, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Brayden Coe, Carson-Newman
RP – Brody McCullough, Wingate
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Justin Fox, Anderson
OF – Zane Keener, Tusculum
OF – Reilly Hall, Coker
1B – Kody Hanna, Coker
2B – Wade Cuda, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Phill Griffor, Coker
3B – Tyler Lala, Mars Hill
C – Matt Parkinson, Carson-Newman
DH – Gehrig Christopher, Wingate
SP – Matt Bradley, Carson-Newman
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
SP – Greg Brown, Catawba
RP – Robbie Cowie, Catawba
How to Follow
Stay tuned to
LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms -
@LMURailsplitter on Twitter,
@LMURailsplitters on Facebook and
@lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter baseball leading up to the 2022 season.
