NEW ORLEANS, La. – Coastal Carolina baseball, the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament champions, was picked to finish second in the Sun Belt East Division in the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Coaches’ Preseason Poll, the league office announced today.

In addition, junior right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley was named to the 2020 preseason All-Sun Belt team.

The Chanticleers were picked garnered four first-place votes and a total of 61 points in the annual preseason poll.

Coastal was selected second, just one point behind East Division preseason favorite South Alabama and the Jaguars 62 points.

CCU was picked ahead of Georgia Southern (50 points), Troy (41 points), Appalachian State (23 points), and Georgia State (15 points) in the East.

On the West Division side, UT Arlington was picked as the divisional favorite with 58 points, just one point in front of Louisiana with 57 points. The Ragin’ Cajuns had five first-place votes compared to the UTA Mavs three first-place votes.

Texas State (55 points), Little Rock (39 points), ULM (25 points), and Arkansas State (18 points) rounded out the West Division poll.

McCambley was the lone Chant to earn preseason all-conference honors, as the junior hurler was recognized as one of the three starting pitchers on the team. Last season, McCambley appeared in 22 games on the year, making 11 starts on the mound. While spending most of the season as the Friday night starter, the Pennsylvania native went 6-3 with one save and a 5.21 ERA on the season. The hard-throwing righty struck out 76 batters over 67.1 innings pitched, walked just 27 hitters on the year, and held the opponents to a .277 batting average on the season. McCambley fanned a career-high 10 batters in the 4-2 win over Troy (March 22) and tossed a season-high 6.0-complete innings versus Michigan State (Feb. 22) and at ULM (March 15), both of which were quality starts, for the second-year Chant in 2019.

2020 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll

first-place votes in parentheses

EAST DIVISION

1. South Alabama (6) – 62 pts

2. Coastal Carolina (4) – 61 pts

3. Georgia Southern (2) – 50 pts

4. Troy – 41 pts

5. Appalachian State – 23 pts

6. Georgia State – 15 pts

WEST DIVISION

1. UT Arlington (3) – 58 pts

2. Louisiana (5) – 57 pts

3. Texas State (3) – 55 pts

4. Little Rock (1) – 39 pts

5. ULM – 25 pts

6. Arkansas State – 18 pts

2020 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Baseball Team

Drake Nightengale, South Alabama (Senior, Starting Pitcher, Hattiesburg, Miss.)

Zach McCambley, Coastal Carolina (Junior, Starting Pitcher, Mount Pocono, Pa.)

Levi Thomas, Troy (Senior, Starting Pitcher, Cullman, Ala.)

Andrew Papp, Appalachian State (Senior, Relief Pitcher, Raleigh, N.C.)

Jack Jumper, Arkansas State (Senior, Relief Pitcher, Benton, Ark.)

Kale Emshoff, Little Rock (RS-Senior, Catcher, Robstown, Texas)

Kaleb DeLatorre, South Alabama (Senior, First Base, Fort Scott, Kan.)

Luke Drumheller, Appalachian State (Sophomore, Second Base, Charlotte, N.C.)

Hayden Cantrelle, Louisiana (Junior, Shortstop, Lafayette, La.)

Garrett Scott, Little Rock (RS-Senior, Third Base, Spring, Texas)

Mason McWhorter, Georgia Southern (Senior, Outfielder, Cumming, Ga.)

Ethan Wilson, South Alabama (Sophomore, Outfielder, Andalusia, Ala.)

Rigsby Mosley, Troy (Junior, Outfielder, Maitland, Fla.)

Will Hollis, Texas State (Senior, Designated Hitter, McKinney, Texas)

Andrew Beesley, ULM (Senior, Utility, Natchez, Miss.)

2020 Preseason Player of the Year

Ethan Wilson, South Alabama (Sophomore, Outfielder, Andalusia, Ala.)

2020 Preseason Pitcher of the Year

Drake Nightengale, South Alabama (Senior, Starting Pitcher, Hattiesburg, Miss.)

Courtesy – Coastal Carolina Athletics