SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Feb. 5, 2026) – The Southern Conference (SoCon) announced its preseason all-conference baseball teams and its preseason poll on Thursday. Michael Harpster, Derek McCarley, and Jamie Palmese all garnered Preseason All-SoCon First Team honors, while Tristan Curless and Axel Melendez both landed spots on the Second Team. As a team, the Bucs were picked to finish third with one first-place vote behind Samford and Mercer.
 
Harpster, who was a Preseason All-SoCon First Team pick in 2025 as well, finished his sophomore season with a 7-3 record, a 4.94 ERA in 74.2 innings pitched to go with 69 strikeouts. Harpster, who held opposing hitters to a .247 batting average in 2025, pitched at least five innings in 10 of his 16 starts and pitched six or more innings on five occasions. His seven wins came against Northern Kentucky, Binghamton, USC Upstate, Western Carolina, Toledo, Wofford, and Samford in the SoCon Tournament to help the Bucs claim the title.
 
McCarley enters 2026 as ETSU's most experienced pitcher. In 2025, McCarley earned All-SoCon Second Team honors and became one of the top relievers in the league. He made 21 appearances (two starts) and pitched a total of 43.2 innings and struck out 41 hitters. Opposing batters hit just .208 off McCarley in 2025. Overall, McCarley finished with a 3-1 record with a 3.30 ERA. He was the winning pitcher in victories against Old Dominion, Appalachian State, and VMI.
 
Palmese is coming off a breakthrough season in 2025. An All-SoCon First Team selection, Palmese played and started all 58 games in center field for the Blue and Gold last season. He hit .297 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI as a sophomore. Palmese had 20 multi-hit games, stole 15 bases in 16 attempts, and scored 58 runs. Palmese was especially good against fellow SoCon teams with a 1.078 OPS with eight of his 17 home runs coming in league play.
 
Curless returns for his second season as a Buc in 2026. The Amarillo, Texas native played in 50 games during his first season at ETSU hitting .280 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI. He also made six appearances as a pitcher for ETSU in 2025. Curless was one of five Buccaneers to hit 10 or more home runs in 2025. His power came through in some of ETSU's biggest games of the season against Virginia Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, Samford (three), Mercer, Toledo, VMI and Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. He was named to the SoCon's All-Defensive Team and landed a spot on the Nashville's All-Regional Team.
 
Melendez is coming off an impressive freshman campaign in 2025. In his first season of college baseball, Melendez hit .304 with six home runs and 37 RBI. He scored 31 runs, added 13 doubles to go with a pair of triples. Serving as ETSU's primary left fielder, Melendez was especially good in SoCon play hitting a team-best .348. For his efforts, Melendez was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year. Melendez continued this production in the postseason collecting SoCon All-Tournament Team honors and a spot on Nashville's All-Regional squad.
 
As mentioned earlier, the Bucs were picked to finish third in the preseason poll. Samford was projected to win the conference followed by Mercer, ETSU, The Citadel, Western Carolina, UNC Greensboro, VMI, and Wofford. VMI's first baseman Grayson Fitzwater was named the Preseason Player of the Year, while Samford's Mason Blasche earned Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors.
 
The 2026 season will begin for the Bucs next Friday when ETSU begins a three-game series against Marist at Thomas Stadium. Season Tickets and Flex Ticket packages for ETSU baseball can be purchased today by calling the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or by visiting ETSUTickets.com. For the full schedule, click HERE.
 
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