SPARTANBURG, S.C. (May 19, 2026) – The Southern Conference (SoCon) announced its annual award winners and All-Conference teams on Tuesday afternoon, and the ETSU baseball team had eight players recognized for their play this season. Tristan Curless was ETSU's lone First Team honoree, while Michael Harpster, Ian Guanzon, Henry Ferguson, Jamie Palmese, and Nate Conner all garnered Second Team honors. Rounding out the accolades, Cooper Jones and Mason Ault were named to the league's All-Freshman Team. The eight honorees for the Bucs were the second-most in the league behind Regular Season Champion Mercer, which had 10.
 
Curless developed into one of the top players in the SoCon this season. The senior from Amarillo, Texas, hit .376 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI. His 76 hits are the third-most in the SoCon entering the postseason, while his .376 batting average is second in the conference. Curless, who earned SoCon Player of the Week honors twice this season, also served as the team's primary closer this season. As a reliever, Curless is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts and a .097 batting average against with four saves in 2026.
 
Harpster has been a staple in ETSU's starting rotation this season. In 14 starts, Harpster is 6-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 72 innings pitched. Harpster has also struck out 78 batters in those 72 innings and has held opposing lineups to a .250 batting average. Harpster's ERA and win total both rank fifth-most in the SoCon, while his 78 strikeouts rank sixth among SoCon squads.
 
Guanzon made an immediate impact for ETSU in his first season with the program in 2026. The California native hit .309 with three home runs and 29 RBI as the Bucs' primary second baseman. Guanzon is the lone hitter for ETSU to work more walks (26) than strikeouts (24). Guanzon has also done most of his damage when it matters most, with a .382 batting average with runners on base, including a .435 mark with runners in scoring position.
 
Ferguson took over as ETSU's primary shortstop in 2026. As a sophomore, Ferguson was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List earlier in the season. During the regular season, Ferguson hit .343 with four home runs and 42 RBI. The Knoxville, Tennessee native was also tied for the team lead with 12 stolen bases. In addition to his work offensively, Ferguson also landed a spot on the league's All-Defensive Team.
 
Palmese was again a constant for the Bucs in centerfield during the 2026 campaign. The junior from Connecticut hit .341 with four home runs and 42 RBI. Palmese also swiped a team-high 12 stolen bases for ETSU. Palmese ranks fifth in the conference with 72 hits, with 20 of those being doubles, which is the second-most in the league. It marks the first time since 2022 that a Buc has reached 20 doubles in a season. Palmese, who started all 52 games in centerfield for ETSU, also earned All-Defensive Team honors.
 
Conner, who was the fifth and final Second Team honoree for the Bucs, hit .300 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI during his first season with ETSU. The Johnson City native brings a 48-game reached base streak into the SoCon Tournament. Conner, the Bucs' primary leadoff hitter in 2026, led ETSU with eight home runs and 24 RBI during conference play. Additionally, 36 of his 63 hits have been for extra bases (57.1 percent) this season.
 
As a true freshman, Jones was one of ETSU's primary starting pitchers in 2026. Jones made nine starts and 14 appearances on the mound this spring. Jones is 4-3 this season with a 4.31 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. Jones struck out 42 hitters in those 39.2 innings, and three of his four victories came during league action. His WHIP of 1.29 was also the lowest on ETSU's pitching staff among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched.
 
Ault served as ETSU's primary catcher as a true freshman. The freshman backstop hit .254 with three home runs and 19 RBI. Ault also threw out 10 of 24 potential base stealers (41.6 percent) this season. The Bucs were 20-12 this season when Ault started behind the plate, and the freshman totaled eight multi-hit performances during the 2026 campaign.
 
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