IRVING, Texas – East Carolina has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2025 American Athletic Conference Baseball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
UTSA senior outfielder Mason Lytle has been picked as The American’s Preseason Player of the Year, while UAB junior Colin Daniel was selected as the league’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The five-time defending regular season champion Pirates earned eight first-place votes and a total of 80 points to be named the preseason favorite. Wichita State, the 2024 American Baseball Championship runner-up, was picked second with 72 total points and the two remaining first-place votes. 2024 American champion Tulane was picked third with 63 points, followed by UTSA (55), Charlotte (50), Florida Atlantic (36), South Florida (31), UAB (27), Memphis (21) and Rice (15).
East Carolina captured its fifth consecutive regular season title in The American in 2024 with a 19-8 conference record. Tulane became the first team to win the American Baseball Championship in back-to-back years, winning 11-10 over Wichita State in dramatic fashion on a walk-off home run by Jackson Linn.
Daniel went 7-3 with a 3.03 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 86.0 innings of action in 2024. He was an All-Conference Second Team honoree.
Lytle was The American’s Newcomer Position Player of the Year in 2024 after hitting .352 with 11 home runs, 19 doubles and 43 RBI. He had a slugging percentage of .590 and stole 17 bases in 18 attempts.
Tulane and Wichita State each had four selections on the Preseason All-Conference Team. Daniel and Lytle were unanimous selections, along with Charlotte senior outfielder Carson Bayne and Wichita State senior catcher Mauricio Millan.
2024 American Baseball Preseason Honors
Preseason Coaches Poll
| East Carolina (8) |
80 |
| Wichita State (2) |
72 |
| Tulane |
63 |
| UTSA |
55 |
| Charlotte |
50 |
| Florida Atlantic |
36 |
| South Florida |
31 |
| UAB |
27 |
| Memphis |
21 |
| Rice |
15 |
Preseason Player of the Year
Mason Lytle, Sr., OF, UTSA
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Colin Daniel, Jr., UAB
Preseason All-Conference Team
P – Colin Daniel, Jr., UAB*
P – Davion Hickson, Jr., Rice
P – Luc Fladda, Sr., Tulane
RP – Ethan Norby, So., East Carolina
RP – Jacob Moore, R-Jr., Tulane
C – Mauricio Millan, Sr., Wichita State*
1B – Josh Livingston, Sr., Wichita State
2B – Jordan Rogers, R-Sr., Wichita State
SS – Camden Johnson, So., Wichita State
3B – Gavin Schulz, Sr., Tulane
OF – Carson Bayne, Sr., Charlotte*
OF – Ryley Johnson, Sr., East Carolina
OF – Mason Lytle, Sr., UTSA*
OF – Jackson Linn, Sr., Tulane
DH – Rafael Betancourt, Jr., South Florida
* denotes unanimous selection