ATLANTA, Ga. – The Spring Hill University baseball team was selected third in the 2026 SIAC Preseason Poll, the conference office announced on Wednesday.

The Badgers finished the 2025 regular season with a 39-14 mark and a 29-3 conference record, claiming the regular season title. Spring Hill fell in the conference championship after going 3-2 in the tournament, finishing in third place.

Spring Hill returns eight players from last year's squad who will be joined by 19 transfers and one freshman.

"We have a great mix of transfers from all levels, incoming freshman, returners in each class, and 3 new coaches. There is a lot of new energy in the program, guys trying to carve out roles, and healthy competition," said head coach Walker Bullington, "I know our guys are ready to lace them up and go play against some outside competition".

Three senior returners to watch this year for the Badgers are catcher Eli Benoit, outfielder Reggie Cooper and right-handed pitcher Garrett Lott.

Benoit played in 34 games last season, while starting 16 of them. He hit .254 with four doubles, a pair of home runs and 15 RBIs.  Against LeMoyne-Owen on April 4^th, he tallied a season-high three hits and two doubles. His two home runs came against Florida Tech in the early part of the season and later against West Alabama.

Cooper is the team's only returning starter that appeared in at least 40 games (49 games, 47 starts) last year.  The outfielder finished the 2025 season with a team-leading 30 stolen bases while only being caught twice.  He tallied a .229 batting average and finished with 10 extra base hits (eight doubles, one triple and one home run). Last year against LeMoyne-Owen he registered a season-high five runs scored on Apr. 4.

Lott appeared in 13 games and registered 20.2 innings of work. The right-hander posted a 2-1 record to go along with a 3.92 earned run average.  His 35 strikeouts tied for fifth on the team, while holding opponents to a .181 batting average, the second lowest among Badger hurlers.

Spring Hill begins the 2026 season on the road when it travels to Florida Tech for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. ET and concludes on Saturday with a doubleheader that starts at Noon eastern.