BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Believe it or not, baseball will open its season on January 30, and Lee University has been predicted to finish fifth in the 12-teams listed in the Preseason Gulf South Conference Coaches Poll. The University of West Florida, Delta State University, Mississippi College and Valdosta State University were placed ahead of the Flames while the University of West Alabama, University of Montevallo, Trevecca Nazarene University, Auburn University at Montgomery, the University Alabama in Huntsville, Union University and Christian Brothers University followed.
"Polls are for fans to create some excitement about the upcoming season," said Lee Coach Mark Brew as he viewed the voting by the coaches. "It is not a huge focus for us since many do not know what we have recruited/returned and vice versa. It is a starting point for us all visually, but everyone has the same opportunities once we take the field."
There was no preseason All-GSC team this season, so instead each coach submitted their top three returners. Coach Brew posted JJ Williams, Isaiah French and Luke Collier as his top returners and Cody Turner, Landon Franklin, and Aiden McClary as key recruits.
Said Brew, "We have three great offensive returners with JJ, Isaiah, and Luke. They all had good years in 2025, and we will look to them to lead our offense. Cody, Landon, and Aiden are key recruits, but we have several guys we will look to at the plate and on the mound. I am excited to get underway with an early start on January 30th."
Coach Brew Gives Early Preview of Flames
Top Players Lost: Each year Coach Brew is faced with replacing top players. Lefty Cooper Casteel was a mainstay of last season's pitching staff. He started 14 games and posted a 6-5 record and a 3.24 ERA. His 77.2 innings pitched were almost double the amount of any other hurler. Ty Cobb worked mainly in relief during his two seasons as a Flame. In 2025 the right-hander pitched in 49.1 innings and carried a 3.28 ERA with a pair of saves and a 1-2 record.
Ashton Simmons will go down as one of the slickest fielding shortstops to earn a starting position for Brew's crew. Last season Simmons appeared in 48 of the 49 games. He made only nine errors and had a fielding average of .961. Tucker Platt came in and gave the Flames a good year at first base. He carried a .316 batting average over 46 games and was solid in the field, making three miscues and a near perfect .997 fielding mark.
Valuable Pieces: While the Flames lost some valuable pieces, three players returned to pace the charge into the upcoming year. Centerfielder Williams and catcher French were selected second team All-GSC last year while infielder Collier had a great year, pacing the team in hitting (.382). He was also a leader in hits 76 hits and tops in triples, eight. Williams also displayed why he was a top GSC performer, pacing the Flames with 211 at-bats, 48 runs, 16 doubles, nine homers, 45 RBI and 18 of 22 in stolen base attempts. French fought to earn the starting catcher slot. He appeared in 48 games, batting .294 and was perfect on the base paths, 15 steals in 15 attempts. Behind the dish he was guilty of two errors and owned an impressive .992 fielding percentage.
Key recruits: The coaching staff worked overtime landing several key recruits. Six pitchers were signed including left-handed pitcher and outfielder Cody Turner, left-handed pitcher Gage Shaver, right-handed pitchers Bryce Hawkins, Tyler Pickens, Mason Bratcher and Cason Engert. Also landed were third-baseman Aiden McClary, outfielder Nate Dunfee, catcher Luke Treece and first-baseman Casen Youngblood and middle-infielder Landon Franklin.
Record Number of Newcomers: Coach Brew said this was not the largest number of players he has ever had on the squad (48). "But we do have one of the largest group of newcomers with 20. We've had to spend a lot of time teaching the Lee way this fall, and the guys are catching on well."
Pitching Depth: The veteran coach broke his team down, starting with the pitchers. "We've worked hard to improve depth in this area. The roles aren't totally developed at this point. There are several guys that could factor into the starting role in 2026.
"Grad student Dylan Van Meeteren threw lots of big innings for the Flames last season and is looking to have a big year. Junior right-handed pitcher Zachary Lawson has shown signs of being a dominant guy and is looking to take the next big step after he returns from missing most of the fall. Sophomore right-hander Evan Bloomer has really grown over the past year and was an all-star in a collegiate league this summer.
"Junior lefty Shaver is a transfer with lots of quality college innings under his belt. Turner, also a junior left-handed pitcher, has great stuff and will play on both sides of the ball (pitching and hitting.) Many others may factor in those types of roles as the season progresses as well. "Pickens can be one of those guys to throw in multiple roles. The former Cleveland State pitcher should have a big role with the staff. Lefties Alex Brew and Hayden Choate redshirted last year and have physically improved and should be key contributors. Freshman Bratcher has really turned some heads this fall and has the stuff to be a key contributor.
"Junior right-hander Landon Nease had a good fall and can be a short or long inning guy out of the bullpen. Mid-semester transfer Engert will be a big piece. Braylon Hall got some limited reps last year out of the pen and is a reliable strike thrower and has won at the highest levels on the mound throughout his high school career. Hawkins is a key transfer and can be a back-end guy. Coates Massey is another key transfer who could be a big leverage guy out of the pen.
"Lefty Zach Tierney redshirted last year due to an injury and is fully healthy and will contribute. Right-hander Will Chladny has a bright future and has already climbed over the 90 mph mark several times this fall. Colt McKibben was having a super year in 2025 when an injury shut him down. He likely will miss the 2026 season as will Cal Goss who had surgery. Some outside hope exists they could make it back.
Catching: The Flames will be solid behind the plate with French returning as the main backstop. He was an All-GSC catcher last season and according to Coach Brew will be asked to handle a larger leadership role, while continuing to be a great defender and middle or the line-up bat. Brew said Nate Caraballo is a great option behind the plate. He noted that Caraballo can also factor into first base after having a great offensive fall. The coach noted that freshman Luke Treece is one of the most accomplished high school players that the Flames have signed. He was the State of Tennessee hits leader and former Mr. Baseball. "He has really improved and is going to have a bright future," said Brew. He pointed out that redshirt freshmen Landon Ward and Theo Ostrowski have both improved and will provide depth into the catching room.
Infielders: As the coach looked at his infield, he pointed out that first base will be the area with the most inexperience. "Dakota Peace has had limited action over his two years, but he is healthier and turning into a solid defensive first baseman as his offense continues to come along. Freshmen Casen Youngblood and Robert Hicks both possess top notch power and should both have a chance to have great careers. Hicks can also play third base while Caraballo has some experience at first base as can Turner," explained the Lee head coach. The middle infield is solid with Collier returning after an excellent 2025 season. "He can handle both shortstop and second base as can incoming transfer Franklin. The former Kentucky Wildcat brings the ability to be a key piece of our lineup. Isaacs has been catching bad breaks with health but is steadily regaining his health and has experience of being in the program for two years. Freshmen Adam Hernandez and Noah Briggs have bright futures and can play multiple positions in the infield. McClary, a transfer from Cleveland State, brings us an athletic left-handed hitting third baseman to the lineup. He has the experience and ability to hit in the front of the lineup, while Keilin Sanders and Braden Gable have versatility and have potential at infield spots."
Outfield: The coach says he feels the outfield can be a strength of this team. Returning is All-GSC player Williams. "The veteran player should man centerfield and hit in the front of the lineup. Sophomore Ryan Valdes has improved tremendously since last year and is playing with a lot of confidence. Turner brings a big bat to the lineup and could be used in the outfield. Gable and Sanders had great falls offensively and are turning into quality outfielders. Transfer Dunfee can play all three outfield positions and brings another quality left-handed bat to the lineup. Freshman Tripp Cook showed he can handle anything thrown at him this fall and continues to improve," explained Brew.
Team Health: He stressed that the main thing that needs improvement is overall team health. "We had some injuries walking into the fall and some that popped up as fall progressed. Several are healthier, but we need to maintain health and continue to get guys back at full strength."
Team Chemistry: The coach admitted that he really likes this team's chemistry. "They have connected well and seem to be on the same page. I like the experience we have returning on the offensive side and what we have been able to add through recruiting. On the mound, I like the depth we have been able to see this fall. Several guys have really improved, giving us more options. Defensively, I like how we played in most aspects this fall."
Coach Micah Kaczor was hired over the summer as the new pitching coach. "He has hit the ground running," said Brew as he began talking about the new assistant. "He is really making an impact on our pitchers in the short window he has been here. He has a great disposition with our pitchers and has done a really good job developing relationships with them that should pay off."
