NEW ORLEANS – Returning All-Sun Belt Conference performers Julian Brock and Carson Roccaforte each earned Preseason All-SBC honors as the league office released its 2023 Preseason Awards and Coaches Poll on Wednesday.
Louisiana, which finished 37-23 and captured the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship, was picked to finish fourth in the Preseason Poll.
Brock, who earned first-team All-SBC honors at catcher, emerged as one of the top catchers in the league last season after hitting .303 with seven home runs and 35 RBI. The junior hit .306 during the regular season and .324 in SBC play and threw out 24 of a potential 60 runners (.400) in stolen bases on the season and 10 of 23 (.435) in SBC play.
The durable backstop for the Ragin' Cajuns started 47 consecutive games behind the plate and was fourth on the team in doubles (12) and third overall in home runs. Brock had a season-high seven-game hitting streak where he hit .500 (13-for-26) in games against UTA, Rice and Texas State with a home run and five RBI.
Roccaforte was named the Preseason All-SBC first baseman on the 14-man team after earning first-team honors in 2022. The Triple Crown winner for Louisiana as a sophomore led the team in average (.374), home runs (16) and RBI (68) and led the team in 12 statistical categories on offense during the 2022 season
The Port Neches, Texas native led the team in runs scored (52), slugging percentage (.671), on-base percentage (.435), hits (82), total bases (147), walks (26), sacrifice flies (7), stolen bases (25). His .994 fielding percentage on the season led the team and he was second in putouts (296) and chances (318)
Roccaforte finished as the fourth-leading hitter in the Sun Belt Conference after averaging .392 during the regular season and .420 in Sun Belt Conference play. He finished second in the SBC in hits (82), RBI (68) and stolen bases (25)
He led Louisiana with 24 multiple-hit games during the regular season with eight games of three hits or greater and had a season-high, 14-game hitting streak where he hit .433 at the plate with nine home runs and 23 RBI.
Louisiana will officially open its season Feb. 17-19 when it travels to face Rice in a three-game series at Reckling Park in Houston. The Ragin’ Cajuns will officially open their 33-game home schedule at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park with a four-game set on Feb. 22-25 against BYU.
Single-game tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome or purchasing by visiting Account Manager [am.ticketmaster.com]. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.
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2023 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Player of the Year
Noah Ledford, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DH – Buford, Ga.)
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Hall, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Zachary, La.)
2023 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT TEAM
Tanner Hall, Southern Miss (Jr., SP – Zachary, La.)
Levi Wells, Texas State (Jr., SP – La Porte, Texas)
Zeke Wood, Texas State (Sr., SP – Paris, Texas)
Triston Dixon, Texas State (Sr., RP – Conroe, Texas)
Julian Brock, Louisiana (Jr., C – Fulshear, Texas)
Carson Roccaforte, Louisiana (Jr., 1B – Port Neches, Texas)
Jesse Sherrill, Georgia Southern (Sr., 2B – Pensacola, Fla.)
Dustin Dickerson, Southern Miss (Jr., SS – Laurel, Miss.)
Jarrett Brown, Georgia Southern (Jr., 3B – Savannah, Ga.)
Max Ryerson, Georgia State (Sr., OF – Conway, S.C.)
Carson Paetow, Southern Miss (So., OF – Vancleave, Miss.)
Jose Gonzalez, Texas State (Sr., OF – Spring, Texas)
Noah Ledford, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DH – Buford, Ga.)
Cameron Jones, Georgia State (Jr., UT – Kathleen, Ga.)
2023 SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Southern Miss (11) – 192
T2. Georgia Southern – 158
T2. Texas State (1) – 158
4. Louisiana (1) – 154
5. Coastal Carolina (1) – 151
6. South Alabama – 123
7. Old Dominion – 116
8. Troy – 109
9. Georgia State – 76
10. James Madison – 73
11. ULM – 58
12. App State – 43
13. Marshall – 36
14. Arkansas State – 23
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