Seven Cougars Earn CAA Baseball Preseason Honors
2/4/2026 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
RICHMOND, Va. – College of Charleston baseball was picked to finish second in the Coastal Athletic Association South Division in the Annual Coaches' Poll while seven players earned Preseason All-CAA honors as announced by the league on Wednesday.
Sophomore Landon Penfield and redshirt senior Alex Lyon were named Preseason All-CAA while juniors Brent Gibbs and Hayden Thomas, redshirt senior Ethan Plyler and graduates Davis Aiken and Dylan Johnson earned CAA Preseason Honorable Mention. Charleston's seven preseason selections are a league best, the second straight year leading the conference in preseason honorees.
New to the CAA for the 2026 campaign is a divisional format split between the northern and southern schools. CofC was predicted second with a pair of first-place votes and 22 points. UNCW was tabbed the favorite in the south, collecting three first-place votes and 23 total points while Campbell was predicted third with 18 points and the final first-place vote. Elon (10), William & Mary (10) and North Carolina A&T (8) round out the South Division. Northeastern was the predicted favorite in the north with 16 points and four of the five first-place votes. Northern schools also include Hofstra, Monmouth, Stony Brook and Towson.
Penfield, a 2025 CAA All-Rookie Team member, batted .286 with a team-best 20 doubles, 9 home runs and 57 RBI. The infielder had a .962 OPS across 56 ballgames, earning a pair of CAA Rookie of the Week honors.
An All-CAA Honorable Mention in 2025, Lyon posted a 10-1 record with a 3.47 ERA across 59.2 innings. Making 31 appearances, Lyon's 10 victories were the second-most in the country by a pitcher who worked exclusively out of the bullpen. 18 of his outings saw him record at least six outs, including a career-best 5.0 frames out shutout ball April 27 vs UNCW. The submariner enters 2026 third in school history with 78 career relief outings.
Gibbs posted a .406/.490/1.026 slash line through 26 games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. During those contests, the infielder scored 24 runs and was 9-of-10 in stolen base attempts while striking out just 13 times in 84 at bats.
Thomas made 18 appearances last season, with half coming as a starting pitcher. The southpaw went 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA, striking out 44 batters across 56 frames. Thomas hurled 6.1 frames of one-run ball in the victory May 4 at William & Mary.
Plyler, an All-CAA Honorable Mention, hit .292 with 22 extra-base hits and 46 RBI across 57 ballgames. Making starts at second, third and short in his first season with the Cougars, Plyler swiped 13 bags while collecting 10 extra-base hits and a team-best .312 average in league action.
Aiken, one of six CAA postseason honorees in 2025, finished the campaign fourth in the nation with 14 saves in 29 relief outings. Striking out 32 batters in 32 innings, Aiken enters 2026 third all-time in program history with 25 career saves.
A CAA Preseason Honorable Mention for the second consecutive year, Johnson hit .296 with 18 doubles, 7 home runs and 49 RBI last season. Appearing in all 59 games and starting in 57 of those contests, Johnson had a .871 OPS and more walks (32) than strikeouts (27).
The Cougars begin the 2026 campaign with a four-game series versus Rutgers, beginning Feb. 14 at Patriots Point. First pitch on Opening Day is set for 4 p.m. Single game tickets are on sale now, with the exclusion of the March 17 Clemson contest, and can be purchased by visiting cofcsports.com/tickets or by contacting the ticket office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball, follow us on X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
Sophomore Landon Penfield and redshirt senior Alex Lyon were named Preseason All-CAA while juniors Brent Gibbs and Hayden Thomas, redshirt senior Ethan Plyler and graduates Davis Aiken and Dylan Johnson earned CAA Preseason Honorable Mention. Charleston's seven preseason selections are a league best, the second straight year leading the conference in preseason honorees.
New to the CAA for the 2026 campaign is a divisional format split between the northern and southern schools. CofC was predicted second with a pair of first-place votes and 22 points. UNCW was tabbed the favorite in the south, collecting three first-place votes and 23 total points while Campbell was predicted third with 18 points and the final first-place vote. Elon (10), William & Mary (10) and North Carolina A&T (8) round out the South Division. Northeastern was the predicted favorite in the north with 16 points and four of the five first-place votes. Northern schools also include Hofstra, Monmouth, Stony Brook and Towson.
Penfield, a 2025 CAA All-Rookie Team member, batted .286 with a team-best 20 doubles, 9 home runs and 57 RBI. The infielder had a .962 OPS across 56 ballgames, earning a pair of CAA Rookie of the Week honors.
An All-CAA Honorable Mention in 2025, Lyon posted a 10-1 record with a 3.47 ERA across 59.2 innings. Making 31 appearances, Lyon's 10 victories were the second-most in the country by a pitcher who worked exclusively out of the bullpen. 18 of his outings saw him record at least six outs, including a career-best 5.0 frames out shutout ball April 27 vs UNCW. The submariner enters 2026 third in school history with 78 career relief outings.
Gibbs posted a .406/.490/1.026 slash line through 26 games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. During those contests, the infielder scored 24 runs and was 9-of-10 in stolen base attempts while striking out just 13 times in 84 at bats.
Thomas made 18 appearances last season, with half coming as a starting pitcher. The southpaw went 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA, striking out 44 batters across 56 frames. Thomas hurled 6.1 frames of one-run ball in the victory May 4 at William & Mary.
Plyler, an All-CAA Honorable Mention, hit .292 with 22 extra-base hits and 46 RBI across 57 ballgames. Making starts at second, third and short in his first season with the Cougars, Plyler swiped 13 bags while collecting 10 extra-base hits and a team-best .312 average in league action.
Aiken, one of six CAA postseason honorees in 2025, finished the campaign fourth in the nation with 14 saves in 29 relief outings. Striking out 32 batters in 32 innings, Aiken enters 2026 third all-time in program history with 25 career saves.
A CAA Preseason Honorable Mention for the second consecutive year, Johnson hit .296 with 18 doubles, 7 home runs and 49 RBI last season. Appearing in all 59 games and starting in 57 of those contests, Johnson had a .871 OPS and more walks (32) than strikeouts (27).
The Cougars begin the 2026 campaign with a four-game series versus Rutgers, beginning Feb. 14 at Patriots Point. First pitch on Opening Day is set for 4 p.m. Single game tickets are on sale now, with the exclusion of the March 17 Clemson contest, and can be purchased by visiting cofcsports.com/tickets or by contacting the ticket office at (843) 953-2632.
For complete coverage of Charleston baseball, follow us on X (@CofCBaseball) and Instagram (@CofC_Baseball).
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