CARMEL, Indiana - The Mount St. Joseph baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) this season in the league's preseason coaches poll released today.
The Lions enter the 2026 season after putting together a 26-17 overall record in 2025 and a 12-10 mark in HCAC play. For the second season in a row, they earned a trip to the HCAC Tournament in Kokomo, Indiana, securing the fifth seed in the 2025 tournament. The Lions went 2-2 in the tournament before being eliminated in the final game prior to the championship round.
Mount St. Joseph will look to replace a group of outstanding players who graduated following the 2025 season. That group, headlined by Anton Mere, Jake Sanders, Ryan Caulfield, and Andrew Harrison, helped lead the Lions back to relevance in the HCAC.
The Lions return a pair of All-HCAC selections from a season ago. Senior Brennan Martin will lead the offense, while junior Nolan Miller anchors a talented pitching staff. Martin had an outstanding 2025 season, posting a slash line of .366/.468/.614 with 11 doubles, nine home runs, and 47 RBIs. Miller led the staff with 10 starts, a 6-2 record, 61 strikeouts, and a 5.09 ERA.
Four other Lions were named by the league as players to watch for the 2026 season. Senior outfielder Jordan Harley leads the group, joined by a trio of pitchers: juniors Jackson Bucks and Josh Isaacs, along with sophomore Zach deSylva.
The Lions will open the 2026 season with a weekend series against Otterbein on February 20.
