Black College Nines, an organization that reports on current and historical HBCU baseball news, announced its picks for preseason elite baseball players for the upcoming 2022 season on Thursday morning. West Virginia State University’s baseball program placed five of its players on the shortlist, including graduate infielder Andrew Stone who was named the small school Preseason Player of the Year.
Stone was named to the first team as a third baseman in the small school division, made up of Division II and NAIA teams, along with being selected as the Position Player of the Year. Stone is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he was a Second Team All-Atlantic Region selection and an All-MEC Honorable Mention.
Graduate designated hitter Matthew Kline and junior starting pitcher Nick Loftis joined Stone on the first team after both players played key roles in West Virginia State’s journey to the 2021 MEC Tournament title last year. Kline was a Second Team All-Atlantic Region honoree as well as an All-MEC Honorable Mention last season. He was also dubbed the Most Valuable Player at the MEC Championship. Meanwhile, Loftis posted a 6-1 record on the mound in 11 appearances with 31 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched last season.
Named to the second team were junior outfielder Trey Junkins and left-handed pitcher Daniel Brandon. Junkins hit .336 last year with a .928 on-base plus slugging percentage which were both four-best on the squad in 2021. In the meantime, Brandon logged a 2.75 ERA in 11 appearances with a 5-0 record on the mound and one save.
Black College Nine’s selections were made based upon research and statistical information provided by coaching staffs and sports information directors.
A complete listing of the 2022 Preseason All-HBCU baseball individual award selections for the small school division can be found below.
First Team
1B Ty Sizemore (Bluefield State College)
2B Hilman Truss (Lincoln University (PA))
3B Andrew Stone (West Virginia State University)
SS Jeffry Roldan (Talladega College)
UTL Adriel Acevedo (Talladega College)
OF Phillip Woullard (Savannah State University)
OF DeWayne Franklin (Savannah State University)
OF Maurice LaFon (Harris Stowe State University)
C Jan Rivera (Talladega College)
DH Matthew Kline (West Virginia State University)
P Andrew Mann (Savannah State University)
P Juwan Fitch (Xavier University LA)
P Nick Loftis (West Virginia State University)
RP Jamal Allen (Xavier University LA)
Second Team
1B Arias Wander (Talladega College)
2B Joshua Tayman (Virginia State University)
3B Phillip Woullard (Savannah State University)
SS Da’Avion Sumpter (Claflin University)
UTL Caleb Cobb (Tuskegee University)
OF Coco Simoneaux (Xavier University LA)
OF Trey Junkins (West Virginia State University)
OF Yunior Sanchez (Florida Memorial University)
C Tucker Jordan (Albany State University)
DH Jefry Azcona (Lincoln University PA)
P Blair Frederick (Xavier University LA)
P Nigel Mayfield (Xavier University LA)
P Dashawn Horeskin (Kentucky State University)
RP Daniel Brandon (West Virginia State University)