HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Big South Conference has announced its 2026 preseason awards as four members of the High Point University baseball team were selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
For the second straight season the High Point Panthers were picked No. 1 in the preseason polls voted on by other Big South coaches.

Following a season which saw Head Coach Joey Hammond reach new heights with the Panthers as they were ranked nationally in plenty of offensive categories, all while winning the most games in Division I program history. HPU finished the 2025 season with a 39-19 record and 18-6 in conference play.

#14 Landen Johnson, R-Sr., INF, Preseason Player of the Year:
Johnson capped his 2025 season by being awarded the plaque for the NCAA RBI category leader with 86 runs batted in after a historic performance at the plate. The .362 hitter smoked 16 home runs and 18 doubles in 57 games for the Panthers.  He recorded 81 hits for an OPS of 1.105 and a slugging percentage of .656. Johnson tallied 22 multi-hit games and a team leading 23 multi-rbi games.
 
#35 Wade Walton, So., RHP, Preseason Pitcher of the Year:
The reigning Big South Freshman of the Year made 15 starts and pitched to an 8-3 record with a 5.18 ERA. Walton pitched two complete games, one being a shutout against NJIT, while leading the team with 91 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched. He held opponents to a .252 batting average in 318 plate appearances. During an outing against Charleston Southern, Walton notched a career-high 11 strikeouts, while 10 of his 15 starts saw six or more strikeouts.
 
#17 Christian Smith, R-Sr., OF, Preseason All-Conference Team:
Smith appeared in all 58 games, making 55 starts, and hit .321 on the season with 15 home runs, nine doubles, three triples and 62 RBIs. He posted a 1.080 OPS and hit .400 against conference opponents while going a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts. Smith recorded a season-high four hits at Radford on March 29 and tallied a season-high six RBIs at Longwood on April 13. He registered 13 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI games, boasted a .988 fielding percentage in left field, and made an appearance at No. 3 on SportsCenter's Top 10 for a home run robbery.

#19 Dylan Story, Jr., RHP, Preseason All-Conference Team:
Story posted a 7–3 record in 15 starts for HPU, pitching 75.2 innings with 55 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a .286 batting average. He recorded a season-high seven strikeouts, allowing just one hit over six innings against Florida A&M on March 1.

2026 Big South Baseball Preseason Poll
 

Rank	Team (First-place votes)	Points
1	High Point (3)	75
2	USC Upstate (4)	71
3	Winthrop (1)	60
4	Radford (1)	51
5	Charleston Southern	49
6	Presbyterian College	35
7	Longwood	28
8	Gardner-Webb	25
9	UNC Asheville	11

 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
OF – Christian Smith, R-Sr., High Point
OF – Henry Zenor, R-Soph., USC Upstate
OF – Josh Skowronski, R-Soph., Winthrop
OF – Kain Collins, Sr., Charleston Southern
INF – Landen Johnson, R-Sr., High Point
INF – Breckin Nace, Jr., Radford
INF – Gabe Natividad, R-Jr., Winthrop
INF – Chandler Tuupo, Sr., Charleston Southern
INF – Hunter Keen, Gr., Radford
C – Preston Lucas, Sr., USC Upstate
DH – Johnny Sweeney, 5th Year, USC Upstate
UTL – Harrison Wilson, Sr., Winthrop
SP – Wade Walton, Soph., High Point
SP – Chris Torres, Jr., USC Upstate
SP – Tyrell Williams, R-Soph., Presbyterian
SP – Dylan Story, Jr., High Point
RP – Max Bianchini, R-Jr., USC Upstate
RP – Tyler Henshaw, Gr., Charleston Southern
RP – Trey Ludy, Jr., Radford
 
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Landen Johnson, INF, R-Sr., High Point
 
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Wade Walton, Soph., High Point