Cullowhee, N.C. – Three Catamounts landed on the Preseason All-Southern Conference teams released on Thursday ahead of the 2024 baseball season. Senior right-handed pitcher Gavin Mortenson collected a first-team nod as a relief pitcher while infield classmate James Hinson and redshirt junior outfielder Cole Jones garnered second-team plaudits from the league's head coaches. WCU's three preseason All-SoCon selections are the first for each player in their career.
 
Western Carolina was also picked fourth in the preseason poll by the league's head coaches.
   
A four-year letter-winner on the mound for the Catamounts, Gavin Mortenson collected first-team All-SoCon as a reliever. Over the past four seasons, the Summerfield, N.C., product has made 47 appearances with 27 starts, moving into the bullpen for much of the 2023 season where he garnered a career-best three saves. Last season, Mortenson secured 34 of his 128 career strikeouts over 22 appearances, 18 of which came in relief.
 
Among Mortenson's highlights from last year was his first career save in a two-inning relief effort against Eastern Kentucky, striking out two over a pair of hitless, scoreless innings. He also closed WCU's epic 15-14 come-from-behind road win at Mercer with a six-pitch, 1-2-3 home half of the ninth after the Catamounts had erased a seven-run deficit with an eight-run inning in the top of the final frame.
 
One of WCU's top returning sluggers, James Hinson collected second-team All-SoCon plaudits at first base from the league's head coaches. The senior from Sylva enters his third season in the Purple and Gold after transferring from Catawba Valley Community College ahead of the 2022 season. The versatile Hinson split time last season between the outfield and at first base.
 
Over the past two years, Hinson has batted .262 collectively including a career-best .275 average a year ago. He has hit 15 home runs for the Catamounts, a dozen of which came last season, adding nine doubles and a pair of triples for a total of 23 extra-base hits and a .569 slugging percentage.
 
Already honored this preseason as being selected as this year's Leggett No. 7 Legacy recipient, redshirt junior outfielder Cole Jones adds preseason All-SoCon to his list of accomplishments. Jones transferred to WCU ahead of the 2023 season from Parkland College in Illinois where he played three seasons including the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. In his first year as a Catamount, the Champaign, Ill., product started 35 of the 40 games in which he played. He hit .308 (41-of-133) with 16 extra-base hits including 10 doubles and six home runs, recording 30 RBI.
 
Among his first-year highlights was a walk-off, run-scoring single against Radford at home in mid-March. He ignited WCU's improbable seven-run ninth-inning rally at Mercer, blasting a three-run home run in the top of the ninth in WCU's 15-14 series-clinching road victory. Jones also delivered a two-out, two-run double off the wall in left field as the Catamounts rallied past Wofford to claim the series with the Terriers. Jones was additionally named to the 2022-23 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.
 
Defending regular-season and tournament champion Samford was tagged as the preseason favorite entering the 2024 season, garnering seven of the eight first-place votes. Mercer, last year's regular-season runner-up, was picked second to the Bulldogs with Wofford slated third after earning the final first-place nod. WCU just edged out both ETSU and UNCG for fourth through sixth, with VMI and The Citadel rounding out the eight-team league.
 
VMI infielder Justin Starke was selected as the preseason SoCon Player of the Year while junior transfer Brooks Rice of Samford collected preseason Pitcher of the Year accolades.
 
Western Carolina opens the season with a three-game home series against the Iona Gaels out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Feb. 16-18 at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. It's just the second series all-time between the two programs – and the first since WCU swept three games in Cullowhee back in March 2012. All told, the Catamounts play eight of their first 12 games at home.
 
Both single-game and season tickets for the 26-game 2024 home baseball schedule at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium are on sale now through the first-floor Athletics Ticket Office in the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Season ticket prices start at just $51 for adult general admission or $26 for youth general admission. Additional seating options include field-level chair back seats and upper-reserved chair backs under cover beneath the press box.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
 
2024 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes) – Points
1. Samford (7) – 49
2. Mercer – 42
3. Wofford (1) – 33
4. Western Carolina – 25
5. ETSU – 24
6. UNCG – 23
7. VMI – 19
8. The Citadel - 9