RUSSELLVILLE, Ark.  -  Henderson State checked in at No. 5 on the 2025 GAC Baseball Preseason Poll released on Tuesday.

The Reddies earned their spot by receiving 87 total votes from the Great American Conference coaches.

Arkansas-Monticello was selected to repeat as the league's champion after tallying 115 votes and six first-place nods. Harding, who claimed a share of the 2024 regular season GAC title, sat in second with 108 total votes and four-first place votes. Arkansas Tech - the last team holding a share of the conference crown during last year's regular season - took third by compiling 98 votes and one first-place selection. No. 4 Southern Arkansas secured the remaining first-place vote and 93 total votes.

A year ago, HSU finished fourth in the GAC after going 20-13 in league play. The Reddies' 27-23 campaign in 2024 marked the program's fourth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament. This year's squad will be on the hunt for Henderson's first GAC title since 2021.

The Reddies return a significant portion of their core from last season, including 2024 Second Team All-GAC selection Reese Weaks. The senior from Princeton, Texas, finished first in the league with a .205 opposing batting average. Luke Rice is also back on the heels of a 2024 season that saw him finish seventh in the conference in walks (36) and 12th in on-base percentage (.462). Outfielder Louis Holt looks to remain a key factor on defense after finishing last year's campaign with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on nearly 100 opportunities. Jordan Allen will serve as both a contact and power threat at the plate, as evidenced by his 2024 numbers (.315 batting average, team-best seven home runs). Cal Jones will aim to build off of his breakout freshman campaign (.434 on-base percentage, five home runs, six stolen bases) from a season ago.

In addition to the aforementioned Weaks, Rice, and Holt, Henderson's 2025 senior class includes Peyton Windham, Luke Farrar, Julio Vazquez, Jaxson Gregg, Austin Scritchfield, Joshua Saulsbury, Luke Carter, Jeremy Schork, Peyton Gorman, Jack Haley, Ben Stevens, Cole Rodriguez, Hayden Hurst, Mitchell Szczygiel, Caleb Wilson, Baylor Brumley, Ryan Galvan, and Jayce Posey.

Cody Hooten is set to begin his 15th season with the Reddies in 2025. He has led the program to three straight seasons with at least 20 conference wins. Originally from Sulphur Springs, Texas, Hooten boasts a resume that includes a 2021 GAC Championship and a 2015 Division II Central Region title and College World Series appearance.

Alan Hall, a former Reddie player and Second Team All-GAC member in 2017, returns as the team's assistant head coach. The O'Fallon, Missouri, native primarily coaches hitting for a lineup that has recorded 496 extra-base hits in the last three seasons under his leadership.

Hayden Simpson, a two-time All-American at Southern Arkansas and the 16th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, takes on pitching coach duties. He leads a staff that finished fourth in the GAC with a .256 opposing batting average in 2024.

Peyton Gorman will serve as the graduate assistant for this year's team.

HSU is set to open the 2025 season at Hot Springs' Majestic Park in the opening game of the Fourth Annual Mike Dugan Invitational. First pitch against Washburn is set for 10 a.m. on Friday, January 31.


2025 GAC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL