Four Bears Receive Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Honors
1/27/2026 5:36:00 PM | Baseball
The preseason honors have begun rolling in as three members of Mercer's baseball team were named to Perfect Game's Preseason All-SoCon Team: Collin Ewaldsen, Logan Shepherd and Kai Decker. Perfect Game also tabbed redshirt freshman transfer Aidan Hayse as the SoCon Preseason Freshman of the Year – this marks the fourth consecutive season a Bear has received this honor.
Ewaldsen, a sophomore from Baxley, Georgia, received All-SoCon honors for his tremendous freshman season out of Mercer's bullpen. In his first collegiate season, Ewaldsen appeared in 24 games and finished second on the team with four saves. The Appling County High School product punched out 30 batters across 25 innings of work while only allowing 11 free passes and became the only Bear to receive SoCon All-Freshman recognition last year.
Shepherd, coming off a monstrous career at Tacoma Community College, was tabbed as the SoCon's DH after slashing .392/.637/.498 in his sophomore season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound, first baseman was the 2025 NWAC Position Player of the Year and received All-NWAC First Team honors in 2025. Shepherd finished last season with 67 hits, 41 RBIs, 18 doubles, six home runs and three triples.Â
Decker, a sophomore from Bonaire, Georgia, was listed as a utility player after showing flashes on the mound and in the box last season. Decker took the mound five times for the Bears as a freshman and posted a 12-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 6.2 innings of work. Decker took 27 at-bats as a freshman, recording six hits and crushed his first collegiate home run on February 21 against Kent State. Over the summer, Decker suited up for the Macon Bacon of the Coastal Plain League and turned plenty of heads. He maintained a 2.08 ERA in 10 games while striking out 46 in just 30.1 frames.
Hayse, formerly ranked as the No. 3 RHP in the state of Illinois coming out of high school, transfers to Mercer after redshirting in his first season at Tennessee. After a strong offseason in Macon, Hayse is set to make his collegiate debut with the Bears.
Alongside the All-Conference honors, two Bears were named highly in Perfect Game's MLB Draft rankings. Junior transfer Miguel Hugas and redshirt freshman Garrett Lambert were named the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked prospected in the 2026 class, respectively.Â
Hugas, a member of the 2025 D1 All-FCSAA Second Team and All-Panhandle Conference First Team, is a two-way transfer from Chipola College. In 2025, Hugas made 12 appearances with 10 starts on the mound and maintained a 3.52 ERA across 61.1 innings. The Caracas, Venezuela, native punched out 56 batters en route to a 7-3 record. Hugas also appeared in 51 games as a member of Chipola's lineup. In 2025, Hugas hit .291 with 25 RBIs, 10 doubles, four home runs and a triple.
Lambert, the 2024 Perfect Game SoCon Preseason Freshman of the Year, is entering his third season with the Bears. After missing a large portion of his first two years due to injury, Lambert is healthy and primed to breakout in 2026. The Parkview High School product has 20 strikeouts in his first 18.2 innings of work with a career 3.37 ERA.
The Bears open their season in just 17 days at OrthoGeorgia Park with a weekend series against the Troy Trojans. Season tickets are available for as little as $110Â here.
Â
Ewaldsen, a sophomore from Baxley, Georgia, received All-SoCon honors for his tremendous freshman season out of Mercer's bullpen. In his first collegiate season, Ewaldsen appeared in 24 games and finished second on the team with four saves. The Appling County High School product punched out 30 batters across 25 innings of work while only allowing 11 free passes and became the only Bear to receive SoCon All-Freshman recognition last year.
Shepherd, coming off a monstrous career at Tacoma Community College, was tabbed as the SoCon's DH after slashing .392/.637/.498 in his sophomore season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound, first baseman was the 2025 NWAC Position Player of the Year and received All-NWAC First Team honors in 2025. Shepherd finished last season with 67 hits, 41 RBIs, 18 doubles, six home runs and three triples.Â
Decker, a sophomore from Bonaire, Georgia, was listed as a utility player after showing flashes on the mound and in the box last season. Decker took the mound five times for the Bears as a freshman and posted a 12-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 6.2 innings of work. Decker took 27 at-bats as a freshman, recording six hits and crushed his first collegiate home run on February 21 against Kent State. Over the summer, Decker suited up for the Macon Bacon of the Coastal Plain League and turned plenty of heads. He maintained a 2.08 ERA in 10 games while striking out 46 in just 30.1 frames.
Hayse, formerly ranked as the No. 3 RHP in the state of Illinois coming out of high school, transfers to Mercer after redshirting in his first season at Tennessee. After a strong offseason in Macon, Hayse is set to make his collegiate debut with the Bears.
Alongside the All-Conference honors, two Bears were named highly in Perfect Game's MLB Draft rankings. Junior transfer Miguel Hugas and redshirt freshman Garrett Lambert were named the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked prospected in the 2026 class, respectively.Â
Hugas, a member of the 2025 D1 All-FCSAA Second Team and All-Panhandle Conference First Team, is a two-way transfer from Chipola College. In 2025, Hugas made 12 appearances with 10 starts on the mound and maintained a 3.52 ERA across 61.1 innings. The Caracas, Venezuela, native punched out 56 batters en route to a 7-3 record. Hugas also appeared in 51 games as a member of Chipola's lineup. In 2025, Hugas hit .291 with 25 RBIs, 10 doubles, four home runs and a triple.
Lambert, the 2024 Perfect Game SoCon Preseason Freshman of the Year, is entering his third season with the Bears. After missing a large portion of his first two years due to injury, Lambert is healthy and primed to breakout in 2026. The Parkview High School product has 20 strikeouts in his first 18.2 innings of work with a career 3.37 ERA.
The Bears open their season in just 17 days at OrthoGeorgia Park with a weekend series against the Troy Trojans. Season tickets are available for as little as $110Â here.
Â
Players Mentioned
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballMercer Men's Basketball Presser 1.26.26
Tuesday, January 27
Mercer Women's Basketball Presser 1.26.26
Tuesday, January 27
Mercer Women's Basketball 2026 | vs. Wofford | Full Game Highlights
Saturday, January 24
Mercer Women's Basketball 2026 | vs. Furman | Full Game Highlights
Friday, January 23
