Four GCSU players named to preseason All-PBC team, Bobcats picked win league

AUGUSTA, Ga. | The Georgia College & State University baseball team has been picked by the coaches to win Peach Belt Conference this spring.

John Luke Glanton, Matthew Mebane, Braeden Smith and Gabe Wuerth were named to the preseason all-conference team.

Glanton, a junior right-handed pitcher from Metter, Georgia, was named a first-team All-PBC performer in 2024. He was also named to the all-tournament team as well as being named to the all-region team by the American Baseball Coaches Association, the D2CCA and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Glanton went 11-5 in 17 starts with a 3.01 earned-run average and 66 strikeouts in 119.2 innings pitched. Glanton, who was named to D2Baseball's preseason All-America second team, led the PBC in innings worked and wins, third in the league in ERA and eighth in opponent batting average (.253) and strikeouts.

Mebane, a senior third baseman from Dublin, Georgia, was a first-team All-PBC selection and was named the league's Tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting a game-winning home run in the championship game. He was also named  to the all-region team by the ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA. Mebane led the PBC with 70 RBI last season and was tied for the league lead with 20 home runs. He ranked third in the conference in runs scored (61), sixth in slugging percentage (.628), tied for seventh in doubles (15) and tied for eighth in hits (77).

Smith, a sophomore first baseman from Statham, Georgia, was named the league's Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-PBC selection in 2024.  He was to the Rawlings/ABCA NCAA Division II Gold Glove Team as he didn't make an error in 497 chances a year ago. Smith started all 59 games, hitting .356 with six home runs and 48 RBI. He was second in the PBC with 20 doubles, fourth in on-base percentage (.482) and eighth in the league in hits (77). 

Wuerth, a junior shortstop from Woodstock, Georgia, was named to the All-PBC first team in 2024 as well as being named to the all-region team by D2CCA and NCBWA.  He started all 59 games, hitting .356 with three home runs and 38 RBI. Wuerth led the Peach Belt with 90 base hits last season as he safely hit in 50 games, including a 24-game hitting streak. Wuerth had 26 multi-hit games including a five-hit outing against Claflin University, tied for the most in a game in the PBC.

The Bobcats were the top team in the coaches' poll with 78 total points, including eight of the 10 first-place votes. GCSU finished the 2024 campaign with a 37-22 ledger and made its 15th trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament where they advanced to the Southeast Super Regional for the first time in program history after winning the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Lander University, which won the PBC regular-season title, finished second in the poll with 69 points, while Columbus State University is third with 62.

The University of North Georgia is fourth in the poll with 60 points and is followed by Georgia Southwestern State University (54), Augusta University (37), Flagler College (34), University of South Carolina-Aiken (30), University of South Carolina-Beaufort (17) and Claflin (9).

The Bobcats, who are ranked 14th in the D2Baseball preseason rankings, open the 2025 season on the road against No. 1 University of Tampa. The Bobcats will face the defending national champion Spartans in a three-game set that starts with a 6 p.m. contest Friday (Jan. 31). GCSU's home debut at John Kurtz Field is Feb. 4 when they entertain Southern Wesleyan University in a 5 p.m. contest.