PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Plymouth State University baseball team was picked to finish eighth in the Little East Conference (LEC) in the league announced its Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced Friday.
 
Plymouth State collected 15 points, placing squarely between VTSU Castleton (seventh – 22 points) and Western Connecticut State (ninth- 8 points). Eastern Connecticut, last year's runner-up, topped the poll with 59 points, just ahead of defending champion Keene State (54 points). Each team received three first-place votes.
 
Southern Maine was picked third with 49 points and two first-place votes, narrowly ahead of UMass Boston (47 points, 1 FPV), while UMass Dartmouth (41) ranked fifth. Rhode Island College (29) slotted sixth, followed by VTSU Castleton, Plymouth State, and WestConn.
 
Head coach Ryan McIntosh begins his fourth season at the helm, looking to guide the Panthers back to the LEC Tournament for the first time since 2022. Junior second baseman Josh Worthington (Pownal, Vt.) returns after earning All-LEC First Team honors last spring, leading the Panthers in batting average (.340), on-base percentage (.488), slugging (.553), runs scored (26), and total bases (52), among other offensive categories. Other key returners include senior first baseman Brendan Flynn (Arlington, Mass.), junior outfielder Sam Salvi (Southborough, Mass.), senior catcher Ray Campbell (Torrington, Conn.), and junior pitcher Greg Mayo (Dorchester, Mass.).
 
Plymouth State opens the season with a two-day, three-game trip to SUNY Oneonta from Mar. 6-7. The Panthers begin LEC play with a doubleheader against Eastern Connecticut State at Dunkin' Park in Hartford, Conn., on Mar. 28, while the home opener is currently slated for Apr. 4 against Keene State.