GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T baseball had a multitude of freshman talent during the 2025 season.
They're back, and the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) recognized that talent when it released its 2026 preseason all-conference teams and the order of prediction for the league's newly assembled divisional format.
The Aggies placed three players on the preseason first team, and another on the preseason honorable mention team. Despite the return of an abundance of young talent, CAA head coaches still picked the Aggies to finish at the bottom of the newly formed CAA South Division.
For the first time since 2021, the CAA will move to a divisional format this season to help institutions with travel costs in an ever-expanding league that extends from the Long Island, New York area to Charleston, SC. The Aggies received seven points and were picked to finish last in the South. UNC Wilmington is the South Division favorite, followed by College of Charleston, Campbell, Elon, and William & Mary. Defending CAA regular-season and tournament champion Northeastern is the North favorite, followed by Hofstra, Stony Brook, Towson, and Monmouth.
Meanwhile,
JT Taylor leads a group of sophomores recognized by the CAA, as fellow sophomore
Bruce Wyche joined him on the preseason first team, and
Tyler Smith secured honorable mention accolades. Graduate right-hand pitcher
Diego Barrett also made the preseason team.
Taylor batted .297 for the season with a team-leading 11 home runs and 40 RBIs. Taylor also led the team in doubles (14), triples (3), slugging percentage (.559), at-bats (202), and total bases (113). He had a .905 on-base plus slugging percentage and scored 38 runs.
Taylor had 19 multiple-hit games and recorded three or more RBIs in a game six times during last season. He ranked 10th in the league in home runs and fourth in triples. During the offseason, Major League Baseball (MLB) invited Taylor to play in the HBCU Swingman Classic during All-Star Weekend. Taylor had a fantastic game, driving in two runs and stealing two bases. He also played an exhibition game against the USA National Team over the summer.
Barrett also earned an invitation to the Swingman Classic. Barrett pitched a scoreless inning during the game, including striking out Taylor and another batter. Barrett became one of the best relief pitchers in the CAA during the 2025 season.
He made 20 appearances with no starts. In 48. 2 innings pitched, Barrett posted a 3.88 ERA. It was the lowest ERA on the team and one of the lowest among relief pitchers in the CAA. He also struck out 51 batters in the 48.2 innings he pitched, and opponents only hit .192 against him. He had a 1-1 record during the season.
Wyche has some future invites coming his way after he batted .265 during last season, earning rookie of the week accolades on April 14. Wyche went 10-for-20 during the week with two home runs, raising his batting average 43 points. Wyche, who primarily served as the Aggies' leadoff man, led the team with 47 runs scored. He also had seven doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 29 RBIs. He was hit by a pitch 16 times, the second most in the CAA.
Smith had a monstrous freshman season and an incredible offseason. Smith led the team in batting average at .323. Smith was also the only Aggie to play all 52 games in 2025. He earned his CAA Rookie of the Week honor on March 24 after batting .389 (9-22) with two doubles, a home run, eight RBIs, and nine runs scored in five starts.
In addition, he helped the Aggies rally from a 7-0 deficit against William & Mary that week to win 11-8 with his two-run RBI single in the fourth to tie the game 8-8. During the season, Smith posted 13 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 36 RBIs, and 39 runs scored. Smith led the team in on-base plus slugging percentage (.956), slugging percentage (.542), and on-base percentage (.414).
After the season, Smith also earned an invite to the HBCU Swingman Classic. Plus, Smith secured an invitation to the USA Baseball Training Camp in Cary, NC, and played in the Stars vs. Stripes five-game series.
A&T opens the season on Friday, February 13, at home inside War Memorial Stadium against Northern Illinois at 3 p.m. It will be the first of a three-game series that continues on Saturday and concludes on Sunday.
