The Ohio Valley Conference released its 2026 Preseason Baseball Poll and Players to Watch on Thursday morning. Lindenwood was picked to finish sixth in the league this season, while Charlie Isom-McCall and Jake Radosevich were tabbed as the Lions' Players to Watch.

SIUE was picked to finish first with 10 first-place votes and 137 total points. They were followed by Southeast Missouri with three first-place votes and 132 total points. Defending OVC regular season champion Eastern Illinois was predicted to finish third with four first-place votes (132 points) while 2025 OVC Tournament champion Little Rock was picked fourth with three first-place votes (122 points).

Tennessee Tech (98 points) rounded out the top five with Lindenwood (86 points), Southern Indiana (70 points) and UT Martin (54 points) filling out the projected tournament field. Morehead State (37 points) and Western Illinois (28 points) were tabbed to finish ninth and tenth.

Charlie Isom-McCall and Jake Radosevich were recognized as Lindenwood's Players to Watch. Isom-McCall was named the 2025 OVC Freshman of the Year after hitting .276 with five home runs and 32 RBIs last season. He led the OVC with six triples while pacing the Lions in stolen bases (17) and runs scored (48).

Meanwhile, Radosevich hit .292 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs, finishing second on the team in both categories. He was also second on the team in total hits (63) and doubles (14) while slugging .495.

Lindenwood also returns two All-OVC performers off last season's squad, including Josh Newell and Kam Edwards. Newell was named 2025 OVC Pitcher of the Year last season after posting a 10-2 record through 15 starts, tying the Lindenwood single season record for wins. He led the team with 97 innings pitched, compiling a 3.15 ERA and 58 strikeouts while surrendering just 19 walks.

Edwards was named second team all-conference after leading the Lions with a .326 batting average and a .916 OPS. He was tied for second on the team with 63 hits and recorded 18 multi-hit performances, posting 38 RBIs with four home runs.

Lindenwood posted the most wins of the Division-I era last season with an overall record of 30-30, finishing sixth in the OVC before advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Lions get the 2026 season underway on Friday, February 13th at Arkansas Pine Bluff. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.