Baseball 4/28/2026 5:33:00 PM

Five Phoenix Earn All-Conference Honors, Then and McDonald Add Gold Gloves

LEBANON, Tenn.--The Mid-South Conference announced its 2026 Baseball All-Conference teams and postseason award winners on Tuesday, with Cumberland placing five student-athletes across the three major postseason honors lists, highlighted by four First Team selections.

The Phoenix were represented on the First Team by catcher Dylan LaRue, first baseman Wilser Then, second baseman Gaines Haussin, and starting pitcher Mateo Santos, while Carter Whitefield earned Second Team honors as a starting pitcher. Additionally, Wilser Then and Aidan McDonald were named to the MSC Gold Glove Team for their defensive efforts.

Cumberland's four First Team selections tie for one of the highest totals in the league and reflect a balanced Phoenix lineup that ranked among the conference's most productive offenses throughout the season. The Phoenix enter postseason play with a .320 team batting average, 82 home runs, and 392 runs scored across 48 games.

Wilser Then turned in one of the most dominant offensive seasons in the conference, batting a league-best .435 with 57 hits, 15 home runs, and 54 RBI while posting a .878 slugging percentage. He also anchored the infield defensively, finishing with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage to earn Gold Glove honors.

Behind the plate, Dylan LaRue provided consistent production, hitting .363 with 66 hits, 13 home runs, and 47 RBI while handling the bulk of the pitching staff.

Gaines Haussin was the catalyst at the top of the order and in the middle infield, batting .361 with 61 hits, 47 runs scored, nine home runs and 33 RBI, while contributing defensively with 104 assists.
On the mound, Mateo Santos earned First Team honors after posting a 7-2 record with three complete games across 65.1 innings. Santos has a 4.68 ERA and has struck out 35 batters.

Carter Whitefield secured Second Team recognition with a 3.56 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work.

Defensively, Aidan McDonald was recognized as one of the top outfielders in the league, posting a .985 fielding percentage while recording 59 putouts in left field. His arm has also played a big part throwing out eight runners this season.

Conference award winners were led by Cumberlands (Ky.)'s Derrick Andiarena, who was named Player of the Year, while teammate Wesley Culley earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Freed-Hardeman's Brennen Gibson was named Freshman of the Year, and Cumberlands' Brad Shelton was tabbed Head Coach of the Year.

Cole Austin, Andrew Bell, Connor Binkley, Noach Couch, Gabriel "Hobbs" Dunne, Lucas Frank, Cole Freeman, Dominic Giustino, Ethan Greer, Gaines Haussin, Wyatt Hurt, Dillon Johnson, Jack "JT" Kelenic, Zach Lee, Aiden McDonald, Kyle Niebow, Sora Nishijima, Brice Njezic, Justin "JJ" Odum, Cohl Proctor, Caleb Royer, Corbin Sanchez, Mateo Santos, Tyler Spencer, John Sullivan, Carter Whitefield, Hunter Williams, and Camden Williamson were all named Academic All-Conference for Cumberland given to student-athletes sophomore with at least a 3.25 grade-point average.

The Mid-South Conference Baseball Tournament begins Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday.

First Team All-Conference

Position	Name	School
C	JJ Pruneau	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
C	Dylan LaRue	Cumberland (Tenn.)
1B	Wilser Then	Cumberland (Tenn.)
2B	Gaines Haussin	Cumberland (Tenn.)
SS	Caden Petrey	Cumberlands (Ky.)
3B	Johnboy Rittenhouse	Cumberlands (Ky.)
IF	Ronald Almanzar	Cumberlands (Ky.)
OF	Derick Andiarena	Cumberlands (Ky.)
OF	Drake Blackwood	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
OF	Brennen Gibson	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
OF	Tate Wischnack	Campbellsville (Ky.)
DH	Pedro Vasquez	Cumberlands (Ky.)
SP	Brenden Bratcher	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
SP	Justin Cortez	Cumberlands (Ky.)
SP	Wesley Culley	Cumberlands (Ky.)
SP	Mateo Santos	Cumberland (Tenn.)
RP	Brayden Stewart	Cumberlands (Ky.)
EXTRA	Hunter McLemore	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

Second Team All-Conference

Position	Name	School
C	Clay Shelton	Cumberlands (Ky.)
1B	Bryce Sidler	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
2B	Hunter Ryan	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
SS	Trace Anderson	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
3B	Brooks Jones	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
OF	Orion Hahm-Taklender	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
OF	Justin Veloz	Cumberlands (Ky.)
OF	Adriel Vega	Bethel (Tenn.)
DH	Andres Duran	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
SP	Carter Whitefield	Cumberland (Tenn.)
RP	Ashton Deskins	Georgetown (Ky.)
RP	Kyle Lambert	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)

Gold Glove

Position	Name	School
C	JJ Pruneau	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
1B	Wilser Then	Cumberland (Tenn.)
2B	Joaquin Hernandez	Campbellsville (Ky.)
SS	Caden Petrey	Cumberlands (Ky.)
3B	Brooks Jones	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
LF	Aidan McDonald	Cumberland (Tenn.)
CF	Caden Davis	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
RF	Zayden McCaslin	Bethel (Tenn.)
P	Colton Bryant	Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

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Players Mentioned

#4 Gaines Haussin: IF; 6' 2"; Senior; R-R

#29 Wyatt Hurt: OF; 6' 0"; Junior; R-R

#23 Dylan LaRue: C/OF; 6' 0"; Senior; S-R

#26 Aidan McDonald: OF; 5' 9"; Senior; R-R

#31 Kyle Niebow: LHP; 5' 11"; Senior; L-L

#13 Cohl Proctor: IF; 6' 1"; Senior; R-R

#2 Corbin Sanchez: OF/C; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior; R-R

#8 Wilser Then: IF/C; 6' 2"; Senior; R-R

#35 Andrew Bell: RHP; 6' 3"; Junior; R-R

#28 Lucas Frank: RHP; 6' 2"; Junior; R-R

Players Mentioned

#4 Gaines Haussin
: 6' 2"; Senior; R-R
: IF

#29 Wyatt Hurt
: 6' 0"; Junior; R-R
: OF

#23 Dylan LaRue
: 6' 0"; Senior; S-R
: C/OF

#26 Aidan McDonald
: 5' 9"; Senior; R-R
: OF

#31 Kyle Niebow
: 5' 11"; Senior; L-L
: LHP

#13 Cohl Proctor
: 6' 1"; Senior; R-R
: IF

#2 Corbin Sanchez
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior; R-R
: OF/C

#8 Wilser Then
: 6' 2"; Senior; R-R
: IF/C

#35 Andrew Bell
: 6' 3"; Junior; R-R
: RHP

#28 Lucas Frank
: 6' 2"; Junior; R-R
: RHP