By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Keeping up with what has almost become a tradition for the Tennessee Tech baseball team, junior outfielder Jason Hinchman was named the 2021 Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Thursday.

A Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-American and member of the 2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, Hinchman became the fifth different Golden Eagle to take home one of the League's top two preseason accolades since 2011. The Winston, Ga. native was named to the All-OVC First Team at first base in 2019 and made the transition to the outfield for the 2021 campaign.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic bringing an abrupt halt to the 2020 season, Hinchman was the lead bat for the Golden Eagles, recording a .414/.485/.793 slash line with six home runs, four doubles, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored and three stolen bases in 15 games. He paced Tech in batting average, hits, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, stolen bases, walks and fielding percentage. In the first week of the 2020 campaign, he took home OVC Player of the Week, Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week honors.

In 2019, his first season starting for the purple and gold, Hinchman established himself as one of the premier power hitters in the country, leading the nation in home runs per game and finishing second with a whopping total of 24 long balls. It marked the second-most in program history and fifth-most in league history. He earned an OVC First Team nod after batting .278 with 54 runs scored, 11 doubles, 55 RBI and .697 slugging percentage, as well as a team-high 43 walks.

Hinchman joined an elite list of Tech players to be named Preseason OVC Player of the Year, including Kevin Strohschein (2017 and 2019), Dylan Bosheers (2015), Zach Stephens (2013 and 2014) and Chad Oberacker (2011). Each of the four Golden Eagle greats went on to earn All-American nods during their respective careers while helping rewrite the program's record book.

With his selection as the league's top position player headed into the 2021 season, Hinchman was also honored as a member of the Preseason All-OVC Team, representing one of three outfielders on the list.

Also released Thursday was the OVC's predicted order of finish, which can be found below with the full Preseason All-OVC Team.

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to officially kick off the 2021 campaign Friday, Feb. 19 with a 3:00 p.m. CT contest with Southern Illinois at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex. The two teams will then square off in doubleheader action on Saturday, beginning at noon.

2021 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Team
(Selected by OVC Head Baseball Coaches and Communications Directors)

Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Jason Hinchman (OF), Tennessee Tech
Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year: Joshua South (RHP), Belmont

C – Alex Webb, Jacksonville State
1B – John McDonald, Austin Peay
2B – Daniel Harris IV, Eastern Kentucky
2B – Jordan Cozart, Murray State
SS – Tyler Wilber, Southeast Missouri
3B – Stephen Hill, Morehead State
OF – Jason Hinchman, Tennessee Tech
OF – Brock Anderson, Murray State
OF – Garrett Spain, Austin Peay
DH – Jon Burghardt, Morehead State
UT – Christian Pena, Eastern Illinois
SP – Joshua South, Belmont
SP – Dylan Dodd, Southeast Missouri
SP – Collin Baumgartner, SIUE
SP – Shane Burns, Murray State
RP – Kyle Brennan, Belmont

2021 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
(Selected by OVC Head Baseball Coaches and Communications Directors)

1. Belmont (14 first-place votes) – 188
2. Jacksonville State (7) – 176
3. Murray State – 136
4. Austin Peay – 132
5. Southeast Missouri (1) – 131
6. Eastern Kentucky – 117
7. SIUE – 78
8. Eastern Illinois – 73
9. Morehead State – 67
10. Tennessee Tech – 66
11. UT Martin – 45

(10 points awarded for a first-place vote, 9 for second, etc. – Coaches/SID's could not vote for their own teams)

Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information