Baseball

2024 (Junior): Steele competed in 32 of the team’s 55 games on the year, making 30 starts, including 29 at shortstop and one at third base… missed a 16-game stretch and another five-game span during the season due to injury… batted .231 with a .360 on-base percentage, .442 slugging percentage, and .802 OPS… tallied 24 hits, a double, seven home runs, 19 runs, 26 RBI, 15 walks, and six hit-by-pitches… made his Tech debut in the season opener against Bellarmine (Feb. 16)… piled up a season-best 4-for-4 day at the plate with three RBI and a season-high three runs scored against Notre Dame (Mar. 2)… kicked off a streak of four straight games with a long ball in the contest, finishing 8-for-15 at the plate with 13 RBI and seven runs during the stretch… smashed six taters in a seven-game span from Feb. 25 to Mar. 8… drove in a season-high four runs with a grand slam versus Notre Dame (Mar. 3)… tallied multiple hits five times… drove in multiple runs in eight games.

2023 (Sophomore – King University): Steele started all 46 games for King… led the team with a .337 batting average, 58 hits, 31 runs scored, 32 RBI, and a .517 slugging percentage… tied for the team lead with four steals on six attempts… also tallied 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 14 walks, and a .401 on-base percentage… his 58 hits tied for the ninth-most in program history… ended his career 10^th all-time in career slugging percentage with a mark of .490… totaled a season-high three hits eight times… crushed two home runs for his first multi-home run game, driving in a season-high five runs with three runs scored at Emory & Henry (Mar. 21)… posted two doubles with two RBI in four at-bats at Mount Olive (Mar. 25)… also smacked a pair doubles as part of a 3-for-4 day with two runs against Carson-Newman (Apr. 19)… ended the year on a nine-game hitting streak, hitting an impressive .421 over the stretch… led the team with 17 multi-hit affairs… drove in multiple runs eight times.

2022 (Freshman – King University): Steele played in 28 of King’s 46 games on the year, making 20 total starts… hit .280 with a .341 on-base percentage and .427 slugging percentage… racked up 21 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, three walks, and five steals on six attempts… made his debut off the bench at Emory & Henry (Feb. 11)… picked up his first career hit at Carson-Newman (Feb. 15)… piled up a season-high three hits against Mars Hill (Apr. 20)… also tallied three hits, including a pair of doubles, at Francis Marion (Apr. 30)… smashed his first home run at Francis Marion (Apr. 30)… crushed his second long ball versus Francis Marion (May 4)… drove in a pair of runs with two doubles and two runs scored as part of a 2-for-3 day against Tusculum (Apr. 19)… hit .385 over the final seven games of the year… racked up multiple hits six times.

High School: Steele was a two-sport athlete at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Va., competing in baseball and basketball… earned three letters as a shortstop for head coach Charles Doc Adams… named 2021 Region Player of the Year… led his team to a 2021 state title… hit .568 with five home runs as a senior.

Personal: Son of Lindsay and Eric Steele… born in Abingdon, Va. on June 28, 2022… full name is Preston Steele.

Academic: Majoring in interdisciplinary studies… named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll three times and to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll once.