Baseball Season Preview Part Two: Infield

Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State began its 2025 campaign with an entirely new starting infield from the 2024 team that was a part of a record-setting team that compiled 37 wins and came within a game of capturing the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship, setting numerous school records. The second baseman on the team, Nick Gooden was selected the Gold-Glove winner for second basemen nationally.
 
The 2026 edition of the Eagles will have some new faces around the bases as well, sprinkled in with returnees to the program. Anchoring the infield will be sophomore catcher Caden Sheridan, who backed up starter Hunter Thomas last season. The Thornville, Ohio native started in 52 games in 2025, while playing five different defensive positions. Sheridan hit .265 at the plate with five home runs and 32 runs batted in. He led MSU with 14 doubles, ranking tied for sixth in the OVC.
 
"Caden is a key piece for us," said MSU head coach Chris Rose. "His impact is hard to overstate. He's made major strides in his receiving. He could always hit and throw; now he's a complete player at the catching position. He will be one of the top Division I catchers in our Region."
 
Sheridan was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team last season. He also threw out 12 base stealers last season, ranking fifth in the OVC.
 
Junior Alex Kean returns at first base. Last season he slashed .309/.582/.412, playing in 51 games with 194 at bats. He smacked 13 home runs, ranking sixth in the OVC. He recorded 10 doubles, two triples and drove in 38 runs. Kean had 20 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games.
 
"Kean has emerged as a real offensive threat and not just a slugger," said Rose.
 
Kean finished the season strong, ending the campaign on a 15-game hit streak, raising his batting average by 40 points in the final 15 games.
 
At the other corner of the infield, Griffin Olson returns for his senior campaign after starting 52 games last season. Olson hit 11 home runs, the third-most on the team and the 10^th-most in the OVC. He drove in 46 runs, which tied for 10^th-most in the conference.
 
"I think Olson struggled at time last year. I think he'd tell you that," said Rose. "He hurt his wrist the week before the season started and I think that he unconsciously changed his swing a bit and it threw him off some. This fall he looked and performed much better."
 
Olson drew 36 walks, tied for fourth-most in the OVC. He led Morehead State with 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts, the ninth-most thefts in the OVC.
 
Chicago native Jaden Correa, a transfer from John A. Logan in Illinois, figures to be the opening-day starter at shortstop.
 
"Jaden is a plus defender at shortstop and has made huge jumps offensively after Coach (Tyler) Jackson made some adjustments to his setup," said Rose.
 
Last season at John A. Logan, Correa hit .292 with two home runs. He drove in 25 runs in 137 at bats. Redshirt sophomore Austyn Peak could also see some time at short and will be in the mix for some reps in the outfield as well.

Newcomers Nick Griffith and Jack Taylor are battling for the starting slot at second base along with sophomore Aubrey Kearns, who made 38 starts last season.
 
Griffith, a left-handed hitting true freshman from Lexington, bounced back from injury in his junior season and hit .273 last Spring for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. He drove in 13 runs and posted a .819 OPS.
 
Taylor, who transferred to Morehead State at the start of the Spring 2026 semester, spent the last two seasons at D-II Spring Hill College in Alabama.
 
"Taylor is versatile. He can play about anywhere. He can run a little bit and especially at second base, he will be an offensive second baseman," said Rose. He hit .348 with two home runs, 16 doubles and drove in 41 runs in 155 at bats and posted a .975 OPS. In 2024 he slashed .315/.505/.418. He hit eight home runs and 11 doubles and was second in the SIAC with 56 RBI.
 
"I would say that Griffith probably won the job in the fall," said Rose. "But those other guys around him and Jack Taylor coming in have really put a lot of pressure on him. And that's what we want: guys competing for jobs and showing they can do different things and play in different spots. That give us some depth, which we haven't had around her in a while."
 
Rose said the versatility of many of his infielders is a strength of the club. Newcomer Taylor can play multiple positions. Kearns saw action in 10 games at first base last season as the injury-plagued Eagles scrambled their lineup.
 
Up next: Part III, Outfield