The 2026 baseball and softball season is about a month old and conference play either is beginning or started during the first full weekend of March.
There are a slew of players with Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia ties on Division I rosters. Let’s catch up with their exploits in the latest edition of Next Level Locals.
BASEBALL
Nate Conner, ETSU: The only local on the Bucs’ roster, the Johnson City native and Science Hill graduate has made an immediate impact following his transfer from Walters State. Conner has appeared in each of ETSU’s 15 games. He leads the Bucs in RBIs (18) and ranks second in home runs (6) behind Tristan Curless, who has seven dingers. Conner is hitting .323 with a .419 on base percentage and a robust .742 slugging percentage, tallying four doubles and a pair of triples.
Gage Peterson, Appalachian State: Another Walters State transfer who moved up to D-I this past offseason, Peterson is a Jonesborough native and David Crockett grad who has carved out a role as a starter for the Mountaineers. Through his first four starts, Peterson has a 3-0 record with a 1.64 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP – the lowest on the team among starting pitchers. He’s allowed opposing hitters to bat .215 against him and leads the team in strikeouts (32).
Brogan Jones, Longwood: The Daniel Boone High product started his college career at ETSU, then spent a year in junior college before arriving at Longwood. He’s done well for the Lancers, appearing in each of their first 16 games, batting .283 with a .443 on base percentage, two home runs, and 12 RBIs. Jones also has six steals.
Landon Smelser, Tennessee Tech: A sophomore for the Golden Eagles, Smelser is a Johnson City native and Science Hill grad who has appeared in 15 games so far in 2026, hitting .267 with a .318 on base percentage and slugging at a .383 clip. He has two homers and eight RBIs.
Kam Durnin, Missouri: Durnin hails from the Midwest but he gained quite a few fans locally last summer in the Appalachian League, claiming the league player of the year honor for the Kingsport Axmen. After transferring to Missouri from Wichita State, Durnin missed all of February, making his season debut this past week for the four-game series with UIC. Durnin went 6-for-18 in the series, playing in all four games, hit a home run, and drove in a pair of runs.
Tyler Myatt, Tennessee: The Tazewell, TN, native is a Claiborne County High grad and transfer from Walters State (note a pattern yet for this JUCO powerhouse?) who played for the Axmen in the Appy League and then transferred to Tennessee. Through all games played March 8, Myatt was hitting .242 with two home runs and five RBIs. That included a walkoff homer to beat Kent State early in the season.
SOFTBALL
ETSU: No current Division I program in any sport has more local athletes on its current roster than the Bucs’ softball squad. ETSU finds itself with a solid 11-5 record going into tonight’s contest against Tennessee Tech. That included a 9-1 in the first 10 games – the best start in ETSU history.
Riley Croley, a freshman who played her high school ball at Daniel Boone, is off to a strong start. She was named SoCon Player of the Week on March 2 after hitting .600 with a .750 on base percentage and three RBIs in the preceding weekend series against Alabama A&M. Croley is hitting .340 with an .879 OPS for the season.
Payton Moore, a sophomore from Kingsport and Dobyns-Bennett alum who helped the Lady Indians win their one and only state title in 2004, has been raking. Moore enters the Tennessee Tech game with a 1.292 OPS, leading the team in homers (4) and total bases (27).
Fellow D-B product Hailey Porter, a freshman, has started all 16 games thus far for ETSU. Porter is struggling with the bat; she’s got a .200 average with a .586 OPS to date, but does have a homer and eight RBIs. Porter has fared well at shortstop, though, committing a single error through 56 total chances.
Eden Muncy, a Rye Cove alum, has been coming in primarily in relief – six of her seven appearances thus far this season. Muncy, a sophomore who set three Virginia High School state records at the Cove (for career ERA, strikeouts per game, and consecutive strikeouts), currently leads ETSU hurlers who have thrown at least one inning pitched per game in ERA (1.69), WHIP (0.77), and strikeouts (21). Her WHIP ratio also leads the conference, as does her .164 batting average allowed.
Science Hill product Abigail Taylor, a senior outfielder, has made a big impact in her final season playing for her hometown school. Taylor has started every game, compiling a .380 average with a .456 on base percentage. Her 13 stolen bases, tallied in 15 chances, is tied for the league lead.
Addison Toney, a sophomore who went to Union and hails from Big Stone Gap, has played a limited role to date as ETSU’s backup catcher. She’s played in two games with one plate appearance, where she walked and scored a run.
Julianne Tipton, Louisiana: The hard-throwing Tipton helped propel D-B to that 2024 state title and, after starting her college career at Arizona State, is now a key member of the pitching staff for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Tipton has logged eight appearances, including four starts, and has a 3.54 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP.
Carly Compton, UNC: It’s been a rocky start thus far for the Bristol, TN, native Compton at North Carolina. She’s made two appearances a month apart, returning to the circle March 7 against Virginia after not throwing since UNC’s season-opening weekend against Elon. Thus far, Compton has allowed six runs – three earned – on four hits and three walks, only throwing two innings.
Addyson Fisher, Volunteer: The first-ever athlete from VHS to sign with a Power 5 Conference school, Fisher made six appearances in the first month of the season but has yet to throw from the circle in March. In six outings, all in relief, Fisher has a 3.94 ERA in 10 2/3 total innings of work with about as many walks (9) as strikeouts (10).
Maci Masters, Western Kentucky: A record-setting home run slugger at Daniel Boone, Masters has made a habit of swatting dingers since she transferred from Virginia Tech to WKU. Masters, who hit 14 homers in 2025 for the Hilltoppers, already has nine this season. She currently leads her team in home runs, hitting .333 with a 1.144 OPS and 21 RBIs.
Maddie Diamond, Delaware: The power-hitting third baseman at Science Hill has kept it up at the next level. Through Delaware’s first 23 games, Diamond has 16 total hits and four of them have left the ballpark. She has a team-high 20 RBIs and is slugging .522, although she’s hitting .239 and has struck out 18 times against 12 walks.
Hannah Frye, Gardner Webb: This D-B alum has gotten plenty of work inside the circle this season. Through March 8, Frye had made 12 appearances, including seven starts, compiling a 6-4 record, 5.64 ERA, and 1.85 WHIP.