INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis and Quincy University have been selected by the Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball coaches to win the league’s East and West Divisions, respectively, the Conference office announced Wednesday. The annual preseason poll ranks the top-eight teams in each of the Conference’s two divisions.
Defending GLVC Champion UIndy garnered the top spot in the East Division with 114 points and 10 of the 16 first-place votes. The Greyhounds currently pace all GLVC squads in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Preseason Poll as they will enter the 2017 campaign ranked 13th. UIndy went 38-21 in 2016, winning the program's record sixth GLVC Tournament and advancing to the 15th NCAA Midwest Regional in school history.
The University of Southern Indiana, which is ranked 23rd by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, picked up 108 points and five first-place markers to earn second place in the East. The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 38-21 season a year ago, winning their fourth NCAA Division II Midwest Regional and tying for fifth at the NCAA II Baseball Championship. USI also rallied in the last two weeks of the 2016 regular season to lay claim to the GLVC East Division title.
Bellarmine University finished 25-26 overall one year ago and has been picked to place third in the East this season, having picked up 90 poll points and the final first-place vote. Saint Joseph’s College (70) and Lewis University (66) are fourth and fifth in the polls, respectively, while University of Illinois Springfield (60), McKendree University (31) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (29) rounded out the eight-team division.
Quincy took the top spot in the West Division with 116 points and 13 of the 16 first-place votes. The Hawks went 39-18 last season and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional for the second straight year. Quincy, which finished tied for second in the West last year with an 18-10 mark, enters the season ranked 22nd nationally by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Rockhurst tied Quincy for second place in the West and has been picked to finish there once again this year. The Hawks, who earned 85 points and two first-place votes in the poll, finished the 2016 season with a 30-23 record after capturing 20 of their last 28 contests and winning three games in the GLVC Championship Tournament, before falling to UIndy in the title game.
Missouri S&T and William Jewell College both tied for third in the preseason poll with 74 points, with S&T picking up the final first-place tally. The Miners, ranked 35th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, finished the past year with a record of 39-19 and won the West Division title prior to reaching the championship final of the Midwest Regional. The 39 wins for the Miners set a new school record for a season. William Jewell posted a 32-22 overall record and a 15-13 GLVC mark one year ago, eventually falling to GLVC Champion in the semifinals of the league’s postseason tournament.
Drury University picked up 70 points and the fifth-place slot, while University of Missouri-St. Louis (61), Truman State University (57) and Maryville University (31) rounded out the division.
The first pitch of the 2017 GLVC baseball season is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, with Indianapolis battling Coker in Hartsville, South Carolina, while Truman State faces Central Missouri in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Bellarmine, Maryville and UW-Parkside will all see first pitch on Feb. 11. Drury, McKendree, Missouri S&T, Quincy, Saint Joseph’s, Southern Indiana and William Jewell will open on Feb. 17, while Lewis, Missouri-St. Louis and Rockhurst begin their respective campaigns on Feb. 25.
The Conference will host the 2017 GLVC Championship Tournament on May 11-14 at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Missouri.
The complete 2017 GLVC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll follows:
| 2017 GLVC Baseball East Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Indianapolis |
114 (10) |
| 2. Southern Indiana |
108 (5) |
| 3. Bellarmine |
90 (1) |
| 4. Saint Joseph's |
70 |
| 5. Lewis |
66 |
| 6. Illinois Springfield |
60 |
| 7. McKendree |
31 |
| 8. UW-Parkside |
29 |
| 2017 GLVC Baseball West Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Quincy |
116 (13) |
| 2. Rockhurst |
85 (2) |
| 3. Missouri S&T |
74 (1) |
| William Jewell |
74 |
| 5. Drury |
70 |
| 6. Missouri-St. Louis |
61 |
| 7. Truman State |
57 |
| 8. Maryville |
31 |