INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Southern Indiana 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 Tuesday. The annual preseason poll ranks all seven teams in the East Division and eight teams in the West.
Defending GLVC Champion Quincy picked up the top spot in the West Division with 111 points, including 13 of the 15 first-place votes from the coaches. The Hawks enter the 2018 campaign ranked 16th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Preseason Poll. Under the direction of head coach Josh Rabe, the Hawks finished last year with a 37-23 record, including 17-10 in the GLVC, and their first trip to the NCAA Division II Championship. Senior outfielder JC Demuri has been named a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after leading QU with a .350 average, 79 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, and 61 RBIs one year ago.
Drury University, last season’s West Division winner and GLVC Championship Tournament finalist, is slated to finish second this year. The Panthers, who earned 96 points and one first-place vote in the preseason poll, are coming off a 37-20 (19-9 GLVC) season and have been rated 39th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Preseason Poll.
Missouri S&T (78 points) and William Jewell College (63) are positioned third and fourth in the West, while Maryville University (59) owns the fifth spot as well as the final first-place vote. Rounding out the division is Rockhurst University (47) and Truman State University (47) tied for sixth, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (31) in eighth.
Southern Indiana has been selected to win the East this season, having garnered 91 points overall and eight first-place votes. The Screaming Eagles, led by head coach Tracy Archuleta, are the highest ranked GLVC team in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Preseason Poll at No. 13. USI is coming off a 32-21 season one year ago, which included a 22-6 league mark to win the East. The publication also recognized senior right-handed pitcher Kyle Griffin as a Player to Watch this year. Griffin was first-team All-GLVC East Division and a two-time GLVC Pitcher of the Week during his first season with the Screaming Eagles in 2017. He tied for the team-lead in wins with a 6-3 record and had a 3.45 ERA in 13 starts and 73.0 innings pitched.
Bellarmine University secured the second position in the East with 83 points and four first-place votes, having finished second at the end of last year with a 20-8 conference mark and 34-21 record overall. The University of Illinois Springfield finished third in the East last season at 19-9 and 33-21 overall, and is once again the coaches’ pick to place third this season. The Prairie Stars secured 76 points and the final three first-place votes in the preseason poll.
The University of Indianapolis (60) has been picked fourth, followed by Lewis University (46), McKendree University (29) and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (28) in the seven-team division.
The first pitch of the 2018 GLVC baseball season is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, with Missouri S&T battling Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, while Maryville begins with Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. A handful of teams will open 2018 on Friday, Feb. 16, including USI against top-ranked Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi. Bellarmine, Indianapolis, Rockhurst, Truman State and William Jewell will also get started that day. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Drury, Illinois Springfield, McKendree, Missouri-St. Louis, and Quincy will compete in their respective season openers. Lewis opens the slate on Friday, Feb. 23, while UW-Parkside takes first pitch on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
The Conference will host the 2018 GLVC Championship Tournament on May 10-13 at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Missouri.
The complete 2018 GLVC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll follows:
| 2018 GLVC Baseball East Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Southern Indiana |
91 (8) |
| 2. Bellarmine |
83 (4) |
| 3. Illinois Springfield |
76 (3) |
| 4. Indianapolis |
60 |
| 5. Lewis |
46 |
| 6. McKendree |
29 |
| 7. UW-Parkside* |
28 |
* Ineligible for GLVC Championship Tournament & Divisional Championship (GLVC Sanctions)
| 2018 GLVC Baseball West Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Quincy |
111 (13) |
| 2. Drury |
96 (1) |
| 3. Missouri S&T |
78 |
| 4. William Jewell |
63 |
| 5. Maryville |
59 (1) |
| 6. Rockhurst |
47 |
| Truman State |
47 |
| 8. Missouri-St. Louis |
31 |