INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University and Drury 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 the top-eight teams in each of the conference’s two divisions, which were voted on by the league coaches.
Lewis, paced by 2013 GLVC Coach of the Year Tim McDonough, earned 10 of the 16 first-place votes in the East and totaled 111 points overall. The Flyers, who are ranked in the preseason as the No. 30 team by
Collegiate Baseball, finished the 2013 campaign with a 33-18 record and competed in their second-straight NCAA Midwest Regional. Senior pitcher
Tom Helwich and senior outfielder
Jake Murray return as
Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-Americans. Helwich and senior outfielder Ben Albano were first-team All-GLVC selections last year, while Murray was a second-team All-Conference honoree.
Drury was nearly a unanimous pick to win the West as the Panthers secured 119 points overall and 14 of the 15 other first-place votes since conference bylaws indicate a team cannot vote for itself or its own players. Coming off a season that netted them a school-record 39 victories and a second NCAA Midwest Regional appearance, the Panthers are ranked No. 35 in the preseason by
Collegiate Baseball. Drury finished 39-17 last season, was runner-up in the GLVC Championship Tournament and played host to the NCAA Midwest Regional. It was DU's first NCAA tourney trip since the program's inaugural 2007 season. Drury’s entire four-man starting pitching rotation returns as well as 2013 GLVC Freshman of the Year Payton Reed, who was a first-team All-GLVC selection along with now-senior shortstop Caleb Cole, senior first baseman Colton Jones, senior outfielder Nick Thimesch.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis and Quincy University each picked up one first-place vote and tied for second overall in the West with 94 points apiece. Missouri S&T ranked fourth with 79 markers, followed by Maryville University (63), Rockhurst University (49), William Jewell College (37) and Truman State University (27) to round out the field.
In the East, three other schools earned at least one of the remaining six first-place votes, including runner-up Saint Joseph’s College. The Pumas totaled 96 points in the poll as well as four first-place nods. The University of Southern Indiana took third with 88 points and one first-place vote, followed by the University of Indianapolis with 86 markers and the final first-place tally. Bellarmine University (78) has been picked to place fifth, while McKendree University (49), University of Illinois Springfield (29) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (26) round out the field.
The first pitch of the 2014 GLVC baseball season is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 7, with Maryville traveling to Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tenn. The conference office will host the 2014 GLVC Championship Tournament on May 8-11 at Bosse Field in Evansville, Ind.
The complete 2014 GLVC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll follows:
2014 GLVC Baseball Preseason Poll – EAST DIVISION
|
Pos. |
Team (1st) |
Points |
|
1. |
Lewis (10) |
111 |
|
2. |
Saint Joseph’s (4) |
96 |
|
3. |
Southern Indiana (1) |
88 |
|
4. |
Indianapolis (1) |
86 |
|
5. |
Bellarmine |
78 |
|
6. |
McKendree |
49 |
|
7. |
Illinois Springfield |
29 |
|
8. |
UW-Parkside |
26 |
2014 GLVC Baseball Preseason Poll – WEST DIVISION
|
Pos. |
Team (1st) |
Points |
|
1. |
Drury (14) |
119 |
|
2. |
Missouri-St. Louis (1) |
94 |
|
|
Quincy (1) |
94 |
|
4. |
Missouri S&T |
79 |
|
5. |
Maryville |
63 |
|
6. |
Rockhurst |
49 |
|
7. |
William Jewell |
37 |
|
8. |
Truman State |
27 |