INDIANAPOLIS – University of Illinois Springfield and Lindenwood University have been selected to win the Green and Blue Divisions, respectively, for the upcoming 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) baseball season, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The annual GLVC Baseball Preseason Poll was voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches and ranks the top eight teams in the Green Division and seven in the Blue Division.
The 2022 slate features a 28/25-game divisional schedule in which every school plays every divisional opponent in a standard round-robin schedule in a four-game weekend series. The four-game weekend series will consist of one 9-inning game on both Friday and Sunday, and two 7-inning games on Saturday.
Last year’s divisional champion Illinois Springfield, ranked No. 21 in the preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, received six of the seven first-place votes and totaled 36 points to take the top-spot in the Blue Division. The Prairie Stars finished 37-8 a season ago, making another appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament before their season came to an end against Conference foe Quincy.
Defending GLVC Champion Lindenwood was picked once again to win the Green Division crown after the Lions got six of the eight first-place votes and 48 points. Compiling a 25-7 record in league play last year on its way to a 34-9 overall mark, Lindenwood picked up a win in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional before dropping its next two contests to end the 2021 season.
Quincy University received the other first-place vote in the Blue Division, earning just six fewer points overall behind Division favorite UIS. University of Southern Indiana (26) came in third in the preseason voting with University of Indianapolis and Lewis University tying for fourth place with 17 points. Missouri S&T and Truman State University rounded out the Blue Division with 15 and six points, respectively.
Maryville University and Drury University each picked up a first-place vote in the Green Division voting with the Saints receiving 42 points just above the Panthers’ 39. Southwest Baptist University (25), McKendree University (22), Rockhurst University (20), William Jewell College (17), and University of Missouri-St. Louis (11) filled out the league’s Green Division.
UIS returns three key pieces from last year’s team including first-team All-America third baseman Zion Pettigrew. Pettigrew hit .440 during his junior year pacing the league in home runs with 17 and finishing second in doubles (20) behind his teammate Kal Youngquist’s 22. The Prairie Stars also return an ace in their pitching rotation in Chad Saner who finished the 2021 season with a 2.13 ERA, holding opposing batters to a .173 average.
Lindenwood led the GLVC in team pitching a season ago, pacing the league in ERA (3.67) and earned runs allowed (141).
The first pitch of the 2022 season is scheduled for February 11 with seven GLVC teams in action. The 2022 GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament will take place at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on campus at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo., from May 12-15.
The complete 2022 GLVC preseason poll can be found below.
| 2022 GLVC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL – BLUE DIVISION |
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. |
Illinois Springfield |
36 (6) |
| 2. |
Quincy |
30 (1) |
| 3. |
Southern Indiana |
26 |
| 4. |
Indianapolis |
17 |
| 4. |
Lewis |
17 |
| 6. |
Missouri S&T |
15 |
| 7. |
Truman State |
6 |
| 2022 GLVC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL – GREEN DIVISION |
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. |
Lindenwood |
48 (6) |
| 2. |
Maryville |
42 (1) |
| 3. |
Drury |
39 (1) |
| 4. |
Southwest Baptist |
25 |
| 5. |
McKendree |
22 |
| 6. |
Rockhurst |
20 |
| 7. |
William Jewell |
17 |
| 8. |
Missouri-St. Louis |
11 |