FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
MACON, Ga. – In each of its first three years in the Atlantic Sun, Kennesaw State has improved its standing and on the heels of its runner-up finish in 2008, the A-Sun coaches have installed the Owls as the preseason favorite, the conference office announced on Thursday.

Led by the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Heckathorn, the Owls received six of the 11 first-place votes outdistancing themselves from a bunched pack of Lipscomb, the 2008 conference champion, FGCU, the 2008 regular-season champion and Stetson. Lipscomb earned three first-place votes, FGCU and Jacksonville, slotted fifth, split the remaining two votes. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Edison, N.J. – Canisius College is the team to beat in the 2009 MAAC baseball season, according to a preseason poll voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Canisius finished with 81 points in the poll, while Rider University finished second (66). Manhattan College placed third with 58 points. Marist College and Siena College tied for fourth place (53), followed by Fairfield University (30), Niagara University (29), Saint Peter’s College (19), and Iona College (12). Read the rest of this entry »

Arizona State picked to win Pac-10

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Arizona State has been chosen as the favorite to win this year’s Pac-10 baseball title, according to a vote of the league’s coaches.

The Sun Devils received three of 10 first-place votes, earning 69 points overall. UCLA also received three first-place votes and 67 total points for the No. 2 spot, while Stanford was picked third with one first-place vote, totaling 64 points. Rounding out the top five was Oregon State, which nabbed two first-place votes and 58 points overall, and Arizona grabbed the final first-place vote for a total 56 points. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
ST. LOUIS – Missouri State, which returns a dominating veteran pitching staff and solid depth from last year’s Missouri Valley Conference runner-up squad, has been tabbed as the league favorite in the annual coaches’ preseason poll, receiving eight of nine first place votes.

The Bears tallied 80 points and were a sound favorite over second-place pick Creighton (66 points). 2008 champion Wichita State, who secured the remaining first-place vote and 63 points overall, was picked to finish in the third position. Read the rest of this entry »

NEC Preseason Favorite Monmouth eyes fourth- ever league crown

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Somerset, NJ — Monmouth won five first-place votes to find itself in its familiar position atop the Northeast Conference baseball preseason poll. The Hawks have earned the moniker of NEC preseason favorite in three of the past four years. Central Connecticut State collected two first-place nods to finish second in the vote by the conference’s eight head coaches followed by Wagner which garnered the remaining first-place vote in third. The league office released the annual rankings on Thursday as a prelude to its 23rd season of Division I baseball.
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Photo Credit: Big South

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Coastal Carolina University’s baseball team has been voted the Big South Conference’s preseason favorite by the League’s Head Baseball Coaches, it was announced today by the Conference office. In addition, the coaches voted Radford senior infielder Alex Gregory (Great Falls, Va.) the Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year and Coastal Carolina junior Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla.) the League’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
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Nate Lape of Marshall has been named the C-USA preseason player of the year.

Coming off a third consecutive trip to the College World Series, Rice has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2009 Conference USA baseball poll, chosen by the league’s nine head coaches. Rice is ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason national rankings as the Owls look for a 14th consecutive conference title.

Preseason Player of the Year honors were given to Marshall senior OF Nate Lape, who helped lead the Thundering Herd to its highest win total (30) as a Division I member last season. Read the rest of this entry »

McMurry and Texas-Tyler have been picked to win 2009 ASC baseball division titles

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

RICHARDSON, Texas –– McMurry University and the University of Texas at Tyler have been predicted to win 2009 American Southwest Conference baseball division titles, it was announced by the ASC office on Tuesday (Jan. 27) after a vote of each division’s head coaches, sports information directors and media members. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Joseph Villegas, Concordia University Texas’ Tom Williams, Hardin-Simmons University’s Kyle Barton, the University of the Ozarks’ Cory Briggs and Bruce Cameron, and UT Tyler’s Blake Booher all earned preseason individual honors.
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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina, coming off a 54-14 season and seeking its fourth straight trip to the College World Series, received the nod as Atlantic Coast Conference baseball preseason favorite in voting by the league’s 12 head coaches.

The Tar Heels tallied 72 points with 12 first-place votes in receiving the nod as Coastal Division favorite and were named the overall ACC favorite on 10 ballots. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

SAN BRUNO, CA – San Diego and Pepperdine were picked as favorites to win this year’s WCC regular season title in the 2009 preseason baseball poll, as voted on by the head coaches in the conference. The Toreros and Waves have already been receiving several preseason accolades by several publications as San Diego has been ranked as high as No. 11 by Baseball America, while Pepperdine was ranked No. 17 in the same poll. San Diego and Pepperdine both received 45 points, with the Toreros receiving four first place votes to three for the Waves. Santa Clara, which has received votes in several preseason publications, was picked to finish third with 35 points. Gonzaga received the last remaining first place vote, and received 30 points, to come in at fourth place, edging out San Francisco, which received 26 points, for fifth place. Rounding out this year’s poll are Loyola Marymount, with 20 points, Saint Mary’s, with 14 points, and Portland, with nine points.
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UTSA unanimous pick to defend Southland Conference Championship

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

FRISCO, Texas – UTSA has been favored to win its third consecutive Southland Conference regular-season baseball championship by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Wednesday.

The Roadrunners received five first-place votes and 110 points in the coaches’ poll and five first-place votes and 111 points in the SID poll. UTSA, which finished with the best conference record in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons, finished with a 39-19 overall record, tying the school record for wins. The Roadrunners welcome back 22 letterwinners, 10 pitchers and six position starters from a team that was 22-8 in league play to finish atop the West Division.

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Cal State Fullerton was tabbed to win back-to-back conference titles by the Big West head coaches. (photo by Matt Brown)

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Receiving 78 points and seven first-place votes, Cal State Fullerton was tabbed as the favorite to win the 2009 Big West Conference crown, according to the Big West Conference preseason poll conducted by the league’s nine head coaches. The Titans have claimed at least a share of seven of the last 10 league titles and a conference-best 14 overall. UC Irvine was selected to finish second with 67 points and UC Santa Barbara was picked third after receiving 65 points and one first-place nod.
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