LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - In exclusive balloting by Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference head baseball coaches, Centenary College was selected as the preseason favorite to capture the SCAC title in 2018.
The Gents received five of seven first-place votes to tally 47 points and head the league's annual poll. Trinity University claimed the remaining two first-place votes, coming in six points behind Centenary in the poll with 41.
Centenary, under the leadership of 2017 SCAC Coach of the Year Mike Diaz in his eighth season with the team, will have a strong group of returners in 2018, with six of the team's nine starters returning from last season's SCAC title-winning team. Included in that group is 2017 SCAC Player of the Year Chris Zapata, along with the entire starting pitching rotation, headlined by 2017 SCAC Pitcher of the Year Matthew Devillier and a fellow 11-win pitcher Kaleb Kirk.
The Gents will also return the majority of their offense, including six All-SCAC performers from last season. The team enters 2018 ranked 20th in the D3baseball.com preseason poll. Last year, the Gents posted 35-10 record, finishing 15-3 in conference play. Centenary won the tournament title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.
The coaches' second choice, Trinity University, comes off a 2017 season that produced a 12-6 conference mark. In addition to the acknowledgement by the conference's head coaches, the Tigers are receiving national recognition heading into the 2017 campaign as the team, led by head coach Tim Scannell, are ranked No. 21 in the D3baseball.com Preseason Top 25. Trinity posted a 28-16 overall mark a year ago and made it all the way to the SCAC championship game, where the Tigers forced Centenary to a winner takes all match-up on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers return two first-team All-SCAC selections, outfielder Rafe Chaumette and pitcher Kevin Flores. Chaumette was fifth in the league with 38 RBIs, while hitting .344 for the season. Flores was third in the conference with seven wins last season, recording a 2.03 ERA.
Coming in third in the coaches poll with 37 points is Texas Lutheran University. Head coach Greg Burnett, in his 11th year with the program, will lead the Bulldogs after a 21-19 season and a 12-6 record in conference. TLU will have eight of the team's top-10 hitters returning this season, highlighted by the 2017 Freshman of the Year, Tyler Cauley, and seven other All-SCAC first or second team selections. The team has made it to the SCAC tournament every year since joining the conference, and will look to head back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013.
Southwestern University will see a new face at the helm, with J.C. Bunch taking the reigns after serving 11 seasons as the assistant coach for Trinity. Bunch will inherit a program that has been to the SCAC tournament every year since 2013. Last season, the Pirates put together a 21-21 record, going an even 9-9 in conference play. Ethan Hallmark, a senior outfielder, will be one of the key returners for the Pirates, earning second-team All-SCAC honors in 2017. He is joined by three teammates who earned honorable mention recognition in 2017.
Entering his fourth season at the helm of the University of Dallas, Joe Myers is hoping to guide the team to its first SCAC postseason appearance since 2013. Last season, the Crusaders finished sixth in the conference with a mark of 14-26 (6-12 in the SCAC) and are tabbed to fifth in 2018 based on the results of the preseason coaches' poll. The Crusaders return all four players that earned postseason recognition from the SCAC in 2017, headlined by outfielder Jordan Stickler, who earned second-team honors. Stickler posted a team-high .344 batting average, while tallying 43 hits and 42 runs, both team highs as well.
Schreiner University (13-27, 4-14 SCAC) is predicted to finish sixth in the SCAC in 2018. Despite missing out on the conference tournament last season, the Mountaineers did earn three of their four wins over tournament programs - two against Southwestern and one against Trinity. Head Coach Ryan Brisbin will guide a team with 10 seniors on the roster, including second-team All-SCAC selection Sam Pistrui, who hit .338 with 46 hits and 22 RBI.
Austin College begins the 2018 season as the seventh choice in the annual preseason coaches' poll. Coming off a 12-25 campaign (6-12 in the SCAC), the 'Roos are seeking their first SCAC postseason tournament appearance since the 2013 season. Fourth-year head coach Mike Ramsey will have experience coming from a pair of 2018 All-SCAC honorees, first-team selection Brett Taff and Austin Dudley, an honorable mention honoree. The team has also added depth with 11 freshmen on the preseason roster.
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| 2018 SCAC Baseball Preseason Poll | |||
| No. of Votes | 2016 SCAC | 2016 Overall | |
| 1. Centenary College | 47 (5) | 15-3 | 35-10 |
| 2. Trinity University | 41 (2) | 12-6 | 28-16 |
| 3. Texas Lutheran University | 37 | 12-6 | 21-19 |
| 4. Southwestern University | 24 | 9-9 | 21-21 |
| 5. University of Dallas | 20 | 5-13 | 14-26 |
| 6. Schreiner University | 14 | 4-14 | 13-27 |
| 7. Austin College | 13 | 6-12 | 12-25 |
Note: First-place votes (in parentheses) are worth seven points, second place worth six points, on down to seventh-place votes being worth one point. Coaches voted for order of finish 1-7.
