FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
RINDGE, N.H. (February 10, 2009) – The Franklin Pierce University baseball team has been selected as the unanimous favorite in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced Tuesday by the conference office. The Ravens collected all 13 first-place votes and finished with a perfect 169 points.
Franklin Pierce is the three-time defending NCAA Division II Regional champion and two-time defending Northeast-10 Conference tournament champion. The Ravens open the season ranked No. 14 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll.
Last season’s squad (43-15, 20-10 NE-10) advanced to the final round of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships for the fourth time in program history while topping 40 wins for the third consecutive year.
Southern Connecticut State (36-19, 24-6 NE-10 in 2008), the conference runner-up a year ago in both the regular season and postseason, collected 148 points to finish second in the preseason poll behind the Ravens. Massachusetts Lowell (26-24, 18-12 NE-10) and Pace (31-23, 18-12 NE-10) placed third and fourth with point totals of 136 and 134, respectively. Currently in its first year in the Northeast-10 after previously competing in the East Coast Conference, New Haven (24-25, 17-10 ECC) was picked to finish fifth and captured 113 points.
Bentley (22-25, 17-13 NE-10), Stonehill (25-22, 16-14 NE-10), Merrimack (18-27, 13-17 NE-10), Assumption (20-27, 10-20 NE-10) and Saint Rose (14-34, 9-21 NE-10) fill out the fifth through 10th positions in the poll, respectively. Saint Anselm (15-28, 11-19 NE-10) placed 11th, Southern New Hampshire (7-32, 5-25 NE-10) 12th and American International (11-27, 9-21) 13th
Franklin Pierce opens the 2009 season on Saturday, Feb. 21, when it travels to Dowling for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Golden Lions Field in Shirley, N.Y.
Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Franklin Pierce University (13) – 169
2. Southern Connecticut State – 148
3. Massachusetts Lowell – 136
4. Pace – 134
5. New Haven – 113
6. Bentley – 100
7. Stonehill – 88
8. Merrimack – 73
9. Assumption – 69
10. Saint Rose – 47
11. Saint Anselm – 39
12. Southern New Hampshire – 36
13. American International – 31
