INDIANAPOLIS – Three different institutions received first-place votes as Trevecca Nazarene emerged as the early favorite in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour revealed on Friday.
Voting for the preseason coaches poll was conducted among the league’s seven head coaches.
Trevecca Nazarene has won three of the conference’s four tournament trophies at this point in the G-MAC’s history and the Trojans are still viewed as the top threat. TNU received a total of 41 points in the voting with four first-place votes.
Coming in at second was Kentucky Wesleyan as the Panthers recorded a school-record 36 wins under the direction of Todd Lillpop in 2016; KWC had a banner season from conference offensive player of the Troy Paris and went 19-5 through the league schedule to tie TNU for the best mark in the regular season.
KWC received two first-place votes for a total of 37 points.
Despite finishing last season on top, defending conference tournament champion Alderson Broaddus was selected third by the league’s coaches to begin the spring. The Battlers underwent a coaching change in the offseason as Matt Yurish prepares for his first year at the helm.
AB went 4-0 through the G-MAC Championship bracket as the No. 3 seed before outlasting Trevecca Nazarene in a pair of entertaining, high-scoring affairs.
The Battlers completed their postseason run in 2016 with a win in the championship final while earning the G-MAC’s first automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
First-year G-MAC member Malone earned a preseason billing of fourth with 28 points. The Pioneers enjoyed a 27-24 season that included an 18-12 record in the league while earning the No. 3 seed in the GLIAC Tournament.
Cedarville was voted in at fifth with 25 votes as the Yellow Jackets carved out an even. 500 mark in league play while going 18-27 overall. Ohio Valley and Davis & Elkins were separated by just one point for sixth and seventh in the poll, respectively.
OVU’s flair for the dramatic in the conference tournament was halted by Kentucky Wesleyan to close out the Fighting Scots’ 2016 season. D&E also made the six-team conference tournament and are looking to build on 13 wins compiled a year ago.
The G-MAC is working on a baseball season preview with interviews from coaches/student-athletes at each institution. The preview is scheduled to be published on Thursday, Jan. 31 before opening day in early February.
2017 G-MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
| School |
Points |
| 1. Trevecca Nazarene (4 first-place votes) |
41 |
| 2. Kentucky Wesleyan (2 first-place votes) |
37 |
| 3. Alderson Broaddus (1 first-place vote) |
34 |
| 4. Malone |
28 |
| 5. Cedarville |
25 |
| 6. Ohio Valley |
16 |
| 7. Davis & Elkins |
15 |