Catawba Earns Top Spot in NCBWA Preseason Poll, Thirteen Players Named All-Southeast Region
WINGATE, N.C. - The Catawba College Indians earned the top spot in the 2020 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Southeast Region Top-10 poll, which was released on Monday (Jan. 27). Joining the Catawba Indians in the poll where the Newberry Wolves at No. 5 and the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters at No. 8.
Catawba, the 2019 SAC Baseball Tournament Champions, finished the 2019 season with a record of 47-14 advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championship in Cary, N.C. Newberry, the 2019 SAC Regular Season Champions, finished last season with a record of 41-16, advancing to the NCAA Southeast Regional. Lincoln Memorial was also an NCAA Southeast Regional participant in 2019. The Railsplitters finished the year with a record of 34-19.
In addition to the Top-10 poll, the NCBWA also announced the 2020 Preseason All-Southeast Region team. In all, 13 players from the South Atlantic Conference were named preseason All-Southeast Region. Catawba led the way with five selections, all on the first team. Newberry had three selections, while Tusculum, Carson-Newman, Wingate, Queens and Lincoln Memorial had one player each named to the teams.
NCBWA Southeast Region Top 10 (Preseason – 1/27/2020)
|
Rank |
Team (1st place) |
Record |
Points |
|
1 |
Catawba (7) |
47-14 |
112 |
|
2 |
North Greenville (5) |
45-11 |
110 |
|
3 |
North Georgia |
33-20 |
90 |
|
4 |
Mount Olive |
31-19 |
80 |
|
5 |
Newberry |
41-16 |
77 |
|
6 |
Columbus State |
31-20 |
55 |
|
7 |
Young Harris |
36-21 |
45 |
|
8 |
Lincoln Memorial |
34-19 |
43 |
|
9 |
Belmont Abbey |
27-24 |
12 |
|
10 |
Georgia College |
26-21 |
11 |
Others Receiving Votes: Wingate: 33-20 (10), USC Aiken: 32-22 (9), Flagler: 30-23 (4), Barton: 31-20 (2)
NCBWA Preseason All-Southeast Region Teams
First Team
C – John Michael Faile, North Greenville
1B – Hunter Shepherd, Catawba
2B – Daulton Martin, Tusculum
3B – Jackson Raper, Catawba
SS – Jeremy Simpson, Catawba
OF – Tyler Thompson, Carson-Newman
OF – Ethan Baucom, UNC Pembroke
OF – Jed Bryant, Wingate
DH – JT Stone, Mount Olive
UT – Joe Mason, Mount Olive
SP – Tucker Smith, Georgia Southwestern
SP – Bryan Ketchie, Catawba
SP – Sawyer Strickland, Catawba
RP – Quinton Driggers, Newberry
Second Team
C – Robert Brooks, Columbus State
1B – Noah Jones, Queens
2B – Mason Dodd, Belmont Abbey
3B – Drew Yniesta, Erskine
SS – Junior Snow, Mount Olive
OF – Cory Everett, Erskine
OF – Nick Butler, Newberry
OF – Crews Taylor, North Georgia
DH – Nate Stinson, Lincoln Memorial
UT – Dahlton Cash, Young Harris
SP – Josh Bookbinder, Newberry
SP – Steven Bower, North Georgia
SP – Reed Paris, Mount Olive
RP – Devin Dudal, Columbus State