Defending National Champion Wingate Voted South Atlantic Conference Baseball Preseason Favorite; Preseason All-Conference Teams Announced
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The defending NCAA Division II National Champion Wingate Bulldogs have been picked as the 2022 South Atlantic Conference baseball preseason favorite, the league office announced today. The Bulldogs received 10 first place votes from the conference's head baseball coaches and 154 total points.
Catawba was voted in at No. 2 with 144 total points and three first place votes, while Newberry earned the No. 3 spot with 120 points.
Carson-Newman placed fourth in the poll with 118 points, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne at No. 5 with 117 points and Tusculum at No. 6 with 110 points.
Anderson earned the No. 7 slot with 71 points, while Lincoln Memorial earned 65 points in eighth and Coker placed ninth with 64 points. Mars Hill came in at No. 10 with 63 points, followed by Queens at No. 11 with 60 points.
Rounding out the poll is Limestone, at No. 12 with 59 points, and UVA Wise at No. 13 with 25 points.
In addition to the preseason coaches' poll, the SAC announced its 2022 Preseason All-Conference teams. Lenoir-Rhyne's Andrew Patrick and Joshua Lanham, along with Carson-Newman's Brayden Coe were named first team starting pitchers. Wingate's Brody McCullough was named the first team reliever and Catawba's Dylan Wilkinson was named to the first team as the designated hitter.
Wingate backstop Logan McNeely earned first team honors at catcher and Lenoir-Rhyne's Matt Mackey was named first team first baseman. Joe Butts of Catawba was named first team at second base, with fellow Catawba Indian Cameron Mills earning first team honors at third base and Wingate's Michael Dansky was named the first team shortstop.
Rounding out the first team selections are Wingate's Jed Bryant and Andrew McKay, along with Queens' Riley Cheek in the outfield.
The first pitch for the 2022 season will take place on Tuesday, February 1. For a full schedule of games visit www.thesac.com.
2022 SAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
|
Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
|
1 |
Wingate (10) |
154 |
|
2 |
Catawba (3) |
144 |
|
3 |
Newberry |
120 |
|
4 |
Carson-Newman |
118 |
|
5 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
117 |
|
6 |
Tusculum |
110 |
|
7 |
Anderson |
71 |
|
8 |
Lincoln Memorial |
65 |
|
9 |
Coker |
64 |
|
10 |
Mars Hill |
63 |
|
11 |
Queens |
60 |
|
12 |
Limestone |
59 |
|
13 |
UVA Wise |
25 |
All-SAC First Team
OF – Jed Bryant, Wingate
OF – Andrew McKay, Wingate
OF – Riley Cheek, Queens
1B – Matt Mackey, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Joe Butts, Catawba
SS – Michael Dansky, Wingate
3B – Cameron Mills, Catawba
C – Logan McNeely, Wingate
DH – Dylan Wilkinson, Catawba
SP – Andrew Patrick, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Joshua Lanham, Lenoir-Rhyne
SP – Brayden Coe, Carson-Newman
RP – Brody McCullough, Wingate
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Justin Fox, Anderson
OF – Zane Keener, Tusculum
OF – Reilly Hall, Coker
1B – Kody Hanna, Coker
2B – Wade Cuda, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Phill Griffor, Coker
3B – Tyler Lala, Mars Hill
C – Matt Parkinson, Carson-Newman
DH – Gehrig Christopher, Wingate
SP – Matt Bradley, Carson-Newman
SP – Austin Mitchell, Wingate
SP – Greg Brown, Catawba
RP – Robbie Cowie, Catawba
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