2016 NCAC Preseason Baseball Poll
Keri Alexander Luchowski Executive Director P.O. Box 16679 Cleveland, OH 44116 Phone (440) 871-8100 Fax (440) 871-4221 [email protected] www.northcoast.org ALLEGHENY COLLEGE ★ DENISON UNIVERSITY ★ DEPAUW UNIVERSITY ★ HIRAM COLLEGE ★ KENYON COLLEGE OBERLIN COLLEGE ★ OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY ★ WABASH COLLEGE ★ WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY ★ COLLEGE OF WOOSTER
NCAC Baseball Special WOOSTER TABBED AS THE FAVORITE FOR 32ND NORTH COAST BASEBALL SEASON
For Immediate Release Feb. 25, 2016
CLEVELAND -- North Coast Athletic Conference baseball coaches have predicted that Wooster will win the 2016 conference title based on preseason balloting. The Fighting Scots, who have won 15 NCAC championships all-time, earned nine of 10 possible first-place votes cast by league coaches to total 99 points. Ohio Wesleyan, which last won an NCAC title in 2008, finished second in the poll with 84 points, while Allegheny collected the final first place vote and finished third with 79 points. Denison checked in at fourth with 67 points, followed by DePauw (66), Oberlin (42), Wabash (39), Kenyon (37), Wittenberg (20) and Hiram (17). Wooster, which opens the season ranked 21st on the D3baseball.com Preseason Poll, will enter the 2016 campaign with three returning players that garnered All-NCAC, first-team accolades last spring, highlighted by junior All-American Jamie Lackner (Westlake, OH/Westlake). Lackner, who was the Scots' first ABCA first-team All-American since Mark Miller collected the honor in 2009, led the nation in 2015 in home runs (17), RBI (69) and total bases (143), while also sporting the second-best batting average in the NCAC at .420 (74-176). Sophomore Jake Fling (Norton, OH/Norton) is again expected to jump start the Wooster lineup from the leadoff position after finishing his freshman season with a .367 batting average (65-177) and a .455 on-base-percentage with 20 walks, nine doubles, three triples and one home run. Fling also led the Scots last spring with 60 runs scored and was second on the squad with 11 stolen bases. On the hill, junior Michael Houdek (Cleveland Hts., OH/Cleveland Hts.) will again be the ace of the staff after posting an 8-1 record in 14 total appearances a year ago. Houdek, who set 49 batters down on strikes in 2015, compiled a team-leading 2.64 earned-run-average after allowing just 19 earned runs in 64.2 innings of work. The Fighting Scots will again be led by head coach Tim Pettorini for the 35th year in a row. Pettorini, an 11-time NCAC Coach of the Year recipient, enters the 2016 season with an overall record of 1,100-412-6, which is good for the seventh-highest win total in Division III history and is also the top win total among active Div. III coaches. Wooster leads all NCAC teams with 15 championships in 31 years, including winning eight of the last 13 league titles. Ohio Wesleyan (10), Allegheny (4), DePauw (1), Oberlin (1) and Wabash (1) are the only other teams to capture a title in conference history. Allegheny and Wooster shared the inaugural crown in the 1985 season. Founded in 1983, the North Coast Athletic Conference is made up of ten academically selective colleges and universities Allegheny College, DePauw University, Denison University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College, Wittenberg University and the College of Wooster, along with affiliate member, Earlham College (field hockey). The NCAC sponsors 23 championship sports, 11 for men and 12 for women. -NCAC-
2016 NCAC Preseason Baseball Poll First-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points: 1. Wooster (9)......................................................99 2. Ohio Wesleyan.................................................84 3. Allegheny (1)....................................................79 4. Denison............................................................67 5. DePauw...........................................................66 6. Oberlin.............................................................42 7. Wabash............................................................39 8. Kenyon.............................................................37 9. Wittenberg........................................................20 10. Hiram................................................................17
NCAC Baseball Special WOOSTER TABBED AS THE FAVORITE FOR 32ND NORTH COAST BASEBALL SEASON
For Immediate Release Feb. 25, 2016
CLEVELAND -- North Coast Athletic Conference baseball coaches have predicted that Wooster will win the 2016 conference title based on preseason balloting. The Fighting Scots, who have won 15 NCAC championships all-time, earned nine of 10 possible first-place votes cast by league coaches to total 99 points. Ohio Wesleyan, which last won an NCAC title in 2008, finished second in the poll with 84 points, while Allegheny collected the final first place vote and finished third with 79 points. Denison checked in at fourth with 67 points, followed by DePauw (66), Oberlin (42), Wabash (39), Kenyon (37), Wittenberg (20) and Hiram (17). Wooster, which opens the season ranked 21st on the D3baseball.com Preseason Poll, will enter the 2016 campaign with three returning players that garnered All-NCAC, first-team accolades last spring, highlighted by junior All-American Jamie Lackner (Westlake, OH/Westlake). Lackner, who was the Scots' first ABCA first-team All-American since Mark Miller collected the honor in 2009, led the nation in 2015 in home runs (17), RBI (69) and total bases (143), while also sporting the second-best batting average in the NCAC at .420 (74-176). Sophomore Jake Fling (Norton, OH/Norton) is again expected to jump start the Wooster lineup from the leadoff position after finishing his freshman season with a .367 batting average (65-177) and a .455 on-base-percentage with 20 walks, nine doubles, three triples and one home run. Fling also led the Scots last spring with 60 runs scored and was second on the squad with 11 stolen bases. On the hill, junior Michael Houdek (Cleveland Hts., OH/Cleveland Hts.) will again be the ace of the staff after posting an 8-1 record in 14 total appearances a year ago. Houdek, who set 49 batters down on strikes in 2015, compiled a team-leading 2.64 earned-run-average after allowing just 19 earned runs in 64.2 innings of work. The Fighting Scots will again be led by head coach Tim Pettorini for the 35th year in a row. Pettorini, an 11-time NCAC Coach of the Year recipient, enters the 2016 season with an overall record of 1,100-412-6, which is good for the seventh-highest win total in Division III history and is also the top win total among active Div. III coaches. Wooster leads all NCAC teams with 15 championships in 31 years, including winning eight of the last 13 league titles. Ohio Wesleyan (10), Allegheny (4), DePauw (1), Oberlin (1) and Wabash (1) are the only other teams to capture a title in conference history. Allegheny and Wooster shared the inaugural crown in the 1985 season. Founded in 1983, the North Coast Athletic Conference is made up of ten academically selective colleges and universities Allegheny College, DePauw University, Denison University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College, Wittenberg University and the College of Wooster, along with affiliate member, Earlham College (field hockey). The NCAC sponsors 23 championship sports, 11 for men and 12 for women. -NCAC-
2016 NCAC Preseason Baseball Poll First-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points: 1. Wooster (9)......................................................99 2. Ohio Wesleyan.................................................84 3. Allegheny (1)....................................................79 4. Denison............................................................67 5. DePauw...........................................................66 6. Oberlin.............................................................42 7. Wabash............................................................39 8. Kenyon.............................................................37 9. Wittenberg........................................................20 10. Hiram................................................................17
