Mount Olive Ranked in Preseason Regional Poll; North Greenville and Belmont Abbey Receive Votes
PEMBROKE, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive Trojans were ranked second in the 2016 NCBWA Preseason Southeast Region poll, it was announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The Trojans, who received 100 points and two first-place votes, finished 2015 with a 39-16 overall record and 19-7 Conference Carolinas mark.
Reigning Conference Carolinas Tournament champion North Greenville University received seven votes from the voters, while Belmont Abbey College tallied five points.
The Crusaders of North Greenville made an NCAA Southeast Regional appearance in 2015 and went 29-25 overall and 14-12 in conference. The Belmont Abbey Crusaders posted a 16-11 Conference Carolinas record in 2015 and a 25-25 record overall.
In addition to the Preseason Regional Poll, the 2016 Preseason NCBWA All-Southeast Region team was also announced. Five Conference Carolinas players were selected to the team.
Leading the way was first team selection Joe Koehler of Mount Olive at first base. On the second team Mount Olive's Zak Orrison was tabbed the second basemen, while Belmont Abbey's Nick Nunziato made the team at third base. Rounding out the selections on the second team were King's Ryan Whitt and Erskine's Sam Cothran as outfielders.
2016 Preseason NCBWA Southeast Region Poll
School (1st Place Votes) Points 2015 Record
1. Catawba, N.C. (10) 116 47-15
2. Mount Olive, N.C. (2) 100 39-16
3. North Georgia 90 38-17
4. Armstrong State, Ga. 65 34-14
5. UNC Pembroke 48 38-13
6. Tusculum, Tenn. 35 33-19
7. Flagler, Fla. 34 32-15
8. Wingate, N.C. 32 33-26
9. Georgia College 30 33-19
10. USC Aiken 29 34-17
Dropped Out: N/A.
Others Receiving Votes: Columbus State, Ga. (25 points); Lander, S.C. (24 points); Newberry,
S.C. (11 points); North Greenville, S.C. (7 points); Belmont Abbey, N.C. (5 points).
2016 Preseason All-Southeast Region Team
FIRST TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Placido Torres, Tusculum
Starting Pitcher: Mike O'Reilly, Flagler
Starting Pitcher: Matt Kelley, Francis Marion
Relief Pitcher: Tyler Graham, Armstrong State
Catcher: Will Albertson, Catawba
First Base: Joe Koehler, Mount Olive
Second Base: Shane Billings, Wingate
Third Base: Matthew De La Rosa, Lenoir-Rhyne
Shortstop: Ryan Perkins, Lenoir-Rhyne
Outfield: Clint Hardy, Augusta
Outfield: J.D. Crowe, Francis Marion
Outfield: Rayshelon Carolina, Mars Hill
Designated Hitter: Mike McLellan, Columbus State
Utility: Will Jones, Lander
SECOND TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Vince Apicella, Carson-Newman
Starting Pitcher: Shafer Shepard, Catawba
Starting Pitcher: Brandon Agar, North Georgia
Relief Pitcher: Devan Watts, Tusculum
Catcher: Sam Tidaback, North Georgia
First Base: Steven Cooper, Anderson
Second Base: Zak Orrison, Mount Olive
Third Base: Nick Nunziato, Belmont Abbey
Shortstop: Evan Rogers, Mars Hill
Outfield: JoJo Bradley, Newberry
Outfield: Ryan Whitt, King
Outfield: Sam Cothran, Erskine
Designated Hitter: Drew Taylor, Augusta
Utility: Bradley Brown, Wingate
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-Mcrae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.