Mount Olive Named Favorite to Win 2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship; Players to Watch Announced
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive was picked to win the 2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship, the league announced today. The Trojans earned 74 points and four first-place votes from coaches.
Mount Olive will look to defend its 2016 Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in 2017. The Trojans amassed a 33-21 overall record and 16-10 mark in league action last season and are poised to win their seventh conference regular season title in the last eight seasons.
Checking in just three points behind in second in the preseason poll is Erskine College with 71 points and two first-place votes. The Flying Fleet is coming off a 2016 season that saw it go 37-16 overall and 22-5 in conference and win its first Conference Carolinas regular season crown.
Belmont Abbey College has been picked to finish 2017 third after collecting two first-place votes and 67 points from coaches. The Crusaders made an appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship after going 39-16-1 overall and 20-6 in league action.
Placing fourth was North Greenville University with 66 points and one first-place vote, followed by Barton College at fifth with 52 points and King University at sixth with 41 points.
The Crusaders of North Greenville posted a 35-16 record in 2016 with a 21-6 Conference Carolinas mark. The Bulldogs finished last season 31-20 and 15-12 in conference, while the Tornado finished 18-30 overall and with a 10-17 league mark.
Pfeiffer University and Limestone College tied for seventh with 36 points each. Southern Wesleyan University closed out the poll in ninth with 25 points.
The Falcons went 23-31 overall last season and 12-15 in Conference Carolinas, while the Saints tallied an 8-19 conference mark and 19-31 overall record. The Warriors, who enter their first season of postseason eligibility in 2017, went 4-23 in conference and 16-35 overall in 2016.
The 2017 Conference Carolinas baseball season begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
2017 Baseball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Mount Olive (4) |
74 |
| 2. Erskine (2) |
71 |
| 3. Belmont Abbey (2) |
67 |
| 4. North Greenville (1) |
66 |
| 5. Barton |
52 |
| 6. King |
41 |
| T7. Pfeiffer |
36 |
| T7. Limestone |
36 |
| 9. Southern Wesleyan |
25 |
2017 Conference Carolinas Baseball Players to Watch:
Catcher (Year):
Andrew Webster (Sr.) - Barton
Derek Perry (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Conner Ewing (So.) - Southern Wesleyan
First Base (Year):
Henry Faunce (Sr.) - Erskine
Nathaniel Maggio (Sr.) - North Greenville
Zach Scudder (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Third Base (Year):
Chaz Davey (So.) - Erskine
Chase Allen (So.) - Limestone
Shortstop (Year):
Calvin Hawke (Sr.) - Barton
Colin Rosenbaum (So.) - Belmont Abbey
Zach Piazza (Jr.) - Limestone
Outfield (Year):
Nick Beinlich (Jr.) - Belmont Abbey
Preston Douglas (Sr.) - King
Garrett Lowery (Sr.) - Limestone
Trae Sweeting (Sr.) - Mount Olive
Clark Scolamiero (Jr.) - North Greenville
Jordan Eckard (Jr.) - Pfeiffer
Pitcher (Year):
Dylan Ward (So.) - Barton
Blake Waldron (So.) - Belmont Abbey
Alex Calvert (So.) - Erskine
Mitch Stophel (Sr.) - King
Mark Hendricks (Sr.) - King
Bruce Zimmerman (Sr.) - Mount Olive
Austin Hutchinson (Sr.) - Mount Olive
Brighton Hudson (Sr.) - Mount Olive
Tucker Burgess (So.) - North Greenville
J.J. Julian (Sr.) - Southern Wesleyan
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 is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.