2018 Conference Carolinas Baseball Preview and Players to Watch
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The 2018 Conference Carolinas Baseball preseason poll has been released. University of Mount Olive will enter the season as the favorite to win the Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship, according to Conference Carolinas coaches.
1. University of Mount Olive: The Trojans enter the season ranked first after earning 67 points from Conference coaches, including four first-place votes.
Mount Olive went 48-10 overall last season and 25-2 in Conference Carolinas play. UMO swept the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament championships, which earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship as the Southeast Regional host. The Trojans return All-Conference Carolinas selection Drew Ellis and should be a force to be reckon with in 2018.
Players to Watch:
2. Belmont Abbey College: The Crusaders enter the season not far behind Mount Olive, earning 65 points and four first-place votes of their own.
Belmont Abbey finished 2017 as the Conference Carolinas Baseball Championship runner-up and posted an overall record of 37-17 and 19-8 Conference mark. With reigning Player of the Year Nick Beinlich and fellow all-conference selections Cameron Busby and Colin Rosenbaum back, the Crusaders are a true contender to win the Conference Carolinas title.
Players to Watch:
- *Nick Beinlich (Sr.) - OF
- *Cameron Busby (Sr.) - P
- *Colin Rosenbaum (Sr.) - SS
3. North Greenville University: The Crusaders enter this season ranked third with 60 points. North Greenville ended last season 38-15 overall and 20-7 in Conference play.
NGU returns a plethora of talent, including All-Conference Carolinas pitching duo Tucker Burgess and Canaan Cropper, who should be two of the best pitchers in the Southeast. Also returning is all-conference outfielder Connor Grant, which give North Greenville a legit chance to win a Conference Carolinas crown in 2018.
Players to Watch:
- *Tucker Burgess (Jr.) - P
- *Canaan Cropper (Jr.) - P
- *Connor Grant (Jr.) - OF
4. Erskine College: The Fleet collected 50 points from Conference coaches. Erskine finished last season 25-25 overall and 13-14 in league play.
The Fleet had a subpar 2017, but with all-conference pick Alex Calvert along with Michael Carpin and Chaz Davey returning, Erskine could be in for a successful year in 2018.
Players to Watch:
- *Alex Calvert (Jr.) - P
- Michael Carpin (Sr.) - P
- Chaz Davey (Jr.) - 3B
5. Limestone College: The Saints tallied 44 points and are fifth-place to open 2018. Limestone finished last season by going 22-25 overall and 10-17 in Conference Carolinas play.
A pair of All-Conference Carolinas picks return for the Saints in Chase Allen and Zach Piazza, which could be just what they need to put them over the hump and into the conference postseason toruney.
Players to Watch:
- *Chase Allen (Jr.) - INF
- Matt Orth (Sr.) - OF/P
- *Zach Piazza (Jr.) - INF
6. Barton College: Barton tallied 41 points. The Bulldogs went 28-23 overall in 2017 while posting a 13-14 conference mark.
Barton retruns two of the best players in Conference Carolinas in all-conference picks Trent Fennell and Troy Malowski.
Players to Watch:
- *Trent Fennell (Sr.) - P
- *Troy Malowski (Jr.) - OF/P
- Gaitlin Pate (Jr.) - OF/P
7. King University: The Tornado are seventh with 37 points from Conference coaches. King turned in a 19-27 overall record and 9-18 Conference Carolinas mark.
Players to Watch:
- Grant Boyd (Sr.) - P
- J.P. Castaneda (Sr.) - INF
- Tony Valdez (Jr.) - OF
8. Southern Wesleyan: The Warriors collected 28 points and close out the poll in eighth. Southern Wesleyan finished 15-34 overall and 6-21 in league play a season ago.
Players to Watch:
- Mike Batten (Jr.) - P
- Quinton Bent (Jr.) - 1B
- Julio Justo (Jr.) - INF
*denotes 2017 All-Conference Carolinas selection
2018 Baseball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Mount Olive (4) |
67 |
| 2. Belmont Abbey (4) |
65 |
| 3. North Greenville |
60 |
| 4. Erskine |
50 |
| 5. Limestone |
44 |
| 6. Barton |
41 |
| 7. King |
37 |
| 8. Southern Wesleyan |
28 |
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 11 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, and Southern Wesleyan. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.