Missouri S&T’s baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s West Division for the upcoming 2009 season according to the league coaches in the annual pre-season poll.
The Miners, who were in contention for a playoff berth last season all the way until the final weekend of play, received 10 points in a vote that was close from third place on down. Defending division champion Southern Indiana was a unanimous pick to win the GLVC West (coaches could not vote for their own teams) while Drury was tabbed to finish second.
The gap between Quincy, Rockhurst, Missouri S&T and Missouri-St. Louis was just seven points between them for the next four spots. The two teams from each division plus two wildcard teams will qualify for the conference tournament.
S&T finished the 2008 season with a 22-26 overall record and 15-17 mark in the GLVC to place in a tie for fourth with Quincy in the division.
A number of the Miners’ top players are back for the upcoming season, including pitcher Andrew Page, third baseman Eaf Redden, first baseman Zac Carter and rightfielder Thomas McCormick, a first-team All-GLVC selection last year after he hit .331 with four home runs and a school record 46 runs batted in.
Northern Kentucky, last year’s tournament champion, was picked to win the East Division followed by Bellarmine and Saint Joseph’s. The Miners have NKU on their schedule as well as Indianapolis, who was picked to finish fourth in the East, as their two cross-division foes on the 2009 league slate.
GLVC Pre-Season Poll
West Division
1. Southern Indiana
2. Drury
3. Quincy
4. Rockhurst
5. Missouri S&T
6. Missouri-St. Louis
East Division
1. Northern Kentucky
2. Bellarmine
3. Saint Joseph’s
4. Indianapolis
5. Lewis
6. Kentucky Wesleyan
7. Wisconsin-Parkside