Mississippi College - Choctaws Picked Second in ASC East

Choctaws Picked Second in ASC East

Email to a Friend | Print

1/27/2010 9:06:20 PM

Official Release
CLINTON, MS - The Mississippi College baseball team has been predicted to finish second in the American Southwest Conference East Division, it was announced by the ASC office on Wednesday (Jan. 27) after a vote of the division's head coaches, sports information directors, and media members. The Choctaws received the most first-place votes (10) and only finished one point out of first place with 131 points.

The University of Texas at Tyler was selected to finish first in the ASC East with 132 points and eight first-place votes. The Patriots went 39-12 overall last season and are the defending ASC Tournament Champions.

The Choctaws finished 30-16 last season and advanced all the way to the championship game of the ASC Tournament before being put out by Texas-Tyler.

The University of Texas at Dallas (113 pts.) was predicted to finish in third place and picked up the remaining three first-place votes. The University of the Ozarks (70 pts.) came in the fourth spot to round out what would be the East Division’s four teams to qualify for the ASC tournament.

Louisiana College (65 pts.) was picked to finish in fifth place in the East, followed by East Texas Baptist University (46 pts.) and LeTourneau University (31 pts.).

Texas Lutheran University was picked to win the West Division with 174 points and 13 of the 24 first-place votes. The Bulldogs finished last season with a 30-14 record and were the only representative of the division in the ASC Tournament.

Four-time league champion McMurry University claimed the second place spot, totaling 156 points and four first-place votes. Hardin-Simmons University was picked to finish third with 143 points and three top-spot votes, just ahead of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (142 pts., four first-place votes). TLU, McM, HSU and UMHB would be the four teams from the West to qualify for the conference tourney.

Concordia University Texas totaled 97 points to be the fifth-place selection in the West, followed by Howard Payne University (68 pts.), Schreiner University (55 pts.) and Sul Ross State University (29 pts.).

Landing on the “14 To Watch in the East Division” list is senior outfielder Kyle Pope and junior right-hander Chad Cox of East Texas Baptist, senior outfielder Charles Johnson and senior right-hander Tyler Kaminski of LeTourneau, senior outfielder Andrew Shelton and junior right-hander Greg Uzee of Louisiana College, senior outfielder Bo Bell and senior right-hander Tyler Seaman of Mississippi College, senior shortstop Cory Briggs and junior right-hander Bobby Osburn of Ozarks, senior catcher Adam Hudec and senior right-hander Mason Thompson of Texas-Dallas, and senior catcher Nathan Skeen and junior right-hander Logan Chitwood of Texas-Tyler.

Making up the “16 To Watch in the West Division” list is junior third baseman Justin Beasley and junior right-hander Scott Hays of Concordia Texas, senior catcher/designated hitter Regan Dixon and senior right-hander Tim Kriegel of Hardin-Simmons, junior outfielder Taylor Zambreski and freshman right-hander Jonathan Morris of Howard Payne, junior outfielder Jake Mullin and senior right-hander Dakota Smith of McMurry, senior outfielder Joseph Villegas and junior right-hander Jared Hopper of Mary Hardin-Baylor, sophomore second baseman Marcus Myhover and senior left-hander Colton Hermes of Schreiner, senior shortstop Javier Arrieta and senior right-hander Nathan Molina of Sul Ross State, and senior outfielder Ryan Nokelby and sophomore right-hander Brad Orosey of Texas Lutheran.

Arrieta (.461, 17 HRs), Bell (.425, 73 RBIs), Dixon (.444, 10 doubles), Orosey (10-1, 3.72 ERA) and Villegas (.465, five triples) have all been named preseason all-Americans by D3baseball.com.

The 2010 ASC season – the 14th in league history – begins as early as February 2. The eight-team conference tournament’s first round, which is played in a best-of-three series format at sites of the top two seeds from each division, is set for April 30-May 1. The four victorious teams will advance to the double-elimination championship round, set for May 7-9 at the home field of the top remaining seed from the West Division. The ASC champion receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

2010 ASC PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL
[Voted on by ASC Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and Media Members]

EAST DIVISION

	Team (first-place votes)	Points	2009 Record
1.	Texas-Tyler (8)	132	39-12, 14-4 ASC
2.	Mississippi College (10)	131	30-16, 14-4 ASC
3.	Texas-Dallas (3)	113	28-18, 12-6 ASC
4.	Ozarks	70	17-25, 9-9 ASC
5.	Louisiana College	65	18-22, 5-13 ASC
6.	East Texas Baptist	46	16-24, 4-14 ASC
7.	LeTourneau	31	14-22, 5-13 ASC

WEST DIVISION

	Team (first-place votes)	Points	2009 Record
1.	Texas Lutheran (13)	174	30-14, 16-5 ASC
2.	McMurry (4)	156	26-17, 14-7 ASC
3.	Hardin-Simmons (3)	143	25-18, 14-7 ASC
4.	Mary Hardin-Baylor (4)	142	22-17, 12-9 ASC
5.	Concordia Texas	97	22-18, 11-10 ASC
6.	Howard Payne	68	13-23, 6-15 ASC
7.	Schreiner	55	14-23, 7-14 ASC
8.	Sul Ross State	29	5-34, 4-17 ASC