Texas State Picked to Win 2012 Southland Conference Baseball Title
FRISCO,
Texas - Texas State is favored to win its fourth consecutive Southland
Conference regular-season baseball championship by a vote of the league's head
coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Thursday.
The
Bobcats were the overwhelming favorites in both polls, receiving the maximum 11
first-place votes and 121 points in the coaches' and SID polls. Texas State
returns 20 letterwinners, six starters and 10 pitchers from a Bobcat squad that
won its third consecutive regular-season title and first conference tournament
title since 2000. Among the returning players are senior All-Americans Casey
Kalenkosky and Tyler Sibley, senior all-conference selection Jeff McVaney and
senior starting pitcher Mitchell Pitts. Texas State, which finished the 2011
season with a 41-23 overall record, went 24-9 in conference play, recording its
fifth 20-win season in conference play in the last six years.
The
second-, third- and fourth-place teams in both polls are separated by less than
10 points.
Stephen
F. Austin was selected second in the SID poll, gathering the final first-place
from the SIDs and 92 total points. The Lumberjacks, who fell to Texas State in
the conference championship a year ago, finished third in the coaches' poll
with a total of 84 points.
Southeastern
Louisiana was picked second in the coaches' polls and third by the SIDs. The
Lions received a total of 88 points in both polls. UTSA was tabbed fourth by
both the coaches and SIDs. The Roadrunners received 82 points from the coaches
and 83 points from the SIDs.
Sam
Houston State grabbed the final first-place vote from the coaches to land in
the fifth spot with 77 total points. The Bearkats were selected sixth in the
SID poll with 74 points.
Lamar,
which has won conference-best 10 regular season titles, was picked sixth by the
coaches with 67 points and fifth by the SIDs with 79 points.
Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi was tabbed seventh by both coaches and SIDs a year after
finishing third in the regular season. The Islanders received 51 points in the
coaches' poll and 66 points from the SIDs.
UT
Arlington was picked eighth in both the polls with 49 points from the coaches
and 52 from the SIDs.
In
the coaches' poll, McNeese State was selected ninth followed by Northwestern
State, Nicholls State and Central Arkansas to round out the poll. McNeese State
and Nicholls State each collected 39 points to tie for ninth in the SID poll.
Northwestern State and Central Arkansas were tabbed 11th and 12th,
respectively, to fill out the SID poll.
Opening
day of the Southland season is Feb. 17 with conference play beginning March 9.
The Southland Conference tournament will be played May 23-26 at the Bobcat
Baseball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.
2012 Preseason Polls
|
Coaches' Poll
|
|
Rk.
|
Team (first-place
votes)
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
Texas
State (11)
|
121
|
|
2.
|
Southeastern
Louisiana
|
88
|
|
3.
|
Stephen
F. Austin
|
84
|
|
4.
|
UTSA
|
82
|
|
5.
|
Sam
Houston State (1)
|
77
|
|
6.
|
Lamar
|
67
|
|
7.
|
Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi
|
51
|
|
8.
|
UT
Arlington
|
49
|
|
9.
|
McNeese
State
|
43
|
|
10.
|
Northwestern
State
|
42
|
|
11.
|
Nicholls
State
|
39
|
|
12.
|
Central
Arkansas
|
31
|
| |
|
Sports
Information Directors
|
|
Rk.
|
Team (first-place
votes)
|
Points
|
|
1.
|
Texas
State (11)
|
121
|
|
2.
|
Stephen
F. Austin (1)
|
92
|
|
3.
|
Southeastern
Louisiana
|
88
|
|
4.
|
UTSA
|
83
|
|
5.
|
Lamar
|
79
|
|
6.
|
Sam
Houston State
|
74
|
|
7.
|
Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi
|
66
|
|
8.
|
UT
Arlington
|
52
|
|
T9.
|
McNeese
State
|
39
|
|
T9.
|
Nicholls
State
|
39
|
|
11.
|
Northwestern
State
|
31
|
|
12.
|
Central
Arkansas
|
27
|