NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - The target remains on the back of the Wilmington University baseball team prior to the 2012 season even starting, as the Wildcats were picked first in the 2012 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference pre-season coaches' poll, announced by the conference office on Friday.
Wilmington, which won the 2011 CACC Tournament Championship as the number two seed, nearly took the top spot of the 2012 preseason poll unanimously, picking up 120 points and 10 of the 11 first place votes. Dominican, last year's regular season champion and the winner of the 2010 CACC Tournament, took the other first place vote and collected 105 points, picked to finish second.
The Wildcats lost the reigning CACC Pitcher of the Year Joe Harris, who signed to play professionally with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks out of the American Association of Independent Pro Baseball league, but returns CACC Player of the Year Mike Godwin, and CACC Rookie of the Year Jamie Treml.
Godwin also picked up the CACC All-Tournament Team MVP honors last season and will be accompanied again by CACC All-Tournament outfielder and pitcher Joe Harbach. Along with Godwin, Jordan Oncay was also named to the First Team All-CACC as an outfielder and the team's closer. All three make up this year's team captains.
The Wildcats will look to improve upon their 37-12 overall record from a year ago, but most importantly look for back-to-back CACC Tournament championships and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament. The Wildcats went 0-2 in last year's regional as the third seed.
Post was picked to finish third with 97 points, followed by Felician (84) and Concordia (66) to round out the top five. Caldwell and Chestnut Hill were tied in sixth with 61 points each, while USciences fell right behind in eighth with 56 points. Rounding out the final three positions are Bloomfield (39), Philadelphia (24) and Nyack (13).
Wilmington begins its 2012 season with a home weekend series against Merrimack on March 3-4. The Wildcats will play a three-game set against the NE-10 foe for heading to Florida for eight games starting March 6.
AGATE:
2012 CACC Pre-Season Baseball Coaches Poll
- Wilmington (10 first place votes) – 120 points
- Dominican (1) – 105
- Post – 97
- Felician – 84
- Concordia – 66
- Caldwell – 61
Chestnut Hill – 61 - USciences – 56
- Bloomfield – 39
- Philadelphia – 24
- Nyack - 13