NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - The two-time defending Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Champions Wilmington University baseball team was unanimously picked to three-peat and finish atop the CACC, as voted upon by the 11 CACC head baseball coaches in the preseason poll.

Wilmington earned all 11 first place votes, tallying 121 total points to finish far and away above the field. Dominican earned eight second place votes to finish second with 107 points. Felician, last season's regular season champs, earned 99 points to finish third. An up and coming Nyack squad took 74 points to finish fourth.

The top six teams advance to the CACC Tournament with the top two seeds earning a first round bye. The tournament then shifts to Wilson Field at Jim Sherman Sr. Stadium starting with the second round before heading to Wilmington Blue Rocks' Frawley Stadium for the final games. Bloomfield earned 68 points to finish fifth and Concordia picked up 56 points to round out the predicted CACC Tournament field.

The Wildcats went 33-18 overall last season, finishing second in the CACC standings to earn a bye in the first round of the CACC Tournament with a 14-6 record. The Wildcats started 2-6 in conference play before winning the final 12 CACC contests from April 5 to the end of the season. The team won each of its three games in the CACC Tournament to capture its second straight, and third in the last four seasons, CACC Tournament Championship, earning the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA East Region Tournament.

The 2013 squad returns 16 letterwinners from last year's championship team, including three field starters and its top two starting pitchers. Junior Jamie Treml is the lone returner that earned postseason accolades in 2012, being named Second Team All-CACC and ABCA All-Region. He also picked up East Region All-Tournament and All-CACC Tournament team honors, including being named the CACC Tournament MVP by posting a CACC Tournament record 16 strikeouts in a complete game shutout over Dominican in the second round.

The Wildcats begin their CACC title defense, and prove the other 11 head coaches correct on March 15 with a doubleheader against CACC power Dominican. They then head to USciences before opening their CACC home slate against Bloomfield on March 23.

AGATE

2013 CACC Baseball Preseason Poll

1 – Wilmington, 121 points (11 first place votes)
2 – Dominican, 107
3 – Felician, 99
4 – Nyack, 74
5 – Bloomfield, 68
6 – Concordia, 56
7 – Post, 53
8 – Usciences, 43
9 – Chestnut Hill, 36
10 – Caldwell, 34
11 – Philadelphia, 31