NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Saint Louis has been tabbed the preseason favorite to win the 2016 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Championship, according to the preseason poll conducted by the league’s 13 head coaches and released on Thursday.
Saint Louis recorded a total of 161 points, including seven first-place votes to claim the top spot. The Billikens enter the 2016 season as the defending four-time Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season champions and return five starters and two weekend starting pitchers from the 2015 team that went 35-21 overall, the third-most wins in SLU history.
Defending A-10 Champion VCU finished second with 148 points and four first-place votes. The Rams are coming off their first appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals in program history.
Selected third in the poll was Rhode Island, who had 138 points and two first-place votes. Richmond (132 points) and George Washington (116 points) rounded out the top-five.
Davidson placed sixth with 92 points, while Saint Joseph’s earned 91 points for the seventh spot. Fordham and George Mason finished tied for eighth in the poll. La Salle finished 10th, while Dayton and Massachusetts tied for 11th and St. Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
The 2016 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be hosted by Fordham at Houlihan Park, May 25-28 in Bronx, N.Y.
2016 Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
(Number of first place votes in parenthesis)
- Saint Louis (7)…………………….. 161
-
VCU (4)………………………………. 148
3 Rhode Island (2)…………………. 138
- Richmond…………………………… 132
-
George Washington…………… 116
-
Davidson……………………………. 92
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Saint Joseph’s…………………….. 91
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Fordham…………………………….. 79
George Mason......................... 79 - La Salle……………………………….. 45
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Dayton……………………………….. 39
Massachusetts......................... 39 -
St. Bonaventure………………….. 24
