PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After winning its second American Athletic Conference baseball title in 2018, ECU was chosen as the 2019 favorite by the league’s nine coaches in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.
The 2018 American Player of the Year, ECU junior outfielder Bryant Packard, was voted as the conference’s 2019 Preseason Player of the Year, while UConn’s All-America southpaw Mason Feole was unanimously tabbed as The American’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Both players earned spots on the 2018 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team roster.
Packard became the first player in program history to earn seven All-America nods in 2018 and had at least one hit in 32-consecutive games on the way to setting the league’s single-season batting average record at .406, which ended the year ranked sixth nationally. He also stood first in the American Athletic Conference in hits (89), slugging percentage (.671) and total bases (147) and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.
Feole finished the 2018 season with a 2.50 ERA, nine wins and 120 strikeouts through 16 starts and 100.2 innings pitched. His wins and strikeouts each ended the year tied for first in The American. Feole received four All-America accolades and became the ace of the UConn pitching staff midway through last season.
ECU collected 60 points and six first-place votes in the preseason poll, entering the 2019 season on the heels of a historic campaign in which the Pirates became the third conference team to host an NCAA regional. ECU held off UConn, 4-3, in The American’s tournament championship to capture its second title since 2015 as a No. 3 seed. The Pirates finished the year with a 44-18 overall record and a 14-10 conference mark, leading The American in RPI rankings at No. 15. ECU led the league with 356 RBIs, 58 home runs, 393 runs scored and fewest walks allowed (170). In addition to Packard, a host of the Pirates’ starters return to the clubhouse, including 2018 conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year Alec Burleson and first team All-Conference first baseman Spencer Brickhouse, along with three preseason All-Conference selections: junior righthanded pitcher Tyler Smith, junior lefthanded pitcher Jake Agnos and junior catcher Jake Washer.
Houston was picked second in the preseason poll with two first-place votes and 55 points after the Cougars won their second outright regular-season title and their first since 2015. The Cougars went 38-25 overall with a 16-8 conference record, finishing two wins ahead of any other American team in conference play. Houston earned a bid to the NCAA Chapel Hill regional for its fourth postseason appearance in five years. The Cougars had two preseason All-Conference selections in junior third baseman Jared Triolo and senior designated hitter Joe Davis. Davis has accounted for a trio of conference career records through his three years with the Cougars. His 229 hits, 35 home runs and 382 total bases all stand as conference records. In 2018 he led the league with 62 RBIs. Triolo ranked third in the league with a .344 batting average and was second with 85 hits in 2018. Head coach Todd Whitting was named the 2018 American Coach of the Year.
UConn earned one first-place vote and 52 points, finishing third in the poll. The Huskies went 37-22-1 and 14-10 in conference play, earning 23 road wins to tie for the nation’s lead and set a program record. UConn made its 20th NCAA regional appearance and its fifth since 2010 last season, competing in the Conway regional. The Huskies ended the year ranked No. 20 in the NCAA’s final RPI report. In addition to Feole, junior relief pitcher Jake Wallace and junior shortstop Anthony Prato were voted to the preseason All-Conference team. Prato batted .320 with 78 hits and 11 doubles last year. Wallace made 28 appearances out of the bullpen in 2018, recording 63 strikeouts and a 3.95 ERA. The Huskies also return 2018 Rookie Position Player of the Year Isaac Feldstein, who tied for third in the league with 14 home runs.
UCF finished fourth in the poll with 44 points following a 35-21 season and a 13-10 conference slate. It marked UCF’s 22nd 35-win season. The Knights ended the year ranked first nationally with nine shutouts, seventh with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, ninth with a conference-record 109 stolen bases and 13th with a 3.32 ERA. Righthanded pitcher Chris Williams and junior outfielder Ray Alejo were voted to the preseason All-Conference team. Williams held a 2.81 ERA through 15 appearances with 79 strikeouts in 2018. Alejo led the league with 34 stolen bases, while hitting .299 with 14 doubles and three triples.
USF placed fifth in the poll with 35 points and is coming off a historic year in which the Bulls set single-season conference records in batting average (.296), slugging percentage (.464), doubles (147) and total bases (951). USF finished second in The American with a 14-9-1 record and 36-22-1 overall mark, earning its third NCAA regional appearance in four years. Senior first baseman Joe Genord and senior outfielder Kyle Phillips each earned spots on the preseason All-Conference team. Genord tied for the conference’s lead with 16 home runs and recorded a .633 slugging percentage in 2018. Phillips batted .333 with 13 doubles and 22 RBIs.
Tulane returns four of its top five hitters from 2018, including first baseman Trevor Jensen (.306) and second baseman Jonathon Artigues (.303) who each hit over .300. Additionally, the Green Wave returns starters Keagan Gillies and Kaleb Roper to the pitching staff. Tulane was picked sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll with 30 points after a 25-33 season, including a 9-14 conference record.
Wichita State enters its second year in The American after a 35-21-1 inaugural campaign with a 9-14-1 conference slate. Senior second baseman Luke Ritter ranked fifth in the conference with a .341 batting average to help the Shockers hit .289 as a team to finish second in batting average in The American. He was placed on the preseason All-Conference team. Ritter also finished second in the league with 56 runs scored and recorded 76 hits.
Cincinnati finished 28-28 in 2018 with a 12-12 conference record and was voted eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll with 16 points. The Bearcats return four key position players to the lineup, including first baseman Eric Santiago and designated hitter Cole Murphy, as well as outfielders AJ Bumpass and Joey Wiemer. The Bearcats led the nation with 1.27 double plays per game and finished second in the NCAA with 71 double plays in 2018.
Memphis went 20-36 overall and 5-19 in American play in 2018, as the Tigers were picked ninth with nine points in the preseason poll. Third baseman Cale Hennemann led Memphis with a .299 batting average and two triples, as he joins first baseman Kyle Ouellette and shortstop Alec Trela, who combined for 70 RBIs in returning back to the lineup.
The 2019 baseball season begins on Friday, February 15, as all nine American Athletic Conference teams will be in action. Conference play begins on Friday, March 22.
The American received four NCAA regional bids in 2018, which were the most since 2015 and tied for the fourth-most bids among the 31 NCAA Division I conferences. The American ended its 2018 campaign with a .627 winning percentage against nonconference opponents, as its 177-105-1 nonconference record finished top five in the nation.
2019 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. ECU (6) 60
2. Houston (2) 55
3. UConn (1) 52
4. UCF 44
5. USF 35
6. Tulane 30
7. Wichita State 23
8. Cincinnati 16
9. Memphis 9
2019 PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Pos Name 2018 Statistics
P Chris Williams* – UCF 4-3, 2.81 ERA, 93.0 IP, 79 K
P Mason Feole* – UConn 9-2, 2.50 ERA, 100.2 IP, 120 K
P Jake Agnos – ECU 4-4, 4.10 ERA, 63.2 IP, 86 K
P Tyler Smith – ECU 7-1, 1.78 ERA, 60.2 IP, 34 K
RP Jake Wallace – UConn 1-0, 3.95 ERA, 3 SV, 43.1 IP, 63 K
C Jake Washer – ECU .287, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 10 2B, 1 3B, .436 SLG
1B Joe Genord – USF .306, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 11 2B, .633 SLG, 114 TB
2B Luke Ritter – Wichita State .341, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 12 2B, 1 3B, 76 H, 108 TB, .484 SLG
SS Anthony Prato* – UConn .320, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 11 2B, 2 3B, 18 SB, 78 H, .406 SLG
3B Jared Triolo* – Houston .344, 85 H, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 11 2B, 1 3B, 17 SB, .457 SLG
OF Ray Alejo – UCF .299, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 14 2B, 3 3B, 34 SB
OF Bryant Packard – ECU .406, 89 H, 14 HR, 16 2B, .671 SLG, 50 RBI
OF Kyle Phillips – USF .333, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 13 2B, .477 SLG
DH Joe Davis* – Houston .318, 77 H, 18 2B, 13 HR, 62 RBI, 134 TB, .554 SLG
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
OF Bryant Packard – ECU .406, 89 H, 14 HR, 16 2B, .671 SLG, 50 RBI
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
LHP Mason Feole* – UConn 9-2, 2.50 ERA, 100.2 IP, 120 K
* unanimous selection
