The Great Lakes Valley Conference league office announced on Thursday its 2013 preseason baseball predictions, according to a vote conducted among the league's 16 baseball coaches.
Like it has for the last several years, the GLVC will be broken into two divisions (East and West), with the top three finishers from each side and the top two remaining teams after that earning a trip to conference championship tournament, which will be held in May.
Defending league champ and 2012 NCAA Midwest Regional winner Indianapolis was the unanimous choice to win the GLVC East this year.
The Greyhounds were 46-16 last year, and earned 120 total points, inclduing every first-place vote possible in the poll (league bylaws prohibit coaches from voting for their own team) to easily outdistance rival Southern Indiana for the top spot in the East.
In the GLVC West, Quincy won a tight vote over Drury to earn top preseason honors.
The Hawks received five first-place votes and 103 total points to slip into the top spot over the Panthers, who also got five first-place votes, but finished with just 101 total points.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons came in third in the voting, receiving three first-place votes and 91 total points, with longtime foe Rockhurst coming in fourth, after landing three first-place votes of its own and 87 total points.
The GLVC baseball schedule will have quite a new look this year, as five-time league champion Northern Kentucky is no longer a member of the conference or even NCAA Division II.
The Norse moved up to NCAA Division I this year and are currently competing as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The GLVC was able to remain a 16-team league, with two eight-team divisions for baseball by adding McKendree University to the league this year.
The Bearcats were successful members of the NAIA collegiate division, but are now in their first season as members of NCAA Division II.
McKendree has also been a regular non-conference opponent of UMSL's the last few seasons, but will host its first game against the Tritons as members of the same conference on March 27 in Lebanon, Ill.
UMSL will return the favor with a game against McKendree at the UMSL Baseball Field on May 1.
Unlike most teams around the country that either have begun playing games already, or will start later this month, UMSL won't play its first actual game of 2013 until March 1, when the Tritons will face Southern Indiana in the opening game of that school's Dunn Hospitality Invitational Tournament in Evansville, Ind.
2013 UMSL TRITONS BASEBALL SCHEDULE
DATE ...... OPPONENT ............ LOCATION ..... TIME
March 1-3 . at USI Invitational .... Evansville, Ind. TBA
March 7-10 at Florida Spring Trip Orlando, Fla. TBA
March 16 .. at Lewis* ................... Romeoville, Ill. Noon
March 17 .. at Lewis* ................... Romeoville, Ill. Noon
March 23 .. vs. Saint Joseph's*..... UMSL Baseball Field Noon
March 24 .. vs. Saint Joseph's*..... UMSL Baseball Field Noon
March 27 .. at McKendree# .......... Lebanon, Ill. 3 p.m.
March 29 .. at Missouri S&T*...... Rolla, Mo. Noon
March 30 .. at Missouri S&T*...... Rolla, Mo. Noon
April 2 ...... at Maryville* ............. Chesterfield, Mo. 4 p.m.
April 6 ...... vs. Drury*.................. UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 7 ...... vs. Drury ................... UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 10 .... vs. Pittsburg State ...... UMSL Baseball Field 1 p.m.
April 13 .... vs. William Jewell* .... UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 14 .... vs. William Jewell* .... UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 17 .... vs. Maryville*............ UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 20 .... at Rockhurst*.............. Kansas City, Mo. Noon
April 21 .... at Rockhurst*.............. Kansas City, Mo. Noon
April 24 .... at Southeast MO State# Cape Girardeau, Mo. 7 p.m.
April 27 .... vs. Illinois-Springfield UMSL Baseball Field Noon
April 28 .... vs. Illinois-Springfield UMSL Baseball Field Noon
May 1 ....... vs. McKendree#......... UMSL Baseball Field 3 p.m.
May 4 ....... at Quincy ................... Quincy, Ill. Noon
May 5 ....... at Quincy ................... Quincy, Ill. Noon
May 9-12 .. at GLVC Tournament Evansville, Ind. TBA
* - denotes GLVC doubleheader
# - denotes single-game date
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