Findlay Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay baseball team was picked to finish seventh in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) this season according to the Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour.
The Oilers received a total of 77 points in the poll. Last season's regular season champion, Ohio Dominican, was selected as the favorite while last year's conference tournament champion, Hillsdale, was slotted third. Kentucky Wesleyan, last year's tournament runner-up, was picked second.
Findlay finished last season in fourth place in the North Division of the league after posting a conference record of 15-10 and earned an at-large bid to the conference tournament bid, their first appearance in the postseason in ten seasons. The Oilers went 1-2 at last year's tournament, bowing out in the consolation quarterfinals.
Returning to lead the Oilers in 2019 are a pair of all-conference performers from a year ago. Sophomore Ethan St. Clair and senior Derrick Herd each earned honorable mention all-conference status last season.
Herd will start at shortstop for Findlay and last season finished with a .317 batting average and led the team with 52 hits and 11 stolen bases. He drove in 23 runs on the year while striking out just 22 times in 164 at-bats.
St. Clair was the team's leader at the plate last season as he hit a team-high .333 on the year. St. Clair had 49 hits and was second on the team with 13 extra base hits.
On the hill, senior Alex Harter returns with the most experience after throwing 45.1 innings a season ago. He finished with a 4-3 record in eight starts and had an ERA of 3.57, allowing 18 earned runs in his time on the mound. Harter's best outing of the year came on March 19 against Davis & Elkins when he threw a complete game, five-hitter without allowing an earned run.
Findlay will kick off their season on Sunday, March 3 in Winter Haven Florida when they begin play at the RussMatt College Baseball Invitational.
Preseason Poll
- Ohio Dominican - 136 Points (7 first-place votes)
- Kentucky Wesleyan - 130 Points (4 first-place votes)
- Hillsdale - 120 Points (1 first-place vote)
- Malone - 105 Points (1 first-place vote)
- Trevecca Nazarene - 101 Points
- Walsh - 93 Points
- Findlay - 77 Points
- Tiffin - 72 Points
- Ohio Valley - 52 Points
- Alderson Broaddus - 45 Points
- Lake Erie - 41 Points
- Cedarville - 23 Points
- Davis & Elkins - 19 Points