Baseball Picked Fifth in West Division of G-MAC Preseason Poll
Indianapolis, Ind. – The University of Findlay baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the West Division of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as the office released their annual Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour.
The Oilers received 21 points in the poll after finishing the 2019 season with a 15-28 record and a 9-21 mark in league play. Kentucky Wesleyan was selected as the favorite to win the West Division while Ohio Dominican was chosen as the favorite in the east.
After losing Derrick Herd, Trevor Anderson, and Nic Varda, Findlay's top three hitters last season, to graduation, the Oilers will rely on some new faces to step into leading roles this season.
Senior Casey Gould has been a staple in the lineup for the Oilers over the past couple of seasons and returns for his final year after hitting .277 in 42 games played in 2019. Gould roped 38 base hits last season and is the top returner in that category. He also is already the school record holder with 39 hit-by-pitches and has a career on-base percentage of .414.
Now upperclassmen, juniors Tyler Burley and Ryan Johnson will take on larger roles as well. Burley hit .299 last season and drove in 14 runs while Johnson hit .250 and drove in 18. Burley led the team with six stolen bases last season.
Sophomore Alex Foulks is back after leading the team with five home runs in his freshman season and fifth-year senior Jordan Williams returns to help patrol the outfield after a pair of seasons have been shortened due to injury.
On the hill, the Oilers top three innings-eaters last season are all gone. The trio of Alex Harter, Hunter Weis, and Tyler Kennedy combined for 24 starts and more than 140 innings last year.
Senior Tyler Rendlesham returns for his final season after a year in which he started seven games and struck out 32 batters in 41.1 innings of work. After Rendlesham, no other returning pitcher had more than 34 innings of work last season.
East Division
- Ohio Dominican - 54 pts (4 first-place votes)
- Malone - 50 pts (4 first-place votes)
- Walsh - 47 pts (4 first-place votes)
- Lake Erie - 29 pts
- Alderson Broaddus - 25 pts
- Ohio Valley - 11 pts
West Division
- Kentucky Wesleyan - 56 pts (7 first-place votes)
- Tiffin - 45 pts (3 first-place votes)
- Trevecca Nazarene - 44 pts (2 first-place votes)
- Hillsdale - 37 pts
- Findlay - 21 pts
- Cedarville - 13 pts