2013 Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
South Easton, Mass. - The Adelphi University baseball team is predicted to finish in fifth place in the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division as voted by the league's coaches, it was announced on Wednesday. The Panthers, who finished fifth in the Southwest in 2012 with an 11-10 divisional record, narrowly missed the playoffs in the first season after divisional realignment. Adelphi opens the 2013 season on Monday, February 25, at home against Bloomfield College.
Franklin Pierce University and Le Moyne College have earned the top spots in their respective divisions in the 2013 poll. Franklin Pierce received 108 points and 12 first-place votes to place first in the Northeast Division voting, while Le Moyne garnered 112 points and 14 first-place tallies to take the Southwest Division poll.
Both programs were among four Northeast-10 schools to reach the NCAA East Regional a year ago, as Franklin Pierce (38-19-1) won a share of the Northeast Division with a 14-6-1 record, while Le Moyne (43-15-1) finished second in the Southwest with a 15-6 record en route to winning the Northeast-10 Championship in its first year back with the conference after reclassifying from the Division I level. Franklin Pierce is ranked ninth in the most recent Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, with Le Moyne coming in at No. 24.
Southern New Hampshire University (43-15), which is coming off its first-ever Division II College World Series appearance a year ago, finished second in the Northeast Division poll with 99 points and four first-place votes. The Penmen, currently ranked No. 20 in the nation, missed last year's Northeast-10 Championship after going 12-9 in divisional play, but were still selected to host the NCAA Regional before advancing to the CWS in Cary, N.C.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell (26-20-1) finished third in the Northeast Division voting with 92 points, while Stonehill College (30-19) was fourth with 61 points. Saint Anselm College (29-25-2) finished fifth with 57 points a year removed from going to its first-ever NCAA Regional and hosting the Northeast-10 Championship. Bentley University (28-23) was sixth with 50 points, while Merrimack College (17-32) and Saint Michael's College (11-29) rounded out the poll with 40 and 15 points, respectively.
Southern Connecticut State University (31-17) finished second in the Southwest Division voting with 92 points and one first-place vote, while Pace University (29-19) was third with 81 points and one first-place tally. Pace won the Southwest regular-season title last season with a 17-4 divisional mark. The University of New Haven (25-19-1) finished fourth with 75 points, followed by Adelphi (23-22) and The College of Saint Rose (15-29) with 63 and 42 points, respectively. Assumption College (13-21) totaled 25 points and American International College (17-27-1) received 22 points to round out the poll.
For the complete poll results, please see below.
The Northeast-10 is entering its second season of divisional play, as teams play 21 games within their division and eight more contests of crossover play. The top four teams from each division – based on their 21-game divisional record – will advance to the Northeast-10 Championship. Overall conference record serves as a tiebreaker if teams are tied in divisional play as well as head-to-head record.
2013 Northeast-10 Baseball Coaches' Poll Northeast Division
1. Franklin Pierce (12) – 108
2. So. New Hampshire (4) – 99
3. UMass Lowell – 92
4. Stonehill – 61
5. Saint Anselm – 57
6. Bentley – 50
7. Merrimack – 40
8. Saint Michael's – 15
Southwest Division
1. Le Moyne (14) – 112
2. So. Connecticut (1) – 92
3. Pace (1) – 81
4. New Haven – 75
5. Adelphi – 63
6. Saint Rose – 42
7. Assumption – 25
8. American Int'l – 22
( ) – indicates first-place votes
