WCU Baseball Team Picked as Favorites

The following is a press release from the West Chester University Athletic Department.

Defending conference champion West Chester University was selected to repeat as the PSAC East champion in the 2013 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll it was announced on Tuesday.
 
West Chester (46-10, 16-8 PSAC East) defeated Kutztown, 10-0, in the PSAC Championship Game a year ago to win its seventh conference crown in school history. That victory was the second in a string of 12 straight by the Golden Rams to close out the 2012 season with the NCAA Division II national championship. Kutztown is the last team to have beaten West Chester, knocking off the Rams in the second round of the double-elimination postseason tournament. However, that was WCU’s only playoff loss last spring.
 
The Golden Rams return a solid nucleus of pitching, along with four starters, to a club that is poised to make another run at the division title and conference crown again this spring. West Chester received two first-place votes to top the Eastern Division. Shippensburg, which also received two first-place votes, was picked second with PSAC runner-up Kutztown third. East Stroudsburg, which received two first-place votes, was picked fourth. Millersville, Bloomsburg and Mansfield were fifth through seventh, respectively, with Mansfield receiving one first-place tally.
 
In the West, Mercyhurst received six first-place votes and is the odds-on favorite to repeat as champion. Slippery Rock was picked second and received the only other first-place tally. California (Pa.) was picked third, Indiana (Pa.) was fourth and Gannon fifth. Lock Haven and Clarion were picked sixth and seventh, respectively.
 

Eastern Division
1. West Chester (2)
2. Shippensburg (2)
3. Kutztown
4. East Stroudsburg (2)
5. Millersville
6. Bloomsburg
7. Mansfield (1)

Western Division
1. Mercyhurst (6)
2. Slippery Rock (1)
3. California (Pa.)
4. IUP
5. Gannon
6. Lock Haven
7. Clarion