January 15, 2009
USI baseball picked to win GLVC West
Eagles hoping to repeat as West champion
Complete GLVC Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team was picked as the favorite in the 2009 GLVC West Division in a vote of the conference coaches. The Screaming Eagles collected 25 points and five of the six first-place votes in the annual coaches' poll.
USI is hoping to bring home a second-straight division crown after winning the West last spring with a record of 36-20 overall and 24-7 in the conference. The regular season conference title was a first for the Eagles since 1993.
The Eagles are led by All-American and All-GLVC right-handed closer Shaun Larsen (Tell City, Indiana), who led Division II with 17 saves last year. USI also returns All-GLVC third baseman Alex Thieroff (Greenfield, Indiana) and All-GLVC designated hitter Chad Werry (New Harmony, Indiana).
Drury University finished second in the West Division poll with 21 points and the remaining first-place vote. The Panthers were followed by Quincy University, Rockhurst University, Missouri University of Science & Techonology, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
In the East Division, Northern Kentucky University was awarded 34 points and four first-place votes in being selected as the front-runner. NKU was followed by Bellarmine University, who had 30 points and one first-place vote, and Saint Joseph's College, who had 27 points and two first-place votes. The University of Indianapolis followed Saint Joseph's with Lewis University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside rounding out the rest of the division.
USI begins the 2009 campaign February 6 at Armstrong Atlantic State University for a three-game series. The first home game for the Eagles is February 25 when Kentucky Wesleyan comes to Evansville for a non-conference doubleheader.
2009 Preseason GLVC Baseball Poll
East
Northern Kentucky (4)34
Bellarmine (1) 30
Saint Joseph's (2) 27
Indianapolis 23
Lewis 15
Kentucky Wesleyan 11
UW-Parkside 7
West
Southern Indiana (5) 25
Drury (1) 21
Quincy 15
Rockhurst 11
Missouri S&T 10
Missouri-St. Louis 8
Ray Simmons, USI Sports Information
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