RSC Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll Released

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Indiana University Southeast is predicted as top team this year in the 2020 River States Conference Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Grenadiers, ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll, are picked to repeat as first place in the league.

IU Southeast, which was 37-20 overall, 21-6 RSC last year, received a total of 60 votes in the polling of the RSC head coaches. They earned five of the nine first-place votes to edge out Indiana University Kokomo in the poll. IU Kokomo received 56 total votes and the remaining four first-place votes for second place.

IU Southeast was once again in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. The Grenadiers won two games at the national tournament before falling just a couple games shy of the NAIA World Series.

IU Kokomo was 36-18, 19-8 RSC last year and made a run to the RSC Championship finals. The Cougars placed third in the conference last year and have won over 30 games in both of their years as a program.

University of Rio Grande (Ohio) came in third in the preseason poll with 52 total votes. The RedStorm were 39-21 overall, 18-9 RSC last year. After finishing fourth in the standings, Rio Grande won the RSC Championship and finished with the most overall wins in the RSC.

Rio Grande upset No. 10 Middle Georgia in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round before running into No. 1 Southeastern and No. 10 Middle Georgia again. The RedStorm start this year "receiving votes" in the NAIA Top 25 and are 29th overall in the country.

Point Park (Pa.) University placed fourth in the preseason poll with 46 points. The Pioneers (32-17, 19-8 RSC) were second place in last year's regular season.

Midway (Ky.) University (27-27, 14-13 RSC) and Asbury (Ky.) University (24-22, 15-12 RSC) are predicted fifth and sixth with 33 and 28 points, respectively. They are predicted as the final two playoff teams this year although they were flip-flopped in last year's playoff bracket.

WVU Tech (20-30, 10-17 RSC) was picked seventh with 26 points, the same spot it finished last year. Brescia (Ky.) University (15 votes) and Ohio Christian University (8 votes) rounded out the nine teams. Cincinnati Christian University announced its closure prior to the poll's release.

2020 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE BASEBALL COACHES' PRESEASON POLL (NOV. 22, 2019)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)