2008 Woodie Awards
Baseball ranked second in Ohio Valley Conference pre-season coaches poll
Staff Reports
Issue date: 1/26/06 Section: Sports
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BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Jacksonville State is picked second in the 2006 OVC regular-season preseason baseball poll, as voted by the league's 10 head coaches.
Austin Peay received five first-place votes and 77 points in the conference poll to edge past Jacksonville State, who earned four first-place votes and finished second with 76 points. Eastern Kentucky (57 points) picked up the lone remaining first-place nod and was selected third, while Murray State (54 points) was picked fourth.
Southeast Missouri (53 points) garnered a number five spot, followed by Samford (36 points) in sixth. Eastern Illinois and Morehead State tied for seventh place with 33 points apiece, while Tennessee Tech (19 points) and Tennessee-Martin (12 points) rounded out the poll in ninth and 10th place, respectively.
"I think it's a big honor to be picked near the top in the league," said JSU head coach Jim Case. "Preseason rankings, although they get talked about a lot, don't really mean much as the season gets going."
Jacksonville State claimed its first OVC regular-season title a year ago with a 19-8 mark in league action, then closed out the season with a 35-25 record after capturing a runner-up finish in the OVC tournament. The Gamecocks are the only team in the OVC to receive votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
In addition to bringing back five position starters, fifth-year head coach Jim Case returns all 11 members of a pitching staff that registered a Conference-low 4.31 ERA and led the league with 400 strikeouts in 2005. Case earned the 2005 OVC Coach of the Year Award in just JSU's second season in the league.
Headlining the top returnees are a pair of first team All-OVC selections in sophomore righthander Donovan Hand (Town Creek, Ala.) and senior reliever Lee Drinkard (Eva, Ala.). Hand was named the 2005 OVC Freshman of the Year after tallying a 10-3 record and league-low 2.60 ERA, while Drinkard went 7-1 with five saves and a 1.77 ERA.
Also returning is the second team All-OVC junior duo of shortstop Jake Ball (Hokes Bluff, Ala.) and outfielder Brian Piazza (Montgomery, Ala.). Ball ranked among league leaders in batting (.361), hits (82) and on-base percentage (.438), while Piazza hit .313 and rapped out a Conference-high six triples.
Jacksonville State opens the 2006 season on February 17-19 in Hammond, La., with a three-game series against Southeast Louisiana.
Austin Peay received five first-place votes and 77 points in the conference poll to edge past Jacksonville State, who earned four first-place votes and finished second with 76 points. Eastern Kentucky (57 points) picked up the lone remaining first-place nod and was selected third, while Murray State (54 points) was picked fourth.
Southeast Missouri (53 points) garnered a number five spot, followed by Samford (36 points) in sixth. Eastern Illinois and Morehead State tied for seventh place with 33 points apiece, while Tennessee Tech (19 points) and Tennessee-Martin (12 points) rounded out the poll in ninth and 10th place, respectively.
"I think it's a big honor to be picked near the top in the league," said JSU head coach Jim Case. "Preseason rankings, although they get talked about a lot, don't really mean much as the season gets going."
Jacksonville State claimed its first OVC regular-season title a year ago with a 19-8 mark in league action, then closed out the season with a 35-25 record after capturing a runner-up finish in the OVC tournament. The Gamecocks are the only team in the OVC to receive votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
In addition to bringing back five position starters, fifth-year head coach Jim Case returns all 11 members of a pitching staff that registered a Conference-low 4.31 ERA and led the league with 400 strikeouts in 2005. Case earned the 2005 OVC Coach of the Year Award in just JSU's second season in the league.
Headlining the top returnees are a pair of first team All-OVC selections in sophomore righthander Donovan Hand (Town Creek, Ala.) and senior reliever Lee Drinkard (Eva, Ala.). Hand was named the 2005 OVC Freshman of the Year after tallying a 10-3 record and league-low 2.60 ERA, while Drinkard went 7-1 with five saves and a 1.77 ERA.
Also returning is the second team All-OVC junior duo of shortstop Jake Ball (Hokes Bluff, Ala.) and outfielder Brian Piazza (Montgomery, Ala.). Ball ranked among league leaders in batting (.361), hits (82) and on-base percentage (.438), while Piazza hit .313 and rapped out a Conference-high six triples.
Jacksonville State opens the 2006 season on February 17-19 in Hammond, La., with a three-game series against Southeast Louisiana.