ALVERNIA FAVORED IN COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL

Annville, PA – Alvernia University has topped the annual Commonwealth Conference baseball coach’s preseason poll, earning 36 votes as the unanimous first place selection. 

Alvernia enters the 2012 campaign looking for the one win that eluded them last year. In 2011 the Crusaders finished with 38 wins, but were one win shy of making it to the Division III College World Series. They return the Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year, senior Andrew Kirk (10-2, 1.62 ERA, 118 strikeouts) and Commonwealth Player of the Year, junior Chris Ray (.419 average, 72 hits, 41 RBIs) and each of the top five hitters for a team that batted .321.

Head Coach Yogi Lutz, the recently crowned King of Baseball town, enters his 26th season and is approaching 700 career wins. He and the Crusaders have stacked the schedule with regional powers including Johns Hopkins, Kean, Rowan, Keystone, and TCNJ. The season commences Saturday, Feb. 25 at Roanoke College, and the Spring Break trip starts Mar. 4 in Ft. Pierce, Florida, against Freedom preseason favorite Misericordia.

“I think it¹s great to start the season ranked number one, but in the end, it will take a lot of hard work to finish there in a very competitive conference. I believe our schedule will certainly test us early and often to see how we stack up against the nation¹s best teams,” said Lutz.

The Commonwealth Conference Tournament begins May 3, followed by the championship game on May 5.

2012 COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Alvernia   36 pts. (7)
2. Messiah   30 pts.
3t. Elizabethown    24 pts.
3t. Widener   24 pts.
5. Lebanon Valley 16 pts.
6. Albright    11 pts.
7. Arcadia   6 pts.
(#) denotes first place votes