Baseball Ties for Seventh in Preseason Poll

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With the beginning of the 2008 season just weeks away, the CSU baseball team tied for seventh place in the Big South Conference preseason poll, the league announced today. Senior left-handed pitcher Payton Tweddale placed third in the preseason Pitcher of the Year voting, earning four points, including one first-place vote.

Coastal Carolina was unanimously chosen as the preseason favorite, receiving the maximum 128 points after winning 50 games for the second time in three seasons. The Chanticleers had a clean sweep of the preseason voting, with junior outfielder David Sappelt tabbed the Player of the Year and junior teammate Bobby Gagg chosen as Pitcher of the year. The voting panel consisted of the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information contacts.

The Chanticleers finished ahead of VMI in the preseason poll, as the Keydets collected 97 points to edge out third-place Liberty by one point.  Winthrop was picked fourth with 88 points, while High Point finished fifth in the voting with 61 points.  UNC Asheville received 56 points for sixth-place, while the Buccaneers and Radford tied for seventh-place in the preseason poll with 25 points each.

With no Player of the Year nominee, Tweddale was CSU’s lone individual represented in the preseason voting. Gagg earned 24 out of a possible 32 points, receiving 11 first-place votes to edge out Michael Bowman of VMI (14 points, 3 first-place votes.) Tweddale finished with four points, including one first place vote, to finish ahead of Alan DeRatt of UNC Asheville (3 points) and Dustin Umberger of Liberty (2 points, 1 first-place vote).

Preseason Player of the Year Voting (first-place votes)
David Sappelt - 26 points (10)
Alex Gregory - 8 (1)
Kevin Mattison - 4 (2)
Garrett Young - 4 (1)
Randy Schwartz - 3 (1)
John Murrian - 2 (1)
 
Preseason Pitcher of the Year Voting (first-place votes)
Bobby Gagg - 24 points (11)
Michael Bowman - 14 (3)
Payton Tweddale - 4 (1)
Alan DeRatt - 3
Dustin Umberger - 2 (1)