2015 ASC Baseball Preseason Poll, Players Watch List Announced
1/21/2015 7:43:56 AM
RICHARDSON, Texas –Concordia Texas has been picked to win the 2015 American Southwest Conference baseball regular season title after a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media members, announced by the conference office Wednesday (Jan. 21).
Concordia Texas received 19 of 27 possible first-place votes and collected 283 points in the preseason poll. Coach Tommy Boggs returns 20 letter winners from a 2014 squad that won a team record 22 games against conference opponents and captured the ASC regular season title en route to a runner-up finish in the ASC championship tournament.
Texas Dallas was picked second with 247 points and received four first-place votes. LeTourneau, the defending ASC champion, was picked third with 234 points and received two first-place votes. Mary Hardin-Baylor was picked fourth (196), Texas-Tyler fifth (182) with one first-place vote and Louisiana College was tabbed sixth (136).
Howard Payne was picked seventh (135) and received one first-place vote. Hardin-Simmons (8th, 126), Sul Ross State (9th, 114), East Texas Baptist (10th, 78) and Ozarks (11th, 41) complete the polling.
In addition to the preseason poll, a total of 22 players – 11 position and 11 pitchers – were named to the ASC Baseball Preseason Watch List by the head coaches. Among the players returning for the new season are 10 all-conference selections, including Sul Ross State senior shortstop Josh Vasquez (Lubbock, Texas/Frenship HS) and Mary Hardin-Baylor senior center fielder KJ Stark (Killeen, Texas/Killeen HS).
Vasquez, the 2014 ASC Player of the Year, started all 44 games for the Lobos last year and led the league in hits (63), tied for first in triples (4), ranked second in total bases (85) and finished third in batting average (.360) and runs scored (39).
Stark, the 2014 ASC Newcomer of the Year, ranked second in runs scored (40), fifth in walks (28) and tied for seventh in total bases (73). Stark pounded out a .451 slugging percentage, 27 RBI and had 50 hits including 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs.
Other notable returning players include Concordia Texas senior right-hander Cameron Cox (Round Rock, Texas/Stony Point HS) and LeTourneau senior left-hander Cody Whitley (Dickinson, Texas / Dickinson HS). Cox finished last season with an 8-3 record on the mound and recorded a league-best 1.34 ERA in 80.1 innings. Whitley, an ASC All-Tournament selection, finished third in the league with a 1.85 ERA and was 6-3 overall.
The 2015 baseball season is the 19th in ASC history and gets underway January 31 when Sul Ross State travels to the University of Dallas for a non-conference tilt.
2015 ASC Baseball Preseason Poll
|
Rank |
Team (1st place votes) |
Points |
2014 Record |
|
1. |
Concordia Texas |
283 (19) |
31-14/22-10 |
|
2. |
Texas Dallas |
247 (4) |
27-17/19-13 |
|
3. |
LeTourneau |
234 (2) |
33-15/22-11 |
|
4. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
196 |
26-17/19-14 |
|
5. |
Texas-Tyler |
182 (1) |
16-26/14-19 |
|
6. |
Louisiana College |
136 |
16-25/15-18 |
|
7. |
Howard Payne |
135 (1) |
20-23/16-17 |
|
8. |
Hardin-Simmons |
126 |
18-22/14-19 |
|
9. |
Sul Ross State |
114 |
21-23/15-18 |
|
10. |
East Texas Baptist |
78 |
16-24/13-20 |
|
11. |
Ozarks |
41 |
14-26/10-23 |
2015 ASC Baseball Preseason Players to Watch
Players selected by their respective head coach
Position Players
|
Name |
Cl. |
Pos. |
School |
|
Cole Calder |
Sr. |
OF |
Concordia Texas |
|
Tyler Bates* |
Jr. |
OF |
East Texas Baptist |
|
Zack DeLuna |
Jr. |
OF |
Hardin-Simmons |
|
Matt Daniel |
Jr. |
C |
Howard Payne |
|
David Perkins |
Sr. |
1B/DH |
LeTourneau |
|
Mark Riendeau* |
Sr. |
INF/OF |
Louisiana College |
|
KJ Stark* |
Sr. |
CF |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
|
Sam Shook |
Sr. |
OF |
Ozarks |
|
Josh Vasquez* |
Sr. |
SS |
Sul Ross State |
|
Brandon George* |
Jr. |
3B |
Texas Dallas |
|
Buddy McCoy* |
Sr. |
C/1B |
Texas-Tyler |
Pitchers
|
Name |
Cl. |
Pos. |
School |
|
Cameron Cox* |
Sr. |
RHP |
Concordia Texas |
|
Ashley Dukes |
So. |
RHP |
East Texas Baptist |
|
Blake Northrop |
So. |
RHP |
Hardin-Simmons |
|
Matt Parks* |
So. |
LHP |
Howard Payne |
|
Cody Whitley* |
Sr. |
LHP |
LeTourneau |
|
Brand Bignar |
Sr. |
RHP |
Louisiana College |
|
Kreece Cooper |
Sr. |
RHP |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
|
Andrew Beck |
So. |
RHP |
Ozarks |
|
Justin Vajgert |
Sr. |
RHP |
Sul Ross State |
|
Tyler Dauer* |
Sr. |
RHP |
Texas Dallas |
|
Cade Suggs |
So. |
LHP |
Texas-Tyler |
*2014 All-Conference