Lyons ranked 18th in D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Poll

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team is ranked 18th in the 2012 D3baseball.com/National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Top 25.

The Lyons – who were ranked 16th in the 2012 College Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll earlier this month – received a total of 196 points following a 2011 campaign which saw them post a 32-12 record. As a result, Wheaton appeared in its 10th NCAA Tournament in 12 seasons, advancing to the semifinals of the New England tourney. The Lyons won a share of their 12th New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season title at 13-5 while earning their 11th tournament crown. 

Head coach Eric Podbelski returns 21 players from that squad – including first team all-conference selections Dan Haugh, Frank Holbrook, Eric Jensen, and Hal Landers. Last week, Haugh was named to the 2012 D3baseball.com Preseason All-America First Team.

"It's certainly nice to be recognized by the voters as a strong baseball program, but I think we all know that preseason polls are an indication of past successes more than anything else," said Podbelski. "It's a credit to the guys who have played in this program over the years for putting us in a position to be recognized. As far as this year's team, we still haven't played a game yet and will need to prove ourselves on the field."

Wheaton was one of three northeast region schools featured in the poll, along with Eastern Connecticut (No. 12) and Western New England (No. 15). The top five included (in order): Marietta (265 points, 25 first-place votes), Chapman, Kean, Linfield, and Cortland State. Fellow NEWMAC member MIT received seven votes.

The Lyons open the 2012 season on March 9 when the face Husson in Winter Haven, Fla. Last season, Wheaton dealt Husson an 8-4 in an elimination game in the second round of the NCAA New England Regional Tournament.