January 23, 2018

Cortland chosen as top seed in 2018 SUNYAC Coaches Preseason Poll

CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University at New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has released its 2018 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll for the upcoming season. The Cortland Red Dragons have been voted as the top team this season with a total of 48 points, with the Lakers of Oswego coming in second at 41 points. The Brockport Eagles earned 34 points, placing third.

Last season, the Red Dragons posted an overall record of 38-9 (.809), and a conference record of 14-4, earning them the second seed in SUNYAC final standings. The team earned a berth into the NCAA Division III Regional tournament hosted by Washington and Jefferson College, where they were victorious against La Roche, Earlham, Keystone, Washington and Jefferson, and DePauw. However, their season came to a close after falling in their first game to Depauw, 5-8, then to Washington and Jefferson, 3-6, in their final game of the season. Cortland has been ranked #1 nationally by the d3baseball.com Top 25 preseason poll, and the team is expected to have another successful season under head coach Joe Brown in his 19th season with the Red Dragons.

The team will begin their season facing Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland on February 17th.

The Oswego Lakers had a stellar 2017 season under head coach Scott Landers. The Lakers ended their season with an overall record of 32-11 (.744), and a conference record of 15-3, making them the top ranked team in the SUNYAC for the 2017 season. The team automatically advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional due to an unplayable weather forecast which ultimately led to the cancellation of the 2017 SUNYAC Baseball Championship, as they were the top seeded team in the regular season. The Lakers defeated Ithaca, Tufts, and Southern Maine to claim the NCAA Syracuse Regional title and advance to the World Series, but were sent home after losses to Roanoke College, 7-8, and Concordia University Chicago, 4-9. Despite falling short, the Lakers ended their season on a high note, making their furthest postseason run in program history. With such a triumphant 2017 season, the team is poised to be successful in 2018 under Landers in his seventh year as head coach.

The Lakers will travel to Norfolk, Virginia to face Virginia Wesleyan in their opening game on February 24th.

The Brockport Eagles ended their 2017 season with an overall record of 23-16 (.590), and a conference record of 13-5. The team was ranked third in SUNYAC final standings, before ending their season due to the SUNYAC Baseball Championship cancellation. In his ninth year as head coach, Justin Beach produced three First Team All-Conference members, two Second Team All-Conference members, and one Third Team All-New York Region member. The team is set to be top contenders in the conference this upcoming season under Beach in his tenth season.

The Eagles will begin their season February 17th in an away contest against Drew University.

2018 SUNYAC Preseason Coaches Poll