Southeast baseball team picked to win OVC title in preseason poll

The defending Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion Southeast Missouri State baseball team was voted as the favorite to win the title this season in the preseason poll.

The Redhawks, which were 23-7 in conference last year, received 12 of the 22 first-place votes and 187 points in the poll, which is voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

Senior pitcher Travis Hayes was selected to the preseason all-conference team.

Hayes was 8-2 and posted a 3.23 ERA en route to being named the OVC's Co-Pitcher of the Year as a junior.

Defending OVC tournament champion Jacksonville State tallied seven first-place votes and 171 points for second and Tennessee Tech had the remaining three first-place votes and 160 points for third.

Austin Peay was fourth with 149 points, Morehead State was third with 134, SIU Edwardsville was sixth with 92 and Eastern Illinois was seventh with 91.

Belmont (87 points), Eastern Kentucky (59), Murray State (56) and UT Martin (24) rounded out the final four spots in the 11-team field.

TTU shortstop Dylan Bosheers was named the preseason Player of the Year and Murray State's Brock Downey, who shared Pitcher of the Year honors with Hayes last season, was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year.

The Redhawks open the season with a four-game series with Bowling Green at Capaha Park next weekend. First pitch in Game 1 is set for 3 p.m. Friday.

Preseason All-Conference team

C - Chris Robinson, Morehead State

1B - Kane Sweeney, Morehead State

2B - Anthony Bayus, Murray State

SS - Dylan Bosheers, Tennessee Tech

3B - Brant Valach, Eastern Illinois

OF - Brandon Rawe, Morehead State

OF - Caleb Howell, Eastern Illinois

OF - Drew Ferguson, Belmont

DH - Paschal Petrongolo, Jacksonville State

UT - Ridge Smith, Austin Peay

SP - Brock Downey, Murray State

SP - Ryan Daniels, SIU Edwardsville

SP - Travis Hayes, Southeast Missouri State

SP - Alex Robles, Austin Peay

RP - Travis Stout, Jacksonville State