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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta University baseball team has been picked to finish eighth in the 2018 Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll that was released on Friday morning from the league office in Augusta, Ga.
For only the second time in Peach Belt Conference history, two teams are tied atop the baseball preseason coaches poll. Georgia College and UNC Pembroke both received 88 points in the 2018 poll. The only other tie in the coaches poll happened in 2015 between Lander and Columbus State. Georgia College received four first-place votes while UNC Pembroke nabbed three, however both finished the voting with 88 points, ahead of North Georgia in third with 77 and USC Aiken in fourth with 76. Columbus State was fifth with Flagler sixth and Lander seventh. Augusta, Francis Marion, Georgia Southwestern and Young Harris rounded out the voting.
Second year head coach Chris Howell has 39 players on the 2018 roster, with 14 returners and 25 new faces to the program. AU's top two hitters returning from 2017 are sophomore Carrington Evans and senior Jim Wagner. Evans hit .288 in his rookie season with 32 hits and 14 RBI, while Wagner posted a .263 batting average with 41 hits and 26 RBI.
On the pitching staff, the Jaguars welcome back seniors Casey Lenoch and Cody Pugh who each had five wins on the mound in 2017. Lenoch led the team with a 3.03 earned run average and Pugh ranked third on the team with 33 strikeouts.
The Jaguars host West Georgia Feb. 2-3 for the season opener at Lake Olmstead Stadium. Augusta begins the year on Friday, Feb. 2 with a 3:00 p.m. single game against UWG and returns on Saturday, Feb. 3 for a non-conference doubleheader at noon with the Wolves. All home games are played at Lake Olmstead Stadium and admission will only be charged for Peach Belt Conference games.
Visit the 2018 Augusta baseball schedule by clicking here
View the finalized 2018 Augusta baseball roster by clicking here
To view the full PBC press release click here
2018 PBC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Rank |
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th |
Total |
|
t1. |
Georgia College |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
88 |
|
t1. |
UNC Pembroke |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
88 |
|
3. |
North Georgia |
3 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
77 |
|
4. |
USC Aiken |
0 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
76 |
|
5. |
Columbus State |
0 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
73 |
|
6. |
Flagler |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
58 |
|
7. |
Lander |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
42 |
|
8. |
Augusta |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
37 |
|
9. |
Francis Marion |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
31 |
|
10. |
Georgia Southwestern |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
19 |
|
11. |
Young Harris |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics / on Twitter at @AugustaJags and on Instagram @augustajags