Baseball Eighth in Pre-Season Poll

TEMPE, Ariz. - Shenandoah University has earned its first-ever pre-season national ranking in a baseball poll released December 21 by Collegiate Baseball.

The Hornets, coming off a 38-10 season that saw the squad win the South Region championship and earn a No. 6 final national ranking, are the pre-season No. 8 team in the Collegiate Baseball Poll.

St. Thomas (Minn.), the 2009 national champion, is selected to win it all again in 2010.

Shenandoah, with 239 points, comes in just behind fellow South Region opponent Salisbury in the poll. The Gulls 242 points gives them the seventh place spot while SU is three points ahead of 2008 national champion and ninth place Trinity (Conn.).

The Hornets return starters at five of eight field positions in addition to their primary designated hitter and six pitchers who combined for 26 of the team's 38 wins last season.

Junior Greg Van Sickler leads this latter group - he was 9-2 on the mound with a 2.69 ERA and also hit .411 on his way to earning ABCA third team All-America honors.

SU opens its 2010 season on February 13 with games against Virginia Wesleyan and Lynchburg at the USA South/ODAC Challenge in Richmond, Virginia.

Complete Poll