Gannon University
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GLIAC Preseason Poll
Sports
Information Department, Dan Teliski, Director
Phone: (814) 871-7418
Date: February 28, 2008
GANNON
BASEBALL TEAM PICKED TO
FINISH NINTH IN GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon baseball
team has been picked to finish ninth in the 2008 Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday afternoon.
Grand Valley State, the defending GLIAC champion, was picked to finish first
with five of eight first-place votes and 60 points. Ashland, the 2007 GLIAC
regular-season champion, finished second in the voting with two first-place
votes and 53 points. Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State tied for third
with one first-place vote and 49 points each.
Mercyhurst (37), Findlay (32), Hillsdale (19), Northwood (18), and Gannon
(8) rounded out the preseason voting.
Gannon begins its first season under new head coach Nate Cocolin, who comes
back to his hometown after previously serving as an assistant coach at his
alma mater Embry-Riddle (Fla.). The Golden Knights return 13 letterwinners
and seven position players who started at least 13 games from last year’s
5-43 team. The squad was 1-27 in GLIAC action.
Senior first baseman Chris Miller (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) and junior
centerfielder Eric Harpster (Erie, Pa./McDowell) headline Gannon’s
group of returning players. Both players earned All-GLIAC honorable-mention
accolades last season. Miller hit .261 with 23 runs and 23 RBI last season.
He ranks eighth all-time at Gannon in career RBI (71), needing 45 to break
the school’s all-time record of 115. Harpster led Gannon in average (.322),
runs (26), total bases (63), on-base percentage (.409), and fielding percentage
(.984) last season.
Junior outfielder Ford Eisenman (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) enters
the season ninth all-time at Gannon with 33 stolen bases. The junior outfielder
needs 36 stolen bases to break the school’s all-time record of 68. He hit
.259 with 21 stolen bases in 2007.
Gannon opens the 2008 season Saturday, March 1 with a pair of games at the
Gene Cusic Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla. The Golden Knights play Hillsdale
at 10 a.m. and Lewis (Ill.) at 3 p.m.
The complete 2008 GLIAC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll can be found at http://www.gliac.org/archive/2007/mens/baseball/honors/BB_CPoll_08.pdf.
Gannon University~University Square ~ Erie, PA 16541-0001
Toll
Free: 1-800-GANNON-U
Sports Press Box E-mail
updated
2/28/08 by: drt
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