The Lindenwood Lions will open the 2024 college baseball season this weekend with a three-game series against Dayton. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
The Ohio Valley Conference announced its 2024 preseason baseball poll this week, and Lindenwood University was picked to finish ninth in the 10-team league this year.
Last year, Lindenwood’s first as an NCAA Division I program, the Lions went 13-42 overall and 8-16 in the OVC.
Little Rock was picked the finish first, after garnering 12 of 20 first-place votes and 155 points in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and communication directors. Morehead State, which received the other eight first-place votes and totaled 148 points, came in second.
Southeast Missouri was predicted third (127), followed by Tennessee-Martin (106), defending tournament champion Eastern Illinois (100), Tennessee Tech (93), SIU-Edwardsville (67), Southern Indiana (52), Lindenwood (31), and league newcomer Western Illinois (20).
Last season, its first year in the OVC, Little Rock compiled a 14-8 conference record to finish second in the league standings. For the season, the Trojans won 31 games, the most under head coach Chris Curry, who enters his 10th year with the team in 2024.
Morehead State was 16-7 in OVC play last year, winning the regular season race by 1.5 games. The Eagles have now finished in the top three of the league’s regular season standings for six-straight seasons.
Eastern Illinois won its third OVC Tournament championship and first since 2008. The Panthers won two elimination games on Day 1, then after a loss on Day 2, won three more elimination games to capture the championship. The No. 5 seeded Panthers were the lowest seed to win the championship since it went to a neutral site in 2001.
OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
In total 18 players were named to the Preseason All-OVC team, all of whom were either first or second-team selections last year and were automatic picks for this year’s team. The 18 players came from six OVC teams with Morehead State leading the way with five selections and Little Rock and UT Martin having four apiece.
Preece led Morehead State to its first OVC regular season championship since 1985 and its first outright title since 1979 a year ago. In 56 games he hit .335 with 73 hits, 15 doubles, five triples, 21 home runs, 53 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a .739 slugging percentage. Nationally he ranked 14th in runs/game (1.30), 21st in slugging, 26th in triples (5), 29th in home runs and 40th in total bases (161).
Wells led all Division I players with a 1.65 E.R.A. over 93 innings pitched (15 games). In his first year in the OVC he compiled a 7-4 record with two complete games and 80 strikeouts. One of those complete games came during the OVC Tournament, where he limited Tennessee Tech to three hits and one run while throwing 117 pitches; that earned him a spot on the OVC All-Tournament Team.
The 76th season of OVC baseball will begin this weekend with games around the country. The first weekend of league play being held March 22-24.
Lindenwood will open its season on the road, with a three-game set at Dayton on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Lions’ home opener at the Lou Brock Sports Complex will be March 1 against Nebraska-Omaha.
The 2024 OVC Baseball Championship presented by SERVPRO will feature the top eight teams squaring off at Marion Stadium in Marion, Illinois from May 22-25. This marks the second-straight year and third overall time the event has been held at the venue. SERVPRO was announced as “The Official Restoration Services Partner of the OVC” in November 2023, marking its first collaboration with a collegiate athletic conference.
Image courtesy: Lindenwood sports information
2024 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Team
C – Hayden Gilliland, Tennessee Tech
C – Grant Lashure, Eastern Illinois
1B – Blaze Bell, Tennessee-Martin
2B – Skylar Trevino, Little Rock
2B – Nick Gooden, Morehead State
SS – Andrew Fernandez, Tennessee-Martin
SS – Coton Becker, Morehead State
3B – Nico Baumbach, Little Rock
3B – Mac Danford, Tennessee-Martin
OF – Ryley Preece, Morehead State
OF – Tyler Williams, Little Rock
OF – Josh Cameron, Southeast Missouri
DH – Roman Kuntz, Morehead State
SP – Jackson Wells, Little Rock
SP – Luke Helton, Morehead State
SP – Haden Dow, Southeast Missouri
RP – Zane Robbins, Eastern Illinois
RP – Zach Wager, Tennessee-Martin