Feb. 2, 2010

BEAUMONT - Lamar picked to finish third in SLC baseball race

Texas State is favored to win its fourth Southland Conference regular-season baseball championship, and Lamar University is picked third by a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Tuesday.

The Bobcats received five fi rst-place votes and 114 points in the coaches' poll and five fi rst-place votes and 112 points in the SIDs poll. Texas State returns 19 letterwinners, five position starters and nine pitchers from a Bobcat squad that won its first regular-season title since 1997 and posted its best record in program history with 41 over-all victoriess and 24 league wins.

Sam Houston State, the three-time defending SLC tournament champion, was picked a close second to Texas State. The Bearkats received four first-place votes and 107 points in the coaches' poll and four first-place votes and 103 points in the SIDs poll.

The remaining first-place votes went to Lamar University, which came in third in both polls with three first-place votes and 105 points in the coaches' poll and two first-place votes and 100 points in the SIDs poll.

Both polls had the same order of finish from the first-place team through the eighth-place team. After Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana was picked fourth, followed by UTSA, UT Arlington, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin.

The only difference in both the coaches' and SIDs polls came at the ninth and 10th-places. Central Arkansas was picked ninth in the coaches' poll and 10th in the SIDs poll, and McNeese State was picked ninth in the SIDs poll and 10th in the coaches' poll.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Nicholls round out both polls as the 11th and 12th-place teams, respectively.

Opening day of the Southland season is Feb. 19 with conference play beginning March 5. For the second consecutive season, the SLC Tournament will be played at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi. The event will be held May 26-29.

2010 SLC COACHES POLL Pl. School (first-place votes) .................... Pts. 1. Texas State (5) .................................. 114 2. Sam Houston State (4) ...................... 107 3. Lamar University (3) .......................... 105 4. Southeastern Louisiana ...................... 84 5. UTSA ....................................................... 77 6. UT Arlington ............................................ 73 7. Northwestern State ................................. 65 8. Stephen F. Austin .................................... 50 9. Central Arkansas ..................................... 39 10. McNeese State ...................................... 34 11. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi .................... 23 12. Nicholls ...................................................17

SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTORS POLL Pl. School (first-place votes) .................... Pts. 1. Texas State (6) .................................. 112 2. Sam Houston State (4) ...................... 103 3. Lamar University (2) .......................... 100 4. Southeastern Louisiana ..................... 90 5. UTSA ................................................. 83 6. UT Arlington ....................................... 76 7. Northwestern State ............................ 62 8. Stephen F. Austin ............................... 46 9. McNeese State ................................... 41 10. Central Arkansas .............................. 40 11. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ................ 21 12. Nicholls ............................................. 17