NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Defending Atlantic 10 baseball champion VCU was voted as the preseason front-runner entering the 2022 campaign, per the league's annual Preseason Poll announced ahead of the season's opening slate of contests set for this upcoming Friday, Feb. 18.
The A-10 Preseason Poll is voted on by the league's head coaches.
VCU heads into the season a near-unanimous top overall selection in the poll, securing 143 total points behind 11 first-place votes. The Rams secured the program's second title last year – good for the team's first since 2015 – after composing a 38-15 overall mark and 13-3 run in A-10 competition, eventually knocking off second-seeded Dayton, 7-6, in the championship finale.
The Flyers earned recognition at second on the Preseason Poll, logging 122 total points with one first-place vote. Dayton fought into the A-10 championship final a season ago after composing a 25-27 (13-4) record, initially falling to No. 3 Rhode Island in the opening round before rallying back with wins over fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's and Rhody en route to a clash with regular-season champion VCU in the title game.
Rhode Island slid in at No. 3 overall on the Preseason Poll with 101 points while Saint Louis (94 points) and Davidson (91 points) trailed just behind the Rams at fourth and fifth, respectively. Rhody closed out last season at 27-26-1 with a 13-6 mark in league play, faltering in back-to-back contests during the semifinals to eventual champion VCU and runner-up Dayton. SLU wrapped up the year at 17-31 (6-10) while the 'Cats finished at 11-13 in A-10 competition and 27-24 overall.
With 83 total points, upcoming championship host Fordham grabbed sixth in the poll after going 24-19 this past season with a 11-9 mark in league play. George Washington (80 points), Richmond (76 points) and Saint Joseph's (73 points) scored the next three slots at seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. The Hawks served as the fourth and final seed in the 2021 A-10 Championship, dropping their opening two contests against top-seeded VCU and No. 2 Dayton.
George Mason was picked 10th with 33 points while Massachusetts (26 points) and St. Bonaventure (14 points) rounded out the poll.
The 2022 A-10 Baseball season launches on Friday, Feb. 18 with 10 of the 12 programs getting underway during the opening weekend. Conference play begins on Friday, April 1 before the league concludes the campaign with the 2022 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship, set for May 24-28 at Houlihan Field on the campus of Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y.
2022 A-10 Baseball Preseason Poll
|
School (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
1 |
VCU (11) |
143 |
2 |
Dayton (1) |
122 |
3 |
Rhode Island |
101 |
4 |
Saint Louis |
94 |
5 |
Davidson |
91 |
6 |
Fordham |
83 |
7 |
George Washington |
80 |
8 |
Richmond |
76 |
9 |
Saint Joseph's |
73 |
10 |
George Mason |
33 |
11 |
Massachusetts |
26 |
12 |
St. Bonaventure |
14 |