Baseball Picked To Finish Second In The West Division

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) released the 2019 Baseball Preseason Poll and the Griffins enter at No. 2 in the West Division with 31 points and one first-place vote.

Webster, the reigning SLIAC Tournament Champion, leads in the West Division with 45 points and nine first-place votes. Westminster was picked third behind Fontbonne with 28 points, while Eureka (18) and Iowa Weselyan (13) round out the field.

The Griffins are coming off a 19-20 (11-11 SLIAC) 2018 campaign. Luke Summers had a dominant season where he went on to be named Co-Pitcher of the Year and was named to the SLIAC All-Conference First Team. He was also joined by now departed senior, Michael Golich.

Brett Lange, Ryan Schocker, and Gus Purschke were named to the Third Team. Jonathan Hoevelmann was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. This year, the team looks to replace Golich, Lange, and Schocker in the lineup and on the rubber to name a few.

Summers, a St. Louis, Mo., native, leads the staff in 2019 after tossing 77.0 innings, totaling seven wins, three complete games, 9.70 strikeouts per nine innings, and owned a 2.10 ERA, all of which are career-high marks. He also struck out a career-high 83 batters and ended the year not allowing a run in his final 19.2 innings.

Purschke, meanwhile, batted .366 in conference play and ended the year with a .339 clip overall, totaling 42 hits, 20 runs scored, 15 doubles, and 18 RBI.

Jackson Penrod also returns to the lineup in 2019 after batting .333, to go along with his 48 hits, 10 doubles, one homer, and 27 RBI. Michael Puckett, Jr. (.312), Matt Tossick (.311), and Braeden Dobbs (.302), all batted over .300 last year and search for more success this season. Hoevelmann looks for a bounce back year at the dish after batting .238 in 2018 compared to his .366 career-high clip in 2017.

Transfers Lance Chapman, Mike Jacobson, Alex Phillips, along with the rest of the newcomers look to guide Fontbonne toward a spot in the SLIAC Tournament in 2019.

The team gets its 2019 season underway when they'll travel to Memphis, Tenn., for a weekend series against Greenville and host Rhodes on February 15^th-16^th.

To view the entire poll visit HERE.

Baseball Poll - Points (1st Place Votes)

East Division

1. Spalding - 44 (8)

2. Greenville - 38 (2)

3. MacMurray - 21

4. Principia - 17

5. Blackburn - 13

West Division

1. Webster - 45 (9)

2. Fontbonne - 31 (1)

3. Westminster - 28

4. Eureka - 18

5. Iowa Wesleyan - 13

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the baseball team.

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