Taylor Tabbed as Favorites in CL Pre-season Baseball Poll
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AVON, Ohio – The Crossroads League announced its 2018 Baseball Preseason Poll on Friday, naming Taylor as the preseason favorite for the 2018 title. The poll was voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
Taylor edged Huntington and Marian for the top spot in the preseason poll, after posting a 35-21 overall mark in 2017 and taking second in the league with a 20-7 clip. The Trojans return their entire starting lineup from an offense that ranked No. 7 in the NAIA one year ago with 8.7 runs per game.
Huntington and Marian followed in second and third, after representing the Crossroads League at the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round in 2017. The Foresters are currently receiving votes in the NAIA Top-25 Preseason Poll and won the 2017 Crossroads League Championship with a 22-5 league record and a 35-13 overall mark. The Knights finished last season at 30-23 overall and 19-8 in league play to claim third place.
The projected top-five was rounded out by Mount Vernon Nazarene and Indiana Wesleyan. Spring Arbor was picked to finish sixth, while Bethel and Goshen tied for seventh in the preseason poll, with Saint Francis taking ninth and Grace being tabbed for tenth.
Taylor is set to open the spring campaign on January 20 through January 27 in Florida, with a full slate of league teams set to open play February 9 and 10.
2018 CROSSROADS LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
1-Taylor
2-Huntington
3-Marian
4-Mount Vernon Nazarene
5-Indiana Wesleyan
6-Spring Arbor
T7-Bethel
T7-Goshen
9-Saint Francis
10-Grace