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RIPON, Wis. – After winning the Midwest Conference (MWC) Championship last season St. Norbert hopes to repeat for the first time since winning back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997. The Green Knights were tabbed as the favorites in the North Division while Illinois Col. was favored in the South Division in the 2013 MWC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Green Knights picked up four of the five first place votes and finished with 16 points while Ripon collected the other first place vote and is predicted to finish in second with 12 points. Beloit (nine points) and Carroll (eight points) were only separated by a point for third and fourth place while Lawrence earned five points for a fifth place predicted finish. Illinois Col. was one of three South Division teams to pick up first place votes as they captured two of them along with 14 points while Grinnell (12 points) also picked up a pair of first place votes. Knox (11 points) earned the other first place vote and was followed by Monmouth (seven points) and Cornell (six points). The Rams are back in the MWC for the first time since the 1997 season after playing in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). 

The MWC welcomes back 15 All-MWC award winners from a year ago (six in the North, nine in the South) which is headlined by South Division Pitcher of the Year Andrew Kelly (Grinnell) and North Division Co-Pitcher of the Year Kevin Nutley (St. Norbert). Kelly was also named to the D3baseball.com All-Central Region Third Team in 2012.

2012 MWC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll

North
1	St. Norbert (4)	16 points
2	Ripon (1)	12
3	Beloit	9
4	Carroll	8
5	Lawrence	5
South
1	Illinois Col. (2)	14
2	Grinnell (2)	12
3	Knox (1)	11
4	Monmouth	7
5	Cornell	6

Notes: first place votes in paranthesis...Four points awarded for first place, three for second, etc.

NORTH DIVISOIN PREVIEW

1. St. Norbert Green Knights
2012 Record: 27-13 (14-2)
Returning All-MWC: 4

St. Norbert rolled through the 2012 MWC Tournament for its fourth MWC Championship and aim to play in the postseason tournament for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. Under Head Coach Tom Winske the Green Knights led the league in nearly all offensive categories last season including average (.326), on base percentage (.425), runs (330), hits (455), and total bases (574) to help set a school record with 27 wins. Despite losing key players to graduation St. Norbert returns four All-North Division performers led by dual threat Travis Mason. Mason batted .347 last season and scored 38 runs while leading the team with four homeruns and was a key member of the starting rotation with seven wins and a 4.21 ERA in 47 innings. Chad Ljunggren batted .336 with five doubles and finished third in the league with 14 stolen bases while Troy Rottier (.314/.443/.400) doubled seven times and tripled once. Kevin Nutley (4-4, 2.64 ERA) and Josh Honzik (7-2, 3.30) ERA will headline the rotation after both throwing over 70 innings each and holding opposing hitters to under a .300 average. 

2. Ripon Red Hawks
2012 Record: 17-19 (7-9)
Returning All-MWC: 2

Eric Cruise takes over as head of the Ripon squad after the retirement of Bob Gillespie who managed the Red Hawks for 23 seasons from 1980-94 and then again from 2006-12. Cruise aims to get Ripon back into the championship mix after missing out on the MWC Tournament just a year after earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Red Hawks welcome back a pair of All-North Division performers with leading hitters Kyle Bosquez and Adam Grambow leading the offensive charge. Bosquez was eighth in the league with a .366 average and doubled ten times with three triples, three home runs while striking out only 14 times in 165 plate appearances. Grambow wasn’t far behind with a .352 average and was second in the conference with ten home runs and also contributed eight doubles and a triple. Grambow finished the year third among all players in slugging percentage (.628) while Bosquez finished sixth (.538). Not only does the offense bring back its top performers but the same can be said about the pitching rotation. Patrick Van Daalwyk won three games with a 4.17 ERA in 49.2 innings with Steven Blader also winning three games in nine starts with a 5.23 ERA.

3. Beloit Buccaneers
2012 Record: 19-21 (9-7)
Returning All-MWC: 0

After earning a trip to the MWC Tournament title game the Buccaneers will have to retool as they return only two of their top nine hitters and have to find a way to replace the All-North Division Co-Pitcher of the Year Alex Norman. Head Coach Dave DeGeorge will rely on Will Mack to pace the offense after a 2012 season where he hit for a .306 average with nine doubles and a pair of homeruns while getting on base at a .400 clip. Sean Little is the other returning regular from the offensive unit as he collected 23 hits and six doubles last season. Norman was tabbed as one of the best pitchers in the league last year and led the league in ERA (2.19), innings pitched (78), and wins (seven) while teammates Andrew Edwards and Grant Henricksen look to fill that void. Edwards was 2-3 last season in 54.2 innings and posted a 4.45 ERA in ten starts while Henricksen won three games and tossed a pair of complete games in 11 starts for the Bucs.

4. Carroll Pioneers
2012 Record: 15-19 (5-11)
Returning All-MWC: 0

Carroll has increased its win total each of the last three seasons going from eight overall wins in 2010 to 15 wins last season and look to continue that trend for a spot in the MWC Tournament for the first time since the 2001 season under Derek Hassell. Jordan Stephans is the top returning hitter after finishing third in the MWC with a .385 average collecting three doubles and three triples while posting a 1.020 OPS. Phil Giuffre was right behind Stephans with the ninth best average (.358) and is the top returnee with 11 extra base hits (nine doubles, two homeruns) while teammate Aaron Gendrich hit .311 with seven doubles, a triple, and two home runs. The Pioneers offense was one of the better in the league last year as they finished second with a .314 team average and a .421 on base percentage. A trio of experienced freshman are back to stabilize a pitching staff that finished seventh in the league in ERA last season. Tyler Neuschaefer started eight games a year ago and posted a 3.86 ERA earning a win while holding opposing hitters to a .261 average with teammate Andy Kersten earning a pair of wins in 33 innings and six starts. Matt Risch will retain the closers role after four saves last season and finished third in the league with 17 appearances.

5. Lawrence Vikings
2011 Record: 14-21 (5-11)
Returning All-MWC: 0

Jason Anderson enters his fifth season as skipper of the Vikings and while his team finished with only 14 overall wins last season they lost only one senior and hope to turn that experience into a trip to the MWC Tournament. Lawrence’s lone loss was leading hitter Eric Bohling (.366/.442/.519) but Gabe Henriques and his teammates will try to fill that void this season. Henriques batted .358 and started in all 35 games a year ago and doubled five times as well as led the league in triples with five. Phil Wisniewski led the team in extra base hits with ten doubles and three home runs while also posting a .309 average with teammate Davide Harris hitting .309 with six doubles and three triples. Atley Gay led the staff last season with a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings while making seven starts and appearing in 12 games. Andrew Doares won a team-best four games in ten starts and struck out 42 hitters in 57.2 innings.

SOUTH DIVISION PREVIEW

1. Illinois Col. Blueboys
2012 Record: 21-13 (5-7)
Returning All-MWC: 2

Illinois Col. has improved its win total in each of the last three seasons but was on the outside looking in for the MWC Tournament and plans to end a two year drought of missing the tournament with Jay Eckhouse at the helm. The Blueboys will have to cope with the loss of South Division Co-Player of the Year Terry Davis but Eckhouse returns a talented lineup to improve on the 21 win season in 2012. All-South Division honoree Brett Leischner is back after hitting .293 with five doubles and a pair of home runs while Nick Dalfonso hit .321 with six doubles and a .418 on base percentage. Dave Dalfonso hit .316 with six doubles, a triple, and two home runs for a Blueboys team that was third in the league with a .308 team average and was tops with a .450 team slugging percentage. Nick Visconti leads the pitching staff as he finished second in the conference with a 2.38 ERA in 41.2 innings and held hitters to a league-low .171 average. Nate Jones will pair with Visconti after posting a 3.56 ERA in 60.2 innings and picked up three wins in 11 appearances.

2. Grinnell Pioneers
2012 Record: 17-20 (8-4)
Returning All-MWC: 2

Last season Grinnell captured its third straight South Division title but are still in search of the its first MWC Championship in school history. Reigning South Division Coach of the Year Tim Hollibaugh has to replace key pieces of his lineup which includes 2012 South Division Co-Player of the Year Mike Nodzenski and two-time South Division Pitcher of the Year Ben Pope. Despite the graduation of Nodzenski and Pope he does bring back two All-South Division First Team selections. Kainoa Inafuku (All-South Division) batted .311 with 11 stolen bases with teammate Drew Davis also come back after collecting five doubles, two triples, a home run, and ranked second in the league with 15 stolen bases. Despite the loss of Pope the Pioneers bring back a stable of pitchers to fill the void led by 2012 South Division Pitcher of the Year Andrew Kelley. Kelley (5-2) finished fourth in the MWC with a 2.96 ERA in 45.2 innings with a 1.09 WHIP. Will Pahos earned four wins with a 3.79 ERA in 59.1 innings and allowed hitters to only a .262 average in nine starts while Jason Ormond will be relied on after 34 innings where he posted a 3.97 ERA with 27 strikeouts.

3. Knox Prairie Fire
2012 Record: 16-19 (7-5)
Returning All-MWC: 5

Knox is coming off a season where it made the MWC Tournament for the first time since 2008 and looks for a repeat performance in 2013 under Head Coach Jami Isaacson. The Prairie Fire will be equipped to make a run this year as they return five All-South Division performers, the most of any team in the conference this season. Caleb Weaver paced the offense with a .346 average that included 11 doubles, two triples and six home runs with the fourth-best slugging percentage in the league (.600). Jackson White finished in a tie for fourth in the MWC with a .371 average with 39 hits and only 14 strikeouts in 122 plate appearances. Erik Smoy (.346/.432/.430) and Ryan Hoffman (.321/.451/.387) also were All-South Division award winners and combined for nine doubles, two triples, and a home run while driving in 37 runs combined. Nathan Grady leads a pitching staff after a 3.53 ERA a year ago in 35.2 innings while Peter Marquardt comes back after three wins in 11 appearances a year ago.

4. Monmouth Fighting Scots
2012 Record: 12-22 (4-8)
Returning All-MWC: 0

A year after making the MWC Tournament the Fighting Scots found themselves out of the tournament picture with only 12 wins last season. Head Coach Roger Sander returns six of his top eight hitters led by Jordan Gaither. Gaither hit .289 last season with six doubles and 12 runs batted in while leading the team with a .415 on base percentage. Ryan Crandall had 11 doubles and a pair of triples while Andrew Baudino hit .247 with four doubles and ten runs batted in. Nick Hull picked up two wins with a 4.24 ERA in eight starts and struck out 50 hitters in his 51 innings pitched. Scott Kempel will compliment Hull on the mound after winning a pair of games and posting a 5.94 ERA in 47 innings pitched that included three complete games.

5. Cornell Rams
2012 Record: 8-32 (5-19 IIAC)
Returning All-IIAC: 2

Cornell is back in the MWC and is playing for its first MWC Championship in school history under second year Head Coach Seth Wing. Wing welcomes back his top three hitters but only has four pitchers back that started a game in 2012 that total only 14 starts out of the 40 games the Rams played. Zach Rogers will pull double duties this year after leading the team with a .358 average that included nine doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Rogers also made four starts (11 appearances) on the mound and while he didn’t earn a victory he held opposing hitters to a .262 average with a 4.55 ERA. Joe Gerace hit .338 with eight doubles, two triples and a home run and led the team with ten stolen bases while Beriah Quick hit .290 with a pair of doubles and ten runs batted in. Kyle Stennes posted a team-best 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings which included three starts and he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning (25 strikeouts). 

[2012 Statistics]

[2012 MWC Championship Tournament]

[2012 Standings]

[Baseball Record Book]