FOREST, Va. --- ODAC baseball continued a decade-long period of success last season by winning four more games on the national stage, bringing the league's total to 45 victories since 2013. League fans expect at least that level of achievement this season as we prepare to open the new campaign with the announcement of the 2023 ODAC Baseball Preseason Poll.

Reigning champs Shenandoah University and 2021 title winners University of Lynchburg are separated by just 14 points following the annual survey of the conference's head coaches. SU collected 119 markers powered by nine first place votes, while LYN secured the remaining three top nods on the way to 105 tallies. Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College, and Bridgewater College complete a clearly separated top-five contingent. The Yellow Jackets earned 99 points, while the 2022 runner-up Maroons and Eagles picked up 90 and 87 markers, respectively.

In the following sections, we take a quick look back at last season and get a feel for what to expect for the upcoming baseball campaign.

2022 ODAC TOURNAMENT

• The ODAC returned to its two-weekend eight team format in 2022 with Shenandoah and Roanoke ultimately playing for the conference trophy.
• In the best-of-3 series showdowns on campus, both second-seeded Shenandoah and sixth-seeded Roanoke both earned 2-0 series wins over their opponents.
• SU defeated #7 Hampden-Sydney, 6-2, in game one and 4-1 in game two to punch its ticket to High Point, N.C., for the double-elimination final round.
• Roanoke went on the road and topped #3 Randolph-Macon, 8-4 in 12 innings, in game one and then scored a 7-3 triumph in game to join not only SU but top-seeded Lynchburg and #5 Bridgewater at Truist Point.
• All four teams were reseeded -- LYN, SU, BC, RC -- prior to opening play on the final weekend.
• On day one, Roanoke earned a 15-3 win over Lynchburg, while SU notched a 9-3 triumph over Bridgewater.
• On day two, Lynchburg eliminated Bridgewater, 4-1, while Shenandoah put itself in the driver's seat with a 5-4 victory over Roanoke; the Maroons capped the second day with a 2-1 win in 10 innings over Lynchburg, eliminating the Hornets from contention.
• On day three, Roanoked needed to win the first game to force a winner-take-all title clash, but Shenandoah put its foot down on the gas and closed out the series with a game-in-hand with a 13-0 shutout.
• The win marked SU's fourth overall ODAC title and third since 2018.

2022 NCAA DIVISION III TOURNAMENT

• ODAC automatic qualifier Shenandoah was joined by Lynchburg as an at-large selection to the NCAA's field of 60 teams.
• Both squads were selected to host regional pods and turned those opportunities into multiple victories, but neither advanced beyond the regional setup.
• Shenandoah topped St. Joseph's (L.I.), 10-3, in its first game before falling to Catholic in game two, 6-5; SU stayed alive with a 10-8 victory over St. Joe's and then forced a winner-take-the-region contest with a 6-3 win over Catholic to start the final day; the deciding game between the two foes featured a combined 23 runs and 33 hits with the Cardinals advancing via a 13-10 scoreline.
• Lynchburg also won its first game, defeating Salve Regina, 7-3; Birmingham-Southern handed LYN its first loss, 10-2, on day two, and unlike their northern namesakes, the Hornets dropped a second game against Salve Regina, 6-3, to close their season.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NATIONALLY ENTERING 2023

• D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top-25: Three ODAC schools featured inside or received votes towards the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top-25; Lynchburg leads the way in 16th position, while Shenandoah sits 21st; Randolph-Macon received the fifth-most votes outside the top-25 with 22 markers; 2022 runner-up Salisbury University tops the table with last year's champion, Eastern Connecticut, slotted second.
• 2023 D3baseball.com Preseason All-Americans: just one ODAC player earned D3baseball.com Preseason All-America status; 2022 ODAC Player of the Year, outfield Avery Neaves from Lynchburg, earned a spot on the 15-player First Team.

WELCOME TO THE ODAC!

• Averett University became the 15th full-time member of the ODAC on July 1 and begin its first season of ODAC baseball this spring; the Cougars previously played out of the USA South Athletic Conference.
• Head coach Kenny Fleming, in his fourth year at Averett, saw his squad post a 14-26 overall record including a 7-14 mark in the East Division of the USA South standings.
• The Cougars are buoyed by the return of Second Team East Division shortstop Brandt Brophy.

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
The athletes listed below represent the top-three returning statistical leaders for each listed category from the 2021 spring season.
Batting Minimums: 2.5 plate appearances per game and played 75% of team games
Pitching Minimums: 1.0 innings pitcher per team game

• BATTING LEADERS
  • Batting Avg. | .424 - Hunter Cole (R-MC); .419 - Avery Neaves (LYN); .411 - Gavin Horning (SU)
  • On-Base Pct. | .575 - Avery Neaves (LYN); .508 - Hunter Cole (R-MC); .503 - Bryce Vestal (GC)
  • Slugging | .856 - Avery Neaves (LYN); .728 - Hunter Cole (R-MC); .671 - Owen Lawn (RC)
  • Runs | 68 - Avery Neaves (LYN); 52 - Kyle Lisa (SU)/Frankie Ritter (SU)/Jeffrey Snider (BC)
  • Hits | 83 - Pearce Bucher (SU); 79 - Frankie Ritter (SU); 68 - Jeffrey Snider (BC)
  • Doubles | 18 - Kyle Lisa (SU); 16 - Pearce Bucher (SU)/Averey Neaves (LYN)
  • Triples | 6 - Jaelen Hines (VWU)/Jeffrey Snider (BC); 5 - Carrson Atkins (LYN)/Hunter Cole (R-MC)/Owen Lawn (RC)/Zach Perkins (W&L)
  • Homers | 16 - Avery Neaves (LYN); 12 - Kyle Lisa (SU); 11 - Owen Lawn (RC)
  • RBI | 65 - Kyle Lisa (SU)/Avery Neaves (LYN); 48 - Pearce Bucher (SU)
  • Walks | 56 - Avery Neaves (LYN); 31 - Carrson Atkins (LYN); 29 - Brett Tharp (BC)
  • Stolen Bases | 23 - Frankie Ritter (SU); 22 - Jacob Bonzon (RC); 18 - Kooper Anderson (SU)
• PITCHING LEADERS
  • ERA | 2.36 - Reid Long (BC); 2.41 - Jack Bachmore (LYN)/Evan Blair (W&L)
  • Innings Pitched | 78.1 - Will Turner (RC); 76.1 - Reid Long (BC); 73.2 - Nick Mattfield (LYN)
  • Wins | 11 - Reid Long (BC); 9 - Jacob Faivre (SU)/Nick Mattfield (LYN)
  • Saves | 11 - Brett Tharp (BC); 8 - Matt House (SU); 4 - Ian Brady (VWU)/Wyatt Stanley (R-MC)
  • Complete Games | 2 - Thomas Haller (W&L)/Will Turner (RC); 1 - Several Pitchers
  • Strikeouts | 71 - Drew Ramos (R-MC); 68 - Thomas Haller (W&L); 66 - Jack Bachmore (LYN)
  • Strikeouts/9 Innings | 13.69 - Drew Ramos (R-MC); 11.20 - Evan Blair (W&L); 9.64 - Hayden Snelshire (R-MC)

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2022 ALL-ODAC BASEBALL AWARDS
A whopping 30-of-39 All-ODAC honorees from the 2022 spring season return to league rosters in 2023, a list that is further augmented by the return from injury of 2021 ODAC Player of the Year Colby Martin from Shenandoah and 2021 ODAC Pitcher of the Year Brandon Pond from Lynchburg.

All five special award winners from 2022 are back with ODAC Coach of the Year Lucas Jones boating a roster that includes 2022 ODAC Player of the Year Avery Neaves and 2022 ODAC Rookie of the Year, starter Nick Mattfield. Lynchburg and Randolph-Macon lead the way with five All-ODAC returners each. Bridgewater and Shenandoah feature four apiece with the Eagles welcoming back 2022 ODAC Pitcher of the Year Reid Long and SU returning ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete and All-ODAC Third Team first baseman Pearce Bucher.

   PITCHERS/CATCHERS (7)

• Reid Long, BC -- All-ODAC First Team (SP)
• Nick Mattfield, LYN -- All-ODAC First Team (SP)
• Jack Bachmore, LYN -- All-ODAC Second Team (SP)
• Thomas Haller, W&L -- All-ODAC Second Team (SP)
• Evan Blair, W&L -- All-ODAC Second Team (RP)
• Matt Sinko, VWU -- All-ODAC Second Team (C)
• Holden Fiedler, LYN -- All-ODAC Third Team (C)

   INFIELDERS (10)

• Myles Webb, R-MC -- All-ODAC First Team (1B)
• Kyle Lisa, SU -- All-ODAC First Team (2B)
• Carter Johnson, R-MC -- All-ODAC First Team (3B)
• Frankie Ritter, SU -- All-ODAC First Team (SS)
• Owen Lawn, RC -- All-ODAC Second Team (1B)
• Conner Butler, RC -- All-ODAC Second Team (2B)
• Pearce Bucher, SU -- All-ODAC Third Team (1B)
• Ethan Spraker, EMU -- All-ODAC Third Team (2B)
• Trent Hanchey, VWU -- All-ODAC Third Team (3B)
• Jeffrey Snider, BC -- All-ODAC Third Team (SS)

   OUTFIELDERS (7)

• Bryce Vestal, GC -- All-ODAC First Team
• Avery Neaves, LYN -- All-ODAC First Team
• Ethan Iannuzzi, R-MC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Jaelen Hines, VWU -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Hunter Clever, BC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Matt Myers, R-MC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Jacob Bonzon, RC -- All-ODAC Third Team

   DESIGNATED HITTER/UTILITY (6)

• Hunter Cole, R-MC -- All-ODAC First Team (DH)
• Brett Tharp, BC -- All-ODAC First Team (UT)
• Cameron Lane, LYN -- All-ODAC Second Team (DH)
• Bryce Thacker, FC -- All-ODAC Second Team (UT)
• Gavin Horning, SU -- All-ODAC Third Team (DH)
• Isaiah Hairston, GC -- All-ODAC Third Team (UT)

ODAC HEAD COACHES
Some of the best coaches in the business lead ODAC teams in all sports. Below we take a look at the career records and tenures for the league's baseball coaches entering the 2023 campaign.

• Kenny Fleming (AU) -- Overall: 32-95 (.252) in 4 years | at AU: 32-95 (.252) in 4 years
• Ben Spotts (BC) -- Overall: 168-185-1 (.476) in 10 years | at BC: 51-36 (.586) in 3 years
  • 1x ODAC Coach of the Year (2015 while at EMU)
• Adam Posey (EMU) -- Overall: 32-47 (.405) in 3 years | at EMU: 32-47 (.405) in 3 years
• Ryan Brittle (FC) -- Overall: 169-155 (.522) in 9 years | at FC: 169-155 (.522) in 9 years
• Zach Booker (GC) -- Overall: 11-22 (.333) in 1 year | at GC: 11-22 (.333) in 1 year
• Jeff Kinne (HSC) -- Overall: 381-334-6 (.533) in 19 years | at H-SC: 381-334-6 (.533) in 19 years
  • 3x ODAC Coach of the Year (2005, 07, 10)
• Lucas Jones (LYN) -- Overall: 172-105 (.621) in 7 years | at LYN: 118-77 (.605) in 5 years
  • 3x ODAC Coach of the Year (2016 while at W&L; 2021-22)
• Ray Hedrick (RMC) -- Overall: 425-261-6 (.618) in 18 years | at R-MC: 425-261-6 (.618) in 18 years
  • 3x ODAC Coach of the Year (2008, 18-19)
• Zach Ullrich (RC) -- Overall: 49-26 (.653) in 2 years | at RC: 49-26 (.653) in 2 years
• Kevin Anderson (SU) -- Overall: 721-326 (.688) in 23 years | at SU: 574-239-2 (.706) in 19 years
  • 2x ODAC Coach of the Year (2014, 17)
• Chris Francis (VWU) -- Overall: 178-227-2 (.440) in 11 years | at VWU: 139-132-2 (.513) in 8 years
• Ted White (W&L) -- Overall: 68-78 (.466) in 5 years | at W&L: 68-78 (.466) in 5 years

THE SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT

• The ODAC Tournament will again feature eight qualifying teams playing over two weekends for the league crown.
• The eight-team field play in four best-of-3 series at the #1-4 seeds on the weekend of May 5-7.
• The four advancing teams (reseeded as necessary) will then travel to a to-be-determined location for double-elimination competition towards the ODAC title the weekend of May 12-14.
• The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday, May 15.

Listed below is the 2023 ODAC Baseball Preseason Poll. For more information on ODAC baseball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2023 ODAC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL