INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference released its preseason poll for baseball Tuesday afternoon and the Missouri S&T baseball team was tabbed to finish sixth in the league's Blue Division this season. The 15-team conference is divided into the Blue and Green Divisions with seven and eight teams respectively, but there has been some shuffling of teams in each division from the 2021 season. Illinois Springfield, Quincy, Missouri S&T and Truman State move to the Blue Division while Lindenwood, Missouri-St. Louis, McKendree and Maryville shift to the Green Division for 2022.
 
The Miners are coming off a 2021 season that saw them finished 21-21 and 17-15 in GLVC action and advance to the postseason for the sixth-straight season, notwithstanding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign.

S&T return several keys pieces this season on both sides of the ball, including five players who hit over the .300 mark last season, led by senior Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo) (.393 AVG/.513 SLG/.489 OBP) who led the team with 20 stolen bases, and sophomore Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) (.339/.471/.445) who doubled 10 times and drove in 23 a year ago. Also in that group are Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) (.333/.398/.432), Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) (.320/.413/.418) and Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) (.304/.420/.451). On the mound, Cade Meier (Dakota, IL/Dakota) (5-3, 58.0 IP, 46 K) figures to anchor the starting rotation while David Kephart (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest) (2-1, 3 SV, 28.1 IP) was one of the leaders out of the bullpen. Several other veteran players like Chasen Anderson (Moscow Mills, MO/Troy Buchanan) and Dylan Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) also return and are joined by a young core of arms that saw significant time last season, like Elijah Gross (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit West), Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville), Nate Wodka (Allen, TX/Allen), Mick Von Feldt (St. Charles, IA/Interstate 35) and Matthew Kaiser (St. Louis, MO/Vianney).
 
Illinois Springfield was picked as the top team in the Blue Division after receiving six of the seven first place votes with Quincy picking up the final tally, while Lindenwood was picked to win the Green Division with six votes, following by Maryville and Drury.
 
The Miners open the 2022 campaign at home February 25 with a four-game series against Minnesota Crookston at the Ballpark at S&T. GLVC begins March 25 at home with a four-game series against Truman State.
 

Blue Division
RK	Team ('21 Rec.)	Points	1st Place Votes
1.	Illinois Springfield (37-8, 30-5)	36	6
2.	Quincy (29-15, 24-10)	30	1
3.	Southern Indiana (24-20, 18-14)	26	0
4.	Indianapolis (23-21, 19-13)	17	0
	Lewis (24-18, 18-14)	17	0
6.	Missouri S&T (21-21, 17-15)	15	0
7.	Truman State (7-25, 7-33)	6	0

 

Green Division
RK.	Team ('21 Rec.)	Points	1st Place Votes
1.	Lindenwood (34-9, 25-7)	48	6
2.	Maryville (19-21, 17-15)	41	1
3.	Drury (14-26, 14-22)	39	1
4.	Southwest Baptist (19-21, 15-20)	25	0
5.	McKendree (14-26, 7-25)	22	0
6.	Rockhurst (23-19, 20-16)	20	0
7.	William Jewell (11-29, 9-27)	17	0
8.	Missouri-St. Louis (12-27, 10-22)	11	0