ATLANTA - LaGrange College has been tabbed the unanimous choice by the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) head coaches to claim the 2023 Baseball Conference Championship this spring as the preseason coaches' poll was released by the league office today. The Panthers received each of the six first-place votes they were eligible for from the league's head coaches.
LaGrange received 36 total points in the voting, the maximum number which they were eligible for as the conference currently features seven institutions that sponsor the sport and coaches are unable to vote for their own team. Under the direction of head coach David Kelton, the Panthers had the best season in program history last season. Kelton guided the Panthers to a 44-9 mark a year ago. LaGrange won their fifth straight USA South Tournament championship and went on to win their first NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional.
The Panthers made their first appearance in the NCAA College Baseball World Series and went 2-2 in the tournament, losing to eventual national champion Eastern Connecticut State.
The Panthers are currently ranked second in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll and third in the D3 Baseball / NCBWA preseason rankings. Additionally, LaGrange senior third baseman Joe Ruth was named to the D3Baseball.com Preseason All-America First-Team.
Huntingdon finished second in the CCS Coaches' Poll, having received 26 points, including the remaining first-place vote. Belhaven and Piedmont were tied for the third slot with 25 points apiece, while Maryville was picked to finish fifth having received 16 points in the voting.
Rounding out the rest of the conference's preseason rankings were: Covenant (12 points) and Berea (7).
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine members and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.
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