Ashland Picked to Win 2009 GLIAC Baseball Title

Grand Valley State Places Second, Wayne State Finishes Third In Preseason Balloting

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BAY CITY, Mich. -- The head baseball coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose Ashland University to win the league's 2009 championship.

Ashland, a participant in the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series, received five of seven possible first-place votes and tallied 45 points. The Eagles edged out Grand Valley State University, which received two first-place votes and tallied 44 points. Ashland earned a berth in the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series after posting a victory over Wayne State University in the 2008 North Central Regional Championship Game. The Eagles fell to Ouachita Baptist (Ark) in the Series in their final game of the season, 12-5.

Wayne State, which received one first-place vote, tallied 36 points to land at third in the poll. The Warriors were the No. 1 seed in the 2008 GLIAC tournament after posting the league's top regular season record (23-5). Saginaw Valley State University recorded 31 points, good enough for fourth. The University of Findlay recorded 25 points to place fifth in the poll. The Oilers finished runner-up in last season's leage tournament.

In its first full season in the GLIAC, Tiffin University placed sixth in the poll with 18 points. Hillsdale College finished seventh, having recorded 15 points. Northwood University placed eighth in the poll with 10 points.

Each of the GLIAC's eight head coaches ranked the teams in the
conference, but were not allowed to rank their own team. The first-place team on each ballot received seven points, while the second-place team received six points, etc.

The 2009 GLIAC postseason baseball tournament is slated for May 7-9 in Chillicothe, Ohio. All games will be played at Chillicothe's V.A. Memorial Stadium, home of the Chillicothe Paints, a Class "A" member of the independent Frontier League, which fields teams throughout Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri.

GLIAC baseball teams open the 2009 conference season on March 18.

2009 GLIAC Baseball

Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank School (first-place votes) Points  

1. Ashland (5) 45

2. Grand Valley State (2) 44

3. Wayne State (1) 36

4. Saginaw Valley State 31

5 . Findlay 25

6. Tiffin 18

7 . Hillsdale 15

8 . Northwood 10

2008 GLIAC Baseball

Final Standings 

Place School GLIAC (Overall)  

1. Wayne State 23-5 (34-19)

2. Grand Valley State* 17-7 (34-13)

3. Ashland 17-7 (40-18)

4. Findlay 18-8 (28-21)

5. Saginaw Valley State 17-9 (31-13)

6. Mercyhurst 13-19 (27-25)

7. Hillsdale 10-18 (17-29)

8. Northwood 7-25 (22-28)

# Tiffin (19-24)

# - Independent Division II Overall Record  

* - Grand Valley State was crowned the 2008 GLIAC Baseball Champion by winning the GLIAC Postseason Tournament.