Mavericks Selected Fourth in Summit League Preseason Poll
Feb 9, 2017 | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha baseball team has been picked fourth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference office announced Thursday.
Defending league champion Oral Roberts was tabbed the league favorite and received all five of its possible first-place votes for 25 total points. South Dakota State came in second with 18 points and one first-place vote, and North Dakota State was third with 17 points. With Omaha garnering 13 points for fourth, Western Illinois (nine) followed in fifth and Fort Wayne (eight) rounded it out in sixth.
Junior infielder/right-handed pitcher Ryan Cate was also included on the Summit League's Players to Watch list after earning first-team All-Summit honors as a utility player in 2016. He batted .317 and registered a team-leading five saves in his sophomore season.
Guided by first-year head coach Evan Porter, Omaha returns 19 letterwinners in 2017, including six position players with starting experience and two starting pitchers. The Mavericks finished with a record of 28-28 (18-12 Summit League) for second in the league standings last season.
Omaha opens the 2017 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17, facing UNLV at 8:05 p.m. (CT) in Las Vegas, Nev.
2017 SUMMIT LEAGUE BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
2017 SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jake Weber, Fort Wayne
Drew Fearing, North Dakota State
Ryan Cate, Omaha
Matt Whatley, Oral Roberts
Luke Ringhofer, South Dakota State
Roman Visintine, Western Illinois
Defending league champion Oral Roberts was tabbed the league favorite and received all five of its possible first-place votes for 25 total points. South Dakota State came in second with 18 points and one first-place vote, and North Dakota State was third with 17 points. With Omaha garnering 13 points for fourth, Western Illinois (nine) followed in fifth and Fort Wayne (eight) rounded it out in sixth.
Junior infielder/right-handed pitcher Ryan Cate was also included on the Summit League's Players to Watch list after earning first-team All-Summit honors as a utility player in 2016. He batted .317 and registered a team-leading five saves in his sophomore season.
Guided by first-year head coach Evan Porter, Omaha returns 19 letterwinners in 2017, including six position players with starting experience and two starting pitchers. The Mavericks finished with a record of 28-28 (18-12 Summit League) for second in the league standings last season.
Omaha opens the 2017 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17, facing UNLV at 8:05 p.m. (CT) in Las Vegas, Nev.
2017 SUMMIT LEAGUE BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | 2016 Record | ||
| 1. Oral Roberts (5) | 25 | 38-21 (22-8) | ||
| 2. South Dakota State (1) | 18 | 22-35 (13-17) | ||
| 3. North Dakota State | 17 | 29-25 (12-18) | ||
| 4. Omaha | 13 | 28-28 (18-12) | ||
| 5. Western Illinois | 9 | 14-36 (11-19) | ||
| 6. Fort Wayne | 8 | 33-26 (14-16) |
2017 SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jake Weber, Fort Wayne
Drew Fearing, North Dakota State
Ryan Cate, Omaha
Matt Whatley, Oral Roberts
Luke Ringhofer, South Dakota State
Roman Visintine, Western Illinois
Players Mentioned
UTL/RHP
/ BaseballWednesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
