Jan. 18, 2011

2011 Atlantic 10 Baseball Prospectus

Newport News, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its 2011 Preseason Baseball Poll this afternoon, picking the Fordham Rams seventh out of 13 teams for the upcoming season. After capturing a share of its third regular season title in the past four years, Charlotte was selected as the favorite to win the 2011 Atlantic 10 baseball title in voting conducted by the league's head coaches.

Xavier, the 2009 A-10 Tournament Champion, was picked second, while Dayton, the 2009 Conference regular season champion, rounds out the top three picks.

Defending A-10 Champion Saint Louis was picked to finish fourth, followed by Rhode Island, Richmond, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure and Temple.

The Fordham Rams return a healthy portion of its 2010 squad, which qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the fifth time in the last seven years. Among the returnees, include First Team All-Atlantic 10 catcher Chris Walker and Second Team All-Atlantic 10 pitcher Max Kra¬kowiak.

Walker was the breakout hitter in 2010, hitting .370 with 81 hits, 25 doubles, six home runs, and 61 RBI. His 25 doubles set the single sea¬son school record, while his 81 hits and 61 RBI tied for the second-highest totals in school history. In addition to being First Team All-Atlantic 10 last season, Walker was also selected to the ECAC All-Star Team and to the ABCA All-Region Second Team.

Krakowiak will once again head up the Rams' starting rotation after setting career-highs in wins (7), appearances (15), starts (15), complete games (3), ERA (4.10), innings pitched (98.2), and strikeouts (69). How¬ever, he really made his in name in conference play, posting a 7-0 re¬cord with a 2.63 ERA in 68.1 innings.

On top of Walker and Krakowiak, the Rams return starting infielders Nick Martinez, Brian Kownacki, and Ryan Maghini, outfielder Ryan Lee, and #2 starting pitcher Brian Pendergast.

The 13 Atlantic 10 teams (Duquesne no longer has baseball), will compete for one of the coveted six spots at the double-elimination A-10 Championship, which will be held May 25-28 at Campbell's Field in Camden, N.J.

2011 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(2010 overall/A-10 record in parentheses)
1. Charlotte (39-17/20-7) - 10 First-Place Votes
2. Xavier (26-32/18-9) - 1 First-Place Vote
3. Dayton (23-32/12-15)
4. Saint Louis (33-29/15-12) - 1 First-Place Vote
5. Rhode Island (31-26/17-10) - 1 First-Place Vote
6. Richmond (24-28/10-17)
7. Fordham (21-35/15-12)
8. George Washington (26-28/14-13)
9. La Salle (22-32/14-13)
10. Massachusetts (19-27/13-14)
11. Saint Joseph's (18-29/13-14)
12. St. Bonaventure (17-31/8-19)
13. Temple (14-37/10-17)