The Wayne State baseball team was picked sixth in the 2019 NSIC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll.
The Wildcats return five position starters and four starting pitchers from last year’s team that was 21-26 overall and placed seventh in the NSIC with an 18-16 league record.
Defending NCAA Div. II national champion Augustana was voted the team to beat in the NSIC this season, receiving 13 first-place votes and 193 points. Minnesota State came in second with the remaining two first-place votes and 175 points. Defending NSIC regular season champion Minot State was third at 172 points followed by St. Cloud State (162) and Concordia-St. Paul (139).
Wayne State was sixth with 121 points, edging seventh place Winona State at 115 points. Northern State (109), Minnesota Duluth (91) and Minnesota Crookston (67) round out the top 10.
Sophomore second baseman Andrew Hanson and sophomore left handed pitcher Aaron Ras have been listed as Wildcats to Watch in the NSIC this season.
Hanson, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore second baseman, was listed as Wayne State’s Position Player to Watch. Last season, he earned first-team All-NSIC honors with a .320 batting average, recording seven homers with 29 RBI. He was second on the team in runs scored (33) and walks (18) and was 6-for-6 on stolen bases.
Ras, a 6-foot, 195-pound sophomore, is Wayne State’s Pitcher to Watch this season after posting a 5-2 mark in 10 starts last season with a 4.02 ERA. The lefthander allowed just 49 hits in 53.2 innings pitched with 44 strikeouts. Ras allowed just eight extra base hits and held opponents to a .249 batting average.
Wayne State is scheduled to open the 2019 baseball season on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Northeastern State in Oklahoma for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.
