University of Connecticut Athletics
Baseball Picked Sixth in BIG EAST Preseason Poll
1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (January 16, 2009) — The University of Connecticut baseball team has been selected to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Conference in the upcoming 2009 season as chosen by the league head coaches and announced by the conference office on Friday. Senior pitcher John Folino (Quincy, Mass.) was chosen for the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Louisville, which won 41 games and claimed the BIG EAST Tournament title and an NCAA berth last season, has been chosen to finish first in the league this year. The Cardinals received 11 of a possible 12 first place votes in the preseason poll, while St. John's picked up the remaining vote.
South Florida was chosen to finish second with 103 points, behind Louisville with 121. Notre Dame, St. John's and Cincinnati rounded out the top-five, while the Huskies remain in the top half of the conference with a sixth place prediction.
UConn received 62 points in this year's poll as they stay in the same spot they were predicted to finish in just a year ago. Last season, the Huskies fell short of the BIG EAST Conference Tournament, finishing the regular season in seventh place with an overall record of 27-28 and a league showing of 11-16.
The predicted bottom half of the conference for the 2009 final standings is led by the seventh place prediction in West Virginia (60) followed by Rutgers (58), Seton Hall (49), Villanova (31) and Pittsburgh (27). The Georgetown Hoyas (12) are slated to finish in last place as they were chosen for the same spot a year ago. They finished the 2008 season in 12th with an overall record of 18-32 and a BIG EAST record of 7-20.
UConn will face nine of its BIG EAST Conference's 11 opponents in regular season in 2009, leaving both the top-picked team, Louisville, and Cincinnati (fifth) off the set schedule in regular season play.
The Huskies will host five of their nine conference series at J.O. Christian Field, including weekend match-ups against West Virginia (March 20-22), South Florida (March 27-29), Georgetown (April 17-19), St. John's (April 24-26) and Pittsburgh (May 9-10), while playing four BIG EAST series on the road.
Folino was the lone Husky to be selected to the 2009 preseason All-BIG EAST team as a right-handed pitcher. Folino finished the 2008 season with a 4-4 record and a 5.11 ERA. He threw 56.1 innings while striking out 39 in seven starts.
UConn opens the 2009 campaign on Friday, Feb. 20 in Clearwater, Fla. against Michigan State as part of the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge. The season opener will be played at 10:00 a.m. at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater.
2009 BIG EAST Preseason Baseball Poll
1. Louisville (11) 121
2. South Florida 103
3. Notre Dame 99
4. St. John’s (1) 93
5. Cincinnati 77
6. Connecticut 62
7. West Virginia 60
8. Rutgers 58
9. Seton Hall 49
10. Villanova 31
11. Pittsburgh 27
12. Georgetown 12
2009 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
LHP Justin Marks, Jr., Louisville
RHP Eric Maust, Jr., Notre Dame
RHP Michael Hill, Sr., Cincinnati
RHP John Folino, Sr., Connecticut
RHP Sean Black, Jr., Seton Hall
C Jeff Arnold, Jr., Louisville
1B Jaren Matthews, So., Rutgers
2B Jeremy Barnes, Sr., Notre Dame
3B Chris Dominguez, Jr., Louisville
SS Jedd Gyorko, So., West Virginia
OF Ryan Lockwood, So., USF
OF A.J. Pollock, Jr., Notre Dame
OF Cameron Satterwhite, Sr., Cincinnati
DH Chris Affinito, Sr., Seton Hall
2009 Preseason Player of the Year
3B Chris Dominguez, Jr., Louisville
2009 Preseason Pitcher of the Year
LHP Justin Marks, Jr., Louisville
