University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Chosen as 2011 BIG EAST Baseball Favorite
1/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 4, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The University of Connecticut baseball team has been chosen as the 2011 BIG EAST Conference favorite as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches. The Huskies received nine out of a possible 11 first-place votes in the preseason poll. Junior George Springer was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, while junior Matt Barnes was selected as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The first-place prediction is the highest during head coach Jim Penders' tenure at UConn as the team was previously selected to finish third in 2010, a season in which the Huskies finished a half-game behind the first-place Louisville Cardinals.
UConn returns seven starting position players from last year's team, which went 48-16 overall and 20-6 in the BIG EAST Conference. The Huskies also hosted the Norwich Regional of the NCAA Championship and made their first NCAA appearance since the 1994 season. In 2010, UConn also competed in its third BIG EAST Championship game in the past four seasons.
The Huskies' returning starters include Springer, who hit .337 with 18 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 33 stolen bases last season, and Barnes who went 8-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 2010. First baseman Mike Nemeth (.386, 15 HR, 84 RBI) joined Springer and Barnes as unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, while designated hitter Kevin Vance (.322, 7 HR, 36 RBI) was named to the team as well.
St. John's has been picked to finish in second place in the league as the Red Storm earned two first-place votes. Louisville rounded out the top-three with one first-place nod.
The Huskies begin the 2011 season at the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge on Feb. 18 with their first game of the year against Purdue in Dunedin, Fla.
2011 Preseason BIG EAST Baseball Coaches' Poll
1.
2.
3.
4. USF 87
5.
6.
7.
Notre Dame 56
9.
10. Villanova 31
11. Seton Hall 25
12.
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year:
George Springer, OF,
Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year:
Matt Barnes, RHP,
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Pos. Name, Class, School Key 2010 Stats
P Matt Barnes, Jr.,
P Matt Iannazzo, Jr.,
P Kyle Hansen, So.,
P Randy Fontanez, Sr., USF 5-7, 3.59 ERA, 110.1 IP, 105 K, 28 BB, .241 OBA
P Andrew Barbosa, Sr., USF 8-2, 2.40 ERA, 86.1 IP, 95 K, 22 BB, .228 OBA
C Erick Fernandez, Sr.,
C Kevan Smith, Sr.,
1B Mike Nemeth, Sr.,
2B Ryan Wright, Jr.,
SS Steve Nyisztor, So.,
3B Grant Buckner, Sr.,
OF George Springer, Jr.,
OF Stewart Ijames, Jr.,
OF Jeremy Baltz, So.,
DH Kevin Vance, Jr.,
DH Ryan Kapp, Jr.,
* - unanimous selection
