Waterville, Maine: The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team has been ranked first overall in the season opening 2024 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Western Division Pre-Season Coaches Poll. The Fighting Tigers are coming off a 2023 season that saw them post a program best 22-15 overall record including a 13-2 mark in conference play which led them to their third consecutive NAC Western Division Championship.
This season Cobleskill will be returning a veteran roster featuring 26 returning lettermen led by NAC Player-of-the-Year senior shortstop
David Flora, Windsor, N.Y., Windsor High School/Herkimer Community College, along with All-NAC junior centerfielder
Zach Ducorsky, Oceanside, N.Y., Oceanside High School, and All-NAC senior utilityman
Matthew Snyder, Latham, N.Y., Shaker High School.
According to second-year head coach
Austin Straub, the 2023 NAC Coach-of-the-Year, the Fighting Tigers are grateful for what the ranking represents and now are committed to the goal of taking the program to the next level.
" As a team we're honored to be recognized for our talent and for the success we have had over the years. With a strong returning core of starters and the additions to the roster we've made with transfers and freshmen, we're looking forward to the challenge of living up to the expectations that come with being picked as pre-season favorites to win the West Divisional Title for the fourth year in a row. However, we've been here before and as good as it feels to be recognized pre-season; our team is determined and focused to achieving the recognition at the end of the year with that comes with bringing home our first NAC conference championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that comes with it."
The Fighting Tigers are now scheduled to open the 2024 campaign on Saturday February 24 when they travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. for a doubleheader versus the Coronels of Wilkes University with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
2024 NAC Baseball Coaches Poll Results:
Western Division:
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1st |
SUNY Cobleskill |
15 (3) |
| 2nd |
Eastern Nazarene College |
11 |
| 3rd |
SUNY Canton |
8 (1) |
| 4th |
SUNY Polytechnic Institute |
6 |
*
Denotes First Place Votes
Eastern Division:
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1st |
Husson University |
35 (5) |
| 2nd |
Thomas College |
26 (1) |
| 3rd |
Lesley University |
25 |
| 4th |
Vermont State University-Lyndon |
19 |
| 5th |
University of Maine Farmington |
11 |
| 6th |
University of Maine-Presque Isle |
10 |
*
Denotes First Place Votes
