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GLIAC -- The Saginaw Valley State University Baseball team has been picked to finish in sixth place in the annual Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Cardinals received 17 points in the poll, 11 behind fifth place Wayne State. Ashland was picked to win the league in 2019 with 44 points and four first-place votes. Northwood finished second with 43 points and three first-place nods. Davenport was third with 37 points and one first-place vote.
2019 GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll Results
2019 Saginaw Valley State Preview
The Saginaw Valley State University Baseball squad looks to bounce-back from a 20-28 2018 campaign and move towards securing a postseason berth after a four-year absence from the GLIAC Tournament.
Along with a solid group of returners joins first year head coach Steve Jaksa. Jaksa comes to SVSU from Central Michigan University, where he spent the past 16 seasons as the head coach of the Chippewas, racking-up 507 victories, three MAC championships and six MAC West titles.
Returning to lead the pitching staff are juniors Amani Godfrey and Brandon Wise. The duo started 21 games for the Cardinals in 2017-18, picking up seven victories as well in over 118 innings of work. Offensively, infielders Jordan Swiss and Derrek Clyde head into their senior season looking to lead with the bats and solid defense. Swiss hit .382 a year ago with three HR, 12 doubles, 34 RBI and 16 SB. Clyde hit .324 with eight doubles, two HR and 27 RBI.
The Cardinals open the 2019 campaign on the road in Georgia, facing last year's top regional seed in Illinois-Springfield in a three-game series Feb. 15-16. Saginaw Valley opens GLIAC play Mar. 22-24 on the road at Davenport.