BAY CITY, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team has been chosen to finish in fourth place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for the 2011 season by the league's coaches. The Cardinals, who finished fourth in 2010 as well and appeared in the GLIAC Tournament, received 51 points to finish 18 points behind third place Ashland, which finished with 69 points and a pair of first place votes. Grand Valley State was chosen to win the league, garnering 79 points and seven of nine possible first place votes while Wayne State was the runner-up with 70 points and one first place nod.
Sandy Gholston's SVSU Season Preview:
Overview: Coming off a season during which the Cardinals finished one game below .500 overall (22-23), but one game above .500 in the conference (16-15), the Cardinals hope for a higher level of success in 2011. SVSU returns a trio of solid hitters in junior outfielder Ryan Ermers, who batted .371 with 49 hits, 26 runs scored and 24 runs driven in; Matt Hunt, a junior infielder, who batted .347 with 42 hits, 34 runs scored, 27 RBI and a home run; and sophomore outfielder Kyle O'Boyle, who batted .331 with 44 hits, 29 runs scored, 35 RBI and seven homers. On the mound, Saginaw Valley will look for some players to step in and deliver as Colin Coulter, who was 4-1 last season, and Carson Beauchaine, who was 2-4 a year ago, are among the featured returning starters. The top relief pitcher back is expected to be Craig Engerer, who had a 3.96 earned run average.
2010 Record: 22-23 overall, 16-15 GLIAC
Coaching: Walt Head has a career record of 794-555-6 as he approaches nearly three decades as head coach of the Cardinals.
Noteworthy: Saginaw Valley earned a fourth-place finish in GLIAC competition last season.