Webster Baseball May Four-Peat in 2010

ST. LOUIS - Defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) regular season champion Webster University has been picked as the pre-season favorite in the 2010 SLIAC Baseball Coaches' Pre-Season Poll. The Gorloks, who posted a perfect record of 24-0 in conference play and 28-15 overall last season, received seven first place votes.

Webster head coach Bill Kurich once again returns a veteran squad that includes senior center fielder Dakota Huey and senior right-handed pitcher Will Savage. Huey was a First Team All-SLIAC selection in 2009, after earning Second Team honors in 2008. He led the Gorloks last season with a .398 batting average, while also posting a team-high 64 hits  and 18 doubles. Savage went 6-3 on the mound last year and had a 4.85 ERA in 59.1 innings of work. He was also a First Team All-SLIAC honoree. Sophomore and  2009 SLIAC Newcomer of the Year Joe Biagini also returns for Webster. He hit .368 last year with a team-high 63 RBI, while also recording 56 hits, 14 home runs and nine doubles.

Fontbonne (25-19, 13-10 SLIAC) received one first place vote in the poll and ranked second overall. The Griffins captured the 2009 SLIAC Tournament Championship as the #4 seed. The top returners for Fontbonne this season include shortstop Josh Burlison, first baseman Josh Kraemer and outfielder Jason Nikolaisen. Burlison, a senior, was a Second Team All-SLIAC selection last season and finished the season with a .347 batting average, 52 hits and 35 RBI. Kraemer was an Honorable Mention All-SLIAC honoree in 2009 and led the Griffins with a .373 batting average and a team-high 60 hits. Nikolaisen hit .350 last season and had 57 hits, 37 runs scored, 16 doubles, two triples and 32 RBI.

Greenville College was picked third in the poll. The Panthers were 16-25 overall last season and 14-10 in conference play. Westminster College rounded out the top four in the poll. The Blue Jays went 8-27 overall and 6-17 in conference play.