RICHARDSON, Texas (Jan. 20, 2022) – Oklahoma Christian finished fifth in the Lone Star Conference's preseason baseball poll, released Thursday.
Angelo State (Texas) topped the poll of coaches, athletic communications professionals and media members with 27 of a possible 36 first-place votes and 452 points. West Texas A&M was second with five first-place votes and 432 points.
Texas-Tyler (a team OC swept in a three-game series in 2021) finished third in the poll with 364 points, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville with three first-place votes and 360 points. OC received 315 points to finish fifth.
OC is coming off a 24-16 season in which it had one of NCAA Division II's top offenses, averaging 8.9 runs per game (15th nationally) and 70 home runs (19th nationally) while posting a .532 slugging percentage (also 19th nationally). The Eagles return their top nine hitters from that lineup, including All-Region performers
Michael DiFiore,
Chance Westervelt and
Blake Empkey and All-LSC performer
Coleton Hinkle.
"We are very excited about the level this program has risen to," OC coach
Lonny Cobble said. "We are looking to build on last year's success."
The rest of the top 10 in the LSC poll were Lubbock Christian (Texas) with 289 points, St. Mary's (Texas) with one first-place vote and 287 points, Arkansas-Fort Smith with 201 points, St. Edward's (Texas) with 195 points and Texas-Permian Basin with 138 points. St. Mary's and St. Edward's both will have new coaches this season.
Texas A&M International (106 points), Cameron (90 points) and Eastern New Mexico (47 points) rounded out the poll.
OC will open its season Feb. 4-6 with a four-game LSC series at St. Mary's. The Eagles' home opener will be Feb. 11 against Lubbock Christian. Cobble enters his 10th season with the Eagles just 10 wins shy of 250 as a collegiate coach.
