Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll

RINDGE, N.H. (February 1, 2018) – A year removed from having a 12-year streak of NCAA Championship berths snapped, the seven-time regional champion Franklin Pierce University baseball team will look to return to the top of the East Region in 2018. The Ravens -- who were the runner-up at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship a year ago -- have been picked to finish second in the Northeast Division of the NE10, as announced on Thursday by the Conference office.

The Ravens (33-15 in 2017) place second in the poll, behind defending division champion Southern New Hampshire (43-11). The Penmen were the unanimous first-place pick in the Northeast Division, as they collected 14 of 15 available first-place votes, with coaches prohibited from voting for their own team. SNHU head coach Scott Loiseau -- a 2002 Franklin Pierce graduate -- gave the Ravens his first-place vote. In all, SNHU collected 105 points in the poll, while Franklin Pierce tallied 92.

Behind the Ravens in the Northeast Division, Merrimack (23-21) with 74 points and Stonehill (15-27) with 61 points rounded out the top four. In fact, the top four positions in the Northeast Division were picked in the same order they finished a year ago. At season’s end, the top four clubs in the division will qualify for the NE10 Championship.

On the other side of the league, defending NE10 champion New Haven (31-13) was picked to finish first in the Southwest Division, as the Chargers garnered nine of 15 first-place votes and 78 points. Hot on their heels were the Dolphins of Le Moyne (28-16), who picked up five first-place votes and 75 points. The defending Southwest Division champion, Southern Connecticut State (27-16-1), was picked third with the remaining first-place vote and 62 points. Pace (29-19) rounded out the top four. As in the Northeast, the NE10 coaches picked the same four teams to qualify for the postseason as did a year ago out of the Southwest.

Bentley (11-30) -- which was picked sixth in the Northeast Division -- is the first NE10 team to get its season underway, as they head to No. 2/5 Tampa for a three-game weekend series this Friday through Sunday. The first round of the 2018 NE10 Championship is set for Tuesday, May 8. The double-elimination weekend portion of the tournament follows on May 10-12, and will be hosted by the top advancing seed from the Northeast Division.

Franklin Pierce is a five-time NE10 champion and has qualified for the NE10 Championship on 17 occasions, both of which are tied for the league record. The Ravens have also made a Conference-record 10 appearances in the final round of the NE10 Championship.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics’ official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics’ online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).