1/24/20
AUGUSTA, Ga. – After winning the regular-season championship for the third time in five years in 2019, the University of North Georgia baseball team was picked to win the league in the preseason coaches poll, the conference office announced Friday morning.
The Nighthawks captured eight of a possible 11 first-place votes and 117 total points to come in ahead of second-place Columbus State. Young Harris was third in the voting with USC Aiken and Georgia College tied for fourth.
North Georgia takes the top spot in the preseason poll for the second time in their PBC history, the first coming in 2016. Four different PBC teams received first-place votes in this year’s poll with Columbus State taking one, Young Harris two and Flagler one.
The Nighthawks finished with a 33-20 overall record and 19-11 mark in league play. UNG brings back five seniors for 2020 including first-team All-Conference pitcher Steven Bower and second baseman Bill LeRoy, who was named to the preseason All-Conference team earlier this week. 12 juniors will also fill out the roster Crews Taylor, who was named preseason All-Conference, and reliever Parker Morrison who was a second-team All-Conference selection last year.
Coaches were not permitted to rank their own team.
