Baseball | 1/25/2022 2:10:00 PM

ROME, Ga.  Methodist baseball earned 39 points in the USA South Athletic Conference 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll for the East Division, finishing in second-place within the rankings by 10 points.

North Carolina Wesleyan College earned 49 points and seven first-place votes from the coaches -- who are not allowed to vote for their own team -- to steal the top spot in the poll released Tuesday afternoon by the league office. The Battling Bishops will look to defend its 2021 regular season divisional title.

Sitting on the heels of the Monarchs is Pfeiffer University with 37 points for third-place. The Falcons also picked up one first-place tally. 

Methodist finished the 2021 season fourth in the East league standings, only falling to fourth behind Pfeiffer by 0.133 percentage points, as the Monarchs' 7-8 league record was close to the Falcons 9-6 league record.

The West was led by LaGrange College with 36 points, who received seven first-place votes. The Panthers finished the 2021 season as the regular season champions for the West division. Just behind them is Piedmont University, who only slipped behind LaGrange by 5 points (31) while earning the final first-place vote. 

Methodist begins its season on February 12 at Armstrong-Shelley Field, hosting Hood College in a doubleheader starting 1 PM.