MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Trinity University baseball team will open the 2015 season ranked No. 16 in the nation according to the D3baseball.com Preseason polls, announced on Wednesday morning.
The Tigers competed in the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season in 2014, losing both of its games at the regional tournament in McMinnville, Oregon. Trinity lost 3-2 against University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and 4-1 to defending NCAA Division III Champion Linfield. Those teams wound up as the finalists at this year's tournament with Linfield advancing to Appleton. The Tigers finished 17th in the final D3baseball.com poll of 2014 and 11th in the ABCA poll.
Trinity finished its season with a 33-10 overall record under Head Coach Tim Scannell, who enters his 17th season as head coach. Trinity qualified for the NCAA postseason event by winning the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship last season. The Tigers defeated Texas Lutheran University at the Trinity Baseball Field to capture their eighth SCAC title under the leadership of Coach Scannell, and the ninth overall.
The Tigers return a talented lineup including SCAC Pitcher of the Year Zack Speer. Speer was the SCAC Pitcher of the Year after leading the conference in strikeouts (52) and wins (8) this season. He is also second in the SCAC with an ERA of 1.99 on the season, and is one of just two players in the league ranked in the top five in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched (fifth).
In addition to Speer, All-SCAC pitchers Michael Walker, Ryan Gray, and Kevin Flores return to the mound while position players Connor Moore, Carter McEachern, Drew Butler, Austin Singer, and Jeremy Wolf are back this season.
Trinity will open this season on Friday, February 6th as they welcome in the University of Texas at Tyler to the Trinity Baseball Field at 3 p.m. (CT).
To see the full D3baseball.com Preseason Top 25, click here.
