Eight-time defending conference champion Keystone College has been selected first in the 2017 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) baseball preseason coaches’ poll. The Giants received six of eight first-place votes, and 61 points total, to finish 10 points ahead of runner-up Neumann University.

“We’re honored to be selected number one by our peers,” Keystone College manager Jamie Shevchik, who is entering his 16th year leading the Giants, said in a press release. “Baseball in the CSAC has been elevated to national attention over the past few years and I think it’s a direct reflection of the coaches and programs within our conference.”

Keystone finished last season with a record of 40-11 on the way to advancing to the title series of the Collegiate World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Giants are currently ranked second in the Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com preseason polls.

The Giants, who have appeared in the NCAA Regional Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, open the 2017 campaign Friday, March 3 at Johns Hopkins University and will play its home and conference opener Friday, March 24 against Cabrini.

The top four squads will advance to the three-day CSAC championship tournament, to be held at PNC Field in Moosic May 12-13, following first-round games at campus sites on Wednesday, May 10.

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For Abington Journal

Information provided by Keystone College.