BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team has been picked to finish sixth in the American Southwest Conference 2024 Baseball Preseason Poll, released Thursday.
UMHB earned 67 points to finish the poll in sixth. East Texas Baptist University leads the poll after a 2023 campaign that earned them an ASC Championship, NCAA Regional title, NCAA Super Regional Title and third-place finish in the Division III World Series. The Tigers went 42-15 last season, earning 155 points in the poll with 15 first-place votes. UT Dallas is in second with 128 points and one first-place vote after going 25-19 last season. Concordia Texas is third with 117 points and one first-place vote after a 25-17 campaign.
Hardin-Simmons and LeTourneau round out the top five with 116 points (one first-place vote) and 74 points, respectively. UMHB is followed by Howard Payne (60 points), McMurry (54 points) and Ozarks (39 points). Sul Ross State will compete a full ASC schedule but is ineligible for championships as they reclassify to Division II.
Andrew Acierni,
Kaden deBerardinis and
Carson Hagan were also named to the Players to Watch list.
Acierni, a senior pitcher from Waco, was a First Team All-ASC selection last season. He threw 51 innings on the year with 66 hits and 37 runs allowed. Acierni threw 43 strikeouts, walking just 14 batters and throwing only two wild pitches on the season. He earned five total wins on the mound with one shutout.
deBerardinis, a senior outfielder from Conroe, was an Honorable Mention All-ASC selection a year ago. deBerardinis hit .298 on the season with 34 hits and 21 runs scored. He added 16 RBI, totaling nine extra-base slams with a trio of home runs.
Hagan, a junior infielder from Arlington, started in 30 games last season with a .266 batting average. He recorded 25 hits with 25 runs scored, including six extra-base slams. Hagan added eight RBI and 17 stolen bases on the year with 35 putouts and 29 assists as a second baseman.
UMHB opens the season against Austin College February 16
th – 17
th in Belton. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday with a 12 p.m. start on Saturday.
