Rebuilt Comets Still Pegged 2nd In Poll

UTD's Reputation Earns Comets No. 2 Spot in Pre-Season East Poll

RICHARDSON, TX - The UTD baseball team, which finished second in the American Southwest Conference East Division last year and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III West Regionals, has again been picked to challenge for the ASC East crown in 2008.

UTD (34-13 in 2007), which will be fielding an near completely retooled lineup in 2008, finished second in the voting behind UT-Tyler, a team that went 37-1 last year and will finally be eligible to compete for a post-season berth as a full-fledged NCAA member in 2008.

Eleven of the voters (coaches, sports information directors and media representatives) picked the Patriots to finish first in 2008 with 128 points, with UTD receiving two first-place votes and 102 points. Mississippi College (17-25, 98 pts) finished third with 98 points and one first-place vote, followed by the University of the Ozarks (24-21, 73 pts), Louisiana College (21-20, 62 pts), East Texas Baptist (11-28, 48 pts) and LeTourneau (11-28, 21 pts).

Three-time defending ASC champion Texas Lutheran University (37-10-1, 155 pts) is again the favorite in the West Division with 11 first-place votes. Conference tournament runner-up McMurry (29-17, 146 pts, 7 first-place votes) was picked second in the West ahead of Hardin-Simmons (25-17, 111 pts), Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-18-1, 106 pts), Concordia Texas (21-18, 94 pts), Howard Payne (13-25, 61 pts), Schreiner (19-21, 60 pts) and Sul Ross State (6-33, 23 pts).