Scots No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll

Adam Samson

» Complete Collegiate Baseball NCAA Div. III Preseason Poll

For the second time in three years and third overall, The College of Wooster received the preseason No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Div. III coaches’ poll, announced Collegiate Baseball recently (Dec. 26). The Fighting Scots, who are coming off a 42-7 record and No. 10 final ranking, also were picked No. 1 entering the 1998 and 2006 seasons, when they ended up going 40-6 and 38-9, respectively, while reaching an NCAA Div. III Regional Tournament each year.

“I think it’s a good thing. I really do,” remarked veteran coach Tim Pettiorini, who has guided Wooster to an overall record of 841-310-6 (.729) and a league-record 11 North Coast Athletic Conference championships over the last 26 years. “Eighty percent of those polls are done on what’s happened in the past, so what it means is we’ve gathered some respect over the years.”

“The biggest thing that they’re looking at … is that we have all of our pitching back. I think those guys are better this year, than they were at this time last year,” he added.

The Scots are expected to return 22 players, headlined by the trio of senior Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville), junior Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic), and sophomore Matt Barnes (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Langley), from the 2007 team. All three pitchers were named to the All-Mideast Region Team, with Samson being a first-team All-American as well, and they combined for a 29-4 record, 2.14 ERA, and 255 strikeouts, compared to just 56 walks, while throwing about 60 percent of the staff’s innings (236.0 of 397.2). Wooster also welcomes back six position players who started 14-plus games.

The 117th season of Scot baseball begins Sunday, March 9, as Wooster kicks off an 18-game swing in Port Charlotte, Fla., versus Albion College (22-18 in 2007).