Marietta College tabbed No. 10 in Preseason NCBWA-D3baseball.com Poll
Etta Express begins pursuit of record fifth national title on March 1

Jan. 22, 2008
DALLAS, Texas — The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) teamed up with D3baseball.com to release its inaugural Division III baseball poll Tuesday (Jan. 22) afternoon and Marietta College was selected No. 10.

25 college baseball writers, sports information directors and related media persons from throughout the nation were surveyed and a preseason top 25 was compiled. Weekly polls will start on Feb. 25 and continue through June 2, following the NCAA Division III Championship in Grande Chute, Wis. SUNY-Cortland was voted atop the poll.

Coming off the national championship—the fourth in school history—in 2006, Head Coach Brian Brewer led the 2007 Etta Express to a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular season title, its record 20th Mideast Regional crown and a record 20th trip to the NCAA Division III World Series. Marietta finished 32-17 and tied for seventh in the nation at the World Series in Grande Chute, Wis., in late May.

Brewer, now in his fifth season, and his staff look forward to the return of nine lettermen and many others who gained valuable experience last spring. Marietta will be forced to replace three key seniors—Ryan Belanger, Ryan Eschbaugh and Joe Litke. They were not just three of the four starting infielders but also provided the leadership on the very young squad.

Seniors outfielder Tony Piconke and third baseman/first baseman Dom Winters will be asked to continue the tradition of senior leadership in 2008. In addition, junior pitchers Jason Baumler, T.J. Knowlton and Justin Merryman should anchor a pitching staff that returns every arm that made a start last year.

Marietta, voted No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Top 30, is slated to open up its season against host Piedmont in Atlanta (Ga.) on March 1. The Pioneers will also be traveling to Texas again for Spring Break (March 10-14). The Etta Express will make a stop in Memphis, Tenn., to take on Rhodes (March 9) before getting to Texas. While in Texas, the Pioneers will take on No. 16 Texas-Tyler as well as McMurry (Texas) and Texas-Dallas, who like Rhodes both received votes in the poll.

The Etta Express will open its play up north with a road game at Transylvania (Ky.), who also received votes in the poll. Marietta's home opener at Don Schaly Stadium is scheduled against Heidelberg on March 22. On March 26, No. 4 Wooster comes to Marietta for a single, nine-inning game. The next day (March 23), the Pioneers will visit Ohio Wesleyan, another team to receive votes in the poll. In addition, a doubleheader showdown with No. 20 Otterbein will take place in Marietta on April 19.

Rounding out the top 10 in the poll were No. 2 Chapman (Calif.); No. 3 Kean (N.J.), the 2007 National Champions; No. 5 Emory (Ga.); No. 6 Wis.-Stevens Point; No. 7 Eastern Connecticut State; No. 8 Johns Hopkins (Md.) and No. 9 Carthage (Wis.).