York College Cracks NAIA Preseason Top 10

The NAIA Baseball Coaches Top 25 preseason poll was released on November 13, and the Top 10 has an unfamiliar, yet very exciting new visitor.

After an unprecedented season in which the York College Panthers reached the NAIA World Series for the first time in school history, the ranking revealed the Panthers at No. 6 in the nation.

The Panthers are in the midst of a coaching transition this year. Head Coach, and former Panther Nick Harlan, who guided the Panthers to four straight Top 25 rankings, left for a new opportunity with NCAA Division 1 University of Central Arkansas as associate head coach and pitching coach.

The absence of Harlan, who has built the program into one of the nation’s premier teams, isn’t going to hamstring the Panthers.

Newly appointed head coach Brian Walth has a long history with the team. As a former player and teammate of mine during my tenure at York, Walth has been an assistant for over 12 years and knows the ins and outs of the game better than anyone. The Panthers are in very good hands.

Despite the huge strides they have made over the last decade, the Panthers will have their work cut out for them if they want to crack the top five.

Defending champion Faulkner comes in to the 2014 season ranked No.1 after receiving 18-of-19 first-place votes and 529 points, according to the NAIA.

Perennial contender Lewis-Clark is No. 2 in the nation led by Cody Lavill who topped the stat sheet in home runs (10) and RBI (50). Brady Steiger, the Warriors leader in batting average (.430), signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees at the end of 2013 collegiate season.

The Bellevue Bruins, a long-time rival of York, comes into the season ranked No. 14. They finished an outstanding year with 45 wins, won the MCAC regular season with a 21-3 overall mark, and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament for a third-straight year.

Embry-Riddle, Missouri Baptist, and Oklahoma City round out the top five.