Carthage Picked to Win CCIW Baseball Title in 2008 Coaches Poll

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Carthage Red Men were picked to win the 2008 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) baseball title according to a poll conducted by the conference’s eight head baseball coaches Wednesday.

Carthage won the poll with 46 points, including four first place votes, after advancing to the NCAA Division III College World Series last season. The Red Men finished second in the conference in 2007 with a 16-5 record (37-13 overall). Defending conference champion Illinois Wesleyan (32-13, 20-1 in 2007) placed second in the poll with 44 points, including three first place votes. Augustana (35-14, 13-8) was third with 39 points and one first place vote.

Elmhurst (16-22, 10-11) placed fourth in the poll with 23 points while Wheaton (10-23-1, 3-17) finished fifth with 22 points. North Park (14-26, 7-14), North Central (16-24, 7-14) and Millikin (15-25, 7-13) rounded out the poll with 20, 17 and 13 points respectively.

Voting in the preseason poll is done by the baseball coaches in the CCIW. Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (seven points for first, six for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own team.