Campus News

BASEBALL: ETBU's Pope, Cox included on ASC preseason "Players to Watch" list

MARSHALL, Texas (1/27/10) – ETBU senior outfielder Kyle Pope and junior right-hander Chad Cox have been mentioned as Players to Watch in the American Southwest Conference 2010 Preseason Baseball Poll released Wednesday by the conference office.

Pope, who has started in centerfield and hit leadoff for the Tigers the past two seasons, is coming off another stellar year that saw him hit .386 with four home runs and 26 RBI, is also a two-time All-ASC East Division player. The former Longview Spring Hill standout enters his senior season having amassed a total of 125 hits the last two years at ETBU.

Cox, a native of Palestine, pitched in a team-high 17 games last spring and finished 4-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 37 1/3 innings. He averaged nearly a strikeout per inning (36) and opponents hit just .269 off him on the season.

The Tigers are picked to finish sixth in the ASC East poll, which was compiled through voting by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and selected media.

ETBU (16-24 in 2009) received 46 points in the poll to edge rival LeTourneau (14-22) for the sixth spot. Louisiana College (18-22) got 65 points in the poll to finish fifth, while Ozarks (17-25) received 70 points and was fourth in the balloting.

Defending champion Texas-Tyler (39-12) was picked to win the division by the closest of margins, receiving 132 points and 8 first-place votes. Second-place Mississippi College (30-16) finished one point behind the Patriots and garnered two more first-place votes (10) in the voting.

Texas-Dallas received 113 points and the remaining three first-place votes to finish third.

In the ASC West Division, Texas Lutheran (30-14) was picked as the preseason favorite with 174 points and 13 first-place votes. The Bulldogs were followed in the poll by McMurry, Hardin-Simmons, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Concordia Texas, Howard Payne, Schreiner and Sul Ross State.

ETBU’s season begins on Feb. 13 when the Tigers host Ecclesia College at Woods Field.