EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University baseball program, coming off its second NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in school history, has been picked fifth in the Atlantic Region in the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) preseason poll which was announced Tuesday.

The Warriors have two players on the All-Region preseason team in junior Eric Boyer, named to the second team in the outfield, and junior Brian Ernst, named honorable mention at first base.

Boyer and Ernst helped the Warriors to a third-place finish in last year's NCAA Atlantic Regional, where they went 2-2 with their only losses coming to runner-up Mercyhurst. ESU finished the season with a 27-20 record, its school record third-straight season with at least 25 wins. The Warriors played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985.

Boyer (Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh) hit .331 with nine doubles, a triple, three home runs, 30 RBI, 24 runs and stole 11 bases in 33 games as a sophomore and was one of the catalysts of the Warriors' 16-4 start that moved them to No. 11 in the NCBWA Division II poll. ESU was 23-10 when Boyer was in the lineup and just 4-10 when he missed a month-long stretch due to injury. He had a .432 on-base percentage and .496 slugging percentage last season and enters this year with a career batting average of .357.

Ernst (Allentown/Salisbury) led the Warriors with a .354 average and 36 RBI while hitting in the cleanup spot for all but two of his 47 starts last season. He had 11 doubles, a triple and a home run, drew 27 walks against just 16 strikeouts and had a .448 on-base percentage and .453 slugging percentage. An All-PSAC East second team utility pick as a freshman, Ernst is also expected to return to the mound this season after making just three starts a year ago due to injury. He had a 5-3 record with 49 strikeouts in 51.0 innings as a freshman and is a career .331 hitter with 100 hits through his first two seasons.

Millersville, last year's regional champion, received eight of the nine first place votes in the preseason poll to begin this season ranked No. 1 in the region. The Marauders are followed by Mercyhurst, the PSAC champion and regional runner-up. Seton Hill – which ESU beat 6-5 in 11 innings in its NCAA Atlantic Region opener – is No. 3, followed by Slippery Rock, ESU, California, Concord, West Chester, Winston-Salem State and West Virginia State.

ESU enters the 2012 season as the only PSAC East school to make the PSAC Tournament in each of the last two years. Six of the division's seven schools received votes in the NCBWA preseason poll in Millersville, ESU, West Chester, Kutztown, Bloomsburg and Mansfield. The division also claimed more than one-third – 17 of 45 – of the players on the preseason All-Region teams.

The All-Region team is highlighted by Shepherd first baseman Nathan Minnich, last year's NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the Year. ESU left-handed pitcher Jeremy Gigliotti, who was drafted in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres, was the Pitcher of the Year and a third team NCBWA All-American.

All but one of the preseason first team selections were named to the first, second, third or honorable mention postseason teams last year. Five were named to the first team in Minnich (at DH/Utility), Mercyhurst starting pitcher Eric Aschley, Slippery Rock relief pitcher Ryan Oglesby, Kutztown third baseball Shayne Houck (at OF) and Millersville shortstop Mike August. West Chester second baseman Joe Wendle was a first team selection last year and is on the preseason second team, behind Mercyhurst's Zak Blair.

ESU opens the 2012 season in North Carolina with 10 regional games over three weekends, taking on Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) members Saint Augustine's for three games, Chowan for four games and Winston-Salem State for three games. Winston-Salem State is No. 9 in the preseason Atlantic Region poll.


NCBWA Atlantic Region preseason poll

1. Millersville (8) (44-12) – 89 points
2. Mercyhurst (1) (41-12) – 82
3. Seton Hill (33-15) – 65
4. Slippery Rock (27-19) – 55
5. ESU (27-20) – 45
6. California (30-18) – 35
7. Concord (27-26) – 34
8. West Chester (22-21) – 27
9. Winston-Salem St. (26-18) – 20
10. WV State (25-18) – 18

Others receiving votes – Kutztown (21-18) – 15; Bloomsburg (23-21) – 4; IUP (22-28) – 2; Mansfield (21-18) – 2; Pitt-Johnstown (22-25) – 2


NCBWA Atlantic Region preseason 1st team

C – Matt Albaugh, Jr., Kutztown
1B – Nathan Minnich, Sr., Shepherd*
2B – Zak Blair, R-Jr., Mercyhurst
3B – Shayne Houck, Sr., Kutztown
SS – Mike August, Sr., Millersville
OF – Troy Handza, Sr., California
OF – Shane Latshaw, Sr., Mercyhurst
OF – Josh Logan, Sr., Seton Hill
Util – Kyle Petty, Jr., California
SP – Eric Aschley, Sr., Mercyhurst
SP – Mike McMonagle, Sr., Millersville
SP – Brooks Rothschild, Sr., Millersville
RP – Ryan Oglesby, So., Slippery Rock

* returning Region Player of the Year

2nd team

C – Kyle Morrow, So., Pitt-Johnstown
1B – John Shaffer, Jr., Slippery Rock
2B – Joe Wendle, Sr., West Chester
3B – Zach Stone, R-So., Millersville
SS – Keith Morrisroe, Sr., Concord
OF – Eric Boyer, Jr., ESU
OF – Eric Herman, Sr., Shippensburg
OF – Cody Kulp, Jr., Shippensburg
Util – Jacob Mays, Sr., Concord
SP – Ben Rawding, Jr., Mercyhurst
SP – Lou Trivino, So., Slippery Rock
SP – Chase Pickering, Sr., WV State
RP – Samuel O'Neill, Sr., Mercyhurst

Honorable Mention

C – Ryan Chesler, R-Jr., Millersville
C – Nickolas Eversole, Jr., Bloomsburg
C – Aaron Lupia, So., IUP
1B – Brian Ernst, Jr., ESU
2B – Cody Montz, Sr., Kutztown
3B – Ethan Santora, Sr., Mercyhurst
3B – Josh Wenger, R-Jr., Concord
OF – Chris Edgar, Sr., Millersville
OF – Carter Haponski, Sr., Slippery Rock
OF – Michael Tomko, Jr., Gannon
OF – Drew Westover, Sr., Pitt-Johnstown
Util – Mike LeViseur, Sr., Seton Hill
Util – Vince Smarrelli, Sr., Bloomsburg
SP – Fred Breidenbach, Jr., West Chester
SP – Zach Jeney, Sr., Slippery Rock
SP – Zach Leitten, Sr., Mercyhurst
SP – Brad Schnelle, So., Seton Hill
RP – Landon Wahl, Sr., Gannon
RP – Clint White, Sr., Seton Hill