Jan. 24, 2012

Charlotte sits atop A-10 preseason poll

Defending champion Charlotte claimed the top spot in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll in voting by the league’s 13 head coaches and released by the conference office.

The 49ers received 167 points to finish comfortably ahead of second-place Rhode Island with 140 points. Dayton (129 points) edged Xavier (124) and Richmond (123) for third. Saint Louis was sixth, followed by Fordham, La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, George Washington, Massachusetts and Temple.

Charlotte, under head coach Loren Hibbs (pictured right), returns four starting pitchers and four position starters from last year’s 43-16 squad. A-10 Pitcher of the Year and All-American Andrew Smith leads the pitching staff after going 10-4 with a 1.81 ERA in 2011.

URI brings back three all-conference selections in outfielder Greg Annarummo, shortstop Mike LeBel and DH Jeff Cammans. Annarummo was a first-team selection while hitting .341 overall and .378 in league contests.

The regular season begins on Friday, Feb. 17, with 11 of the 13 A-10 teams taking the field that first weekend. Conference action commences on Friday, March 23. The top six teams will advance to the double-elimination A-10 Championship from May 24-26 at Houlihan Park on the campus of Fordham in Bronx, N.Y. The title game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, May 26 at noon ET.

2012 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll

Team, Points (2011 A-10, Overall Records)

1. Charlotte, 167 (17-7, 43-16)

2. Rhode Island, 140 (16-8, 31-22)

3. Dayton, 129 (15-9, 32-27)

4. Xavier, 124 (14-10, 30-27)

5. Richmond, 123 (13-11, 29-27)

6. Saint Louis, 95 (10-14, 29-26)

7. Fordham, 80 (12-11, 31-23)

8. La Salle, 74 (13-11, 28-26)

8. Saint Joseph's, 74 (11-13, 21-31)

10. St. Bonaventure, 57 (13-11, 23-23)

11. George Washington, 55 (9-15, 19-36)

12. Massachusetts, 38 (8-15, 17-29)

13. Temple, 27 (4-20, 24-29)

(photo courtesy of Charlotte Media Relations Office)