Feb. 1, 2012

Stetson is favorite in Atlantic Sun preseason poll

Stetson is the strong favorite in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll, in voting by the league’s head coaches and as released by the conference office.

The Hatters, under head coach Pete Dun (left), secured nine of the 10 first-place votes and tallied 99 points to outdistance Jacksonville, which placed second. Kennesaw State was third with 67 points, followed by Belmont, Mercer, FGCU (one first-place vote), UNF, ETSU, Lipscomb and USC Upstate.

Stetson won the regular-season title in 2011 with a 23-7 conference mark. Belmont was the surprise tournament winner as the No. 6 seed, joining Stetson and JU in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2012 season starts on Feb. 17 with all 10 A-Sun teams in action. Conference play begins on March 16 with four weekend series. The Atlantic Sun Championship will be held from May 23-26 at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla., on Stetson’s home field.

2012 Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll

Team, Points (First Place) (2011 A-Sun, Overall Records)

1. Stetson, 99 (9) (23-7, 43-20)

2. Jacksonville, 89 (19-11, 37-24)

3. Kennesaw State, 67 (18-11, 32-25)

4. Belmont, 64 (17-13, 38-26)

5. Mercer, 58 (17-12, 39-20)

6. FGCU, 57 (1) (16-14, 27-28)

7. UNF, 42 (13-17, 27-27)

8. ETSU, 41 (16-12, 36-21)

9. Lipscomb, 18 (10-20, 19-36)

10. USC Upstate, 15 (10-18, 19-36)

Predicted 2012 Tournament Champions: Stetson (7 votes)

Fan Voted Atlantic Sun Regular Season Champions: Belmont

Fan Voted Atlantic Sun Championship Winners: Belmont

(photo courtesy of Stetson Media Relations Office)