Dec. 31, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — While the bats and balls will not come out of storage for another month, the first sign that the Marietta College baseball season is right around the corner once again came the day after Christmas (Dec. 26) when Collegiate Baseball released its NCAA Division III Pre-Season Poll. The Pioneers again find themselves ranked among the top teams in the country, having been given the No. 9 ranking in the Top 30 Poll.

Coming off the national championship—the fourth in school history—in 2006, Head Coach Brian Brewer led the 2007 Etta Express to a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular season title, its record 20th Mideast Regional crown and a record 19th trip to the NCAA Division III World Series. Marietta was voted No. 7 in the 2007 Pre-Season Poll. That prediction turned out to be very accurate, as the Etta Express, who finished 32-17, tied for seventh in the nation at the World Series in Grande Chute, Wis., in late May.

Brewer, now in his fifth season, and his staff look forward to the return to nine lettermen and many others who gained valuable experience last spring. Marietta will be forced to replace three key seniors—Ryan Belanger, Ryan Eschbaugh and Joe Litke. They were not just three of the four starting infielders but also provided the leadership on the very young squad.

Seniors outfielder Tony Piconke and third baseman/first baseman Dom Winters will be asked to continue the tradition of senior leadership in 2008. In addition, junior pitchers Jason Baumler, TJ Knowlton and Justin Merryman should anchor a pitching staff that returns every arm that made a start last year.

Marietta is slated to open up its season against host Piedmont in Atlanta (Ga.) on March 1. The Pioneers will also be traveling to Texas again for Spring Break (March 10-14). The Etta Express will make a stop in Memphis, Tenn., to take on Rhodes (March 9) before getting to Texas. While in Texas on March 11, the Pioneers will take on No. 18 Texas-Tyler and Texas-Dallas, who received votes in the poll.

The Etta Express will open its play up north with a road game at Transylvania (Ky.), who also received votes in the poll. Marietta's home opener at Don Schaly Stadium is scheduled against Heidelberg on March 22. On March 26, No. 1 Wooster comes to Marietta for a single, nine-inning game. The next day (March 23), the Pioneers will visit Ohio Wesleyan, another team to receive votes in the poll. In addition, a doubleheader showdown with No. 22 Otterbein will take place in Marietta on April 19.

Rounding out the top 10 in the poll were No. 2 Cortland State (N.Y.); No. 3 Kean (N.J.), the 2007 National Champions; No. 4 Chapman (Calif.); No. 5 Emory (Ga.); No. 6 Eastern Connecticut State; No. 7 Wis.-Stevens Point; No. 8 Carthage (Wis.) and No. 10 Johns Hopkins (Md.).