SAINT LEO, Fla. – Coming off an impressive first season under head coach Rick O'Dette's leadership the Saint Leo baseball program was tabbed to finish fourth in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lions, who were picked to finish 10^th in O'Dette's first season, took fourth in the standings a season ago and finished just one game out of third.
 
Saint Leo will be led by returning all-conference player Peyton Isaacson who spent time at catcher, first base and as a closer on the pitching staff during his first campaign at Saint Leo. He finished the year with a Saint Leo record tying 14 saves while leading all of NCAA Division II in the category. He also led the Lions in doubles (17), homeruns (12) and RBI (50) while posting a team-best .346 batting average.
 
The Lions return their top four hitters in terms of average while two of their top three RBI leaders head back out on the diamond in 2019.
 
The SSC coaches selected the University of Tampa as the preseason number one for the ninth time in ten years. With 100 points and nine first-place votes in the poll, the Spartans are expected to lift the league trophy for the fourth consecutive year according to the 11 SSC head coaches.
 
Florida Southern, finished second in the voting with 90 points and the remaining two first-place votes. Nova Southeastern followed in third place with 83 points, while Saint Leo held in fourth place at 72 points. Lynn rounded out the top five after receiving 64 points in the preseason ranking. Palm Beach Atlantic and Rollins tied for sixth at 47 points and were followed in the voting by Florida Tech (34 points), Eckerd (24 points), Barry (23 points), and Embry-Riddle (22 points).

The Lions open the 2019 season Friday, February 1 in Tampa at the New York Yankees spring training facility against North Greenville at 1 p.m.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo baseball team be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
 
2019 SSC BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank	School (FPV*)	Total Votes
1	Tampa (9)	99
2	Florida Southern (2)	90
3	Nova Southeastern	83
4	Saint Leo	72
5	Lynn	64
t-6	Palm Beach Atlantic	47
t-6	Rollins	47
8	Florida Tech	34
9	Eckerd	24
10	Barry	23
11	Embry-Riddle	22