NEW HAVEN, Conn. (February 3, 2011) – Wilmington University and Dominican College are ranked in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Poll, which was released Wednesday. The Wildcats and Chargers stand fifth and sixth, respectively. Felician College and Post University each received votes in the poll. Meanwhile, senior pitcher Joe Harris of Wilmingon and Felician sophomore outfielder Joe Petosa were named to the preseason All-Region Team.

The Wildcats return 13 letterwinners from last year’s squad that won the CACC regular season title with a 16-4 record to go with an overall mark of 29-18. Wilmington spent numerous weeks ranked among the best East Region teams, reaching as high as fourth.

Harris, a left-hander, went 6-2 last year for the Wildcats, with a 2.09 earned run average.  The CACC Pitcher of the Year in 2010, he was first-team All-CACC pick, and was a first-team NCAA Daktronics, ABCA, and NCBWA All-East Region honoree, along with garnering third-team NCBWA All-American honors.

Dominican is the defending CACC Tournament champion after defeating Post to claim the 2010 title. The Chargers went 28-18 last year and compiled a 15-5 conference mark. DC will be led by junior starter Dave Bartuska, who was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America after going 7-2 last season with a 2.40 ERA. Four-year starter at catcher, Robert Iglesias, sophomore All-CACC outfielder Tony Blake and All-Region outfielder Dan Robinson are also back for the Chargers.

Petosa was named to the preseason All-Region team for Felician after earning CACC Rookie of the Year and first team All-Conference honors last season after hitting .333 with 37 runs scored and 28 RBI.

 2011 NCBWA Preseason Poll

1. Franklin Pierce (6) – 69 points
2. Southern Connecticut State (1) - 64
3. Stonehill - 52
4. New Haven - 44
5. Wilmington - 37
6. Dominican - 36
7. C.W. Post - 35
8. Adelphi - 17
9. UMass-Lowell – 12
10. Molloy 9
    () – first place votes
    Receiving votes: Merrimack (7), Felician (2), Post (1)