Jan. 31, 2006

Spartanburg, S.C. -

The Citadel baseball has been picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference this season by the SIDs and fifth by the coaches. College of Charleston, Georgia Southern and Western Carolina are the top three in both polls.

The Cougars, under the direction of head coach John Pawlowski, received 86 points and five of 10 first place votes from the coaches, edging out Georgia Southern, which grabbed the other five first-place votes and 85 points. The SIDs gave the Cougars nine first place votes and 90 points. Coaches and SIDs were not allowed to vote for their respective schools.

The coaches and SIDs each picked Georgia Southern and Western Carolina to finish second and third, respectively. The coaches had Elon for fourth and The Citadel for fifth, while the SIDs had the Bulldogs fourth and the Phoenix fifth The rest of the order is identical for both polls. UNC Greensboro is picked sixth, followed by Furman, Davidson, Wofford and Appalachian State.

College of Charleston won the Southern Conference regular season title last year with a 27-3 conference record and a 48-15 overall mark. The Cougars received an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals.

Furman is the defending SoCon Tournament champion. The Paladins won last year's tournament as the No. 8 seed. The SoCon has placed multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament in three of the last five seasons.

The Southern Conference baseball season opens on Saturday, Feb. 4 when Georgia Southern hosts North Florida and Wofford entertains Longwood.

The Citadel opens on the road as they travel to Conway, S.C. to participate in the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Bulldogs will face Virginia on Friday, February 10 at 12 pm and Campbell on Saturday, February 11 at 11:30 am.

The season culminates with the league's tournament May 23-27 at Riley Park in Charleston. This year all ten teams will participate in the tourney.

2006 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

1. College of Charleston (5) 86

2. Georgia Southern (5) 85

3. Western Carolina 68

4. Elon 64

5. The Citadel 60

6. UNC Greensboro 55

7. Furman 43

8. Davidson 34

9. Appalachian State 24

10. Wofford 20

2006 SoCon Baseball Preseason SIDs Poll

1. College of Charleston (9) 90

2. Georgia Southern 80

3. Western Carolina (1) 70

4. The Citadel 64

5. Elon 59

6. UNC Greensboro 50

7. Furman 48

8. Davidson 35

9. Appalachian State 24

10. Wofford 20