Spartanburg, S.C. - The Southern Conference baseball coaches voted The Citadel to finish third, while the media selected the Bulldogs to finish fourth in their respective preseason polls for the upcoming 2010 season on Thursday morning.

Elon, the two-time defending regular season conference champions and Georgia Southern, the defending SoCon Tournament champions, were tabbed as co-favorites to win the league by the coaches.

The Phoenix earned five first-place votes, while GSU earned four as each garnered 91 total points. The Citadel earned a pair of first place votes while ranking third with 80 points. Following the Bulldogs in fourth was the College of Charleston with 76 points. Western Carolina (71 points) was predicted to place fifth in the standings, followed by Appalachian State (50), Samford (40) and Furman (33) in the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, respectively. Rounding out the rankings were UNC Greensboro (31), Davidson (24) and Wofford (18).

In the media poll, Elon narrowly edged out Georgia Southern to finish first as the Phoenix tallied 12 first-place votes and 253 total points. The Eagles came in a close second with 250 total points and 10 first-pace votes. The College of Charleston received two first-place votes and 219 points to slot in third, while The Citadel was tabbed fourth with a first-place vote and 213 points. Western Carolina (178), Appalachian State (159), Furman (103) and UNC Greensboro (84) followed the Bulldogs. Samford (82), Davidson (60) and Wofford (49) were picked ninth, tenth and eleventh respectively.

2010 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll*
Place    School (First)                     
1t.        Elon (5)                            
1t.        Georgia Southern (4)          
3.         The Citadel (2)                  
4.         College of Charleston         
5.         Western Carolina               
6.         Appalachian State               
7.         Samford                            
8.         Furman                             
9.         UNC Greensboro                 
10.        Davidson                           
11.        Wofford                            

2010 SoCon Baseball Preseason Media Poll
Place    School (First)                      
1.         Elon (12)                           
2.         Georgia Southern (10)         
3.         College of Charleston (2)      
4.         The Citadel (1)                   
5.         Western Carolina                 
6.         Appalachian State                 
7.         Furman                              
8.         UNC Greensboro                    
9.         Samford                               
10.        Davidson                             
11.        Wofford                             

*Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team

The Citadel opens the 2010 season on Friday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. when they host East Tennessee State in The Citadel Memorial Challenge presented by The Charleston Crab House. The Citadel's annual "Meet the Bulldogs" day is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 14 at 11:30 AM with hot dogs and soft drinks free for fans, courtesy of the Charleston RiverDogs. Schedule cards, team posters and media guides will be available and the team will sign autographs prior to the Blue-White scrimmage at 1 p.m.

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.