Jan. 25, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll released by the Conference on Tuesday.

Samford received 45 points in the poll for a sixth-place finish. Austin Peay, the 2004 conference regular-season champion, was picked to win the league. Southeast Missouri finished second in the poll with 70 points, and Jacksonville State, the 2004 OVC Tournament champion, was picked third with 65 points.

Last season, Samford finished sixth in the regular season with a conference record of 15-12. The Bulldogs finished third in the conference tournament in 2004.

Samford opens the 2005 season on Feb. 15, when the Bulldogs play at Georgia State. The game is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

Below is a full break-down of the preseason poll:

2005 OVC Preseason Baseball Poll
1. Austin Peay (4 first-place votes), 75 pts.
2. Southeast Missouri (4 first-place votes), 70 pts.
3. Jacksonville State (2 first-place votes), 65 pts.
4. Eastern Illinois, 57 pts.
5. Eastern Kentucky, 55 pts.
6. Samford University, 45 pts.
T-7. Murray State, 29 pts.
T-7. Tennessee Tech, 29 pts.
9. Tennessee-Martin, 16 pts.
10. Morehead State, 12 pts.