Feb. 11, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference released its Baseball Coaches Preseason All-Conference team, and its Coaches and Media Preseason Poll on Thursday. Two Samford players were named to the All-Conference teams, and the Bulldogs were picked seventh by the coaches and ninth by the media in the 11-team league.

Samford senior outfielder David Schulze was named first-team All-Conference by the coaches. As a junior in 2009, Schulze started every game in left field for the Bulldogs. Schulze set a Samford record with 57 RBI. He also led the team in home runs with 10, and he ranked third on the team in hitting with a .335 batting average.

Senior outfielder Wayne Miller was named second-team All-Conference. Miller served as the team's starting center fielder as a junior in 2009. He was second on the team with a .339 batting average. Miller had 11 doubles and 28 RBI on the season.

College of Charleston senior infielder Joey Bergman was named the preseason Player of the Year, while Elon junior left-hander Jimmy Reyes was tabbed as the preseason Pitcher of the Year.

In the coaches' Preseason Poll, Elon and Georgia Southern tied for first place in the voting. The Citadel came in third, College of Charleston fourth, Western Carolina fifth, Appalachian State sixth, Samford seventh, Furman eighth, UNC Greensboro ninth, Davidson 10th and Wofford 11th.

The media picked Elon to win the league. Georgia Southern was picked second, while College of Charleston came in third. Following the top three teams were The Citadel (fourth), Western Carolina (fifth), Appalachian State (sixth), Furman (seventh), UNC Greensboro (eighth), Samford (ninth), Davidson (10th) and Wofford (11th).

Samford starts the 2010 season on Friday, Feb. 19, when the Bulldogs play host to Marshall at 6 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

A complete breakdown of the All-Conference teams and both preseason polls is below.

2010 SoCon Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team
Player of the Year - Joey Bergman, Sr., SS/3B, College of Charleston
Pitcher of the Year - Jimmy Reyes, Jr., LHP, Elon

First Team
P Jimmy Reyes, Elon
P Matt Talley, The Citadel
RP Thomas Girdwood, Elon
C Mike Melillo, Elon
1B David Towarnicky, Appalachian State
2B Wes Hobson, Appalachian State
SS Joey Bergman, College of Charleston
3B Brian Harrison, Furman
OF Nick Orvin, The Citadel
OF David Schulze, Samford
OF Justin Hilt, Elon
DH Ryan Daniels, College of Charleston

Second Team
P Asher Wojciechowski, The Citadel
P Matt Murray, Georgia Southern
RP Drew Mahaffey, The Citadel
C Ed Jayjack, UNC Greensboro
1B Danny Weiss, Davidson
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS Neal Pritchard, Elon
3B A.J. Wirnsberger, Georgia Southern
OF Cole Rakar, College of Charleston
OF Wayne Miller, Samford
OF Harry Austin, Elon
DH Kyle Blackburn, Georgia Southern

2010 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, School (First), Points
1t. Elon (5) 91
1t. Georgia Southern (4) 91
3. The Citadel (2) 80
4. College of Charleston 76
5. Western Carolina 71
6. Appalachian State 50
7. Samford 40
8. Furman 33
9. UNC Greensboro 31
10. Davidson 24
11. Wofford 18

2010 SoCon Baseball Preseason Media Poll
Place, School (First), Points
1. Elon (12) 253
2. Georgia Southern (10) 250
3. College of Charleston (2) 219
4. The Citadel (1) 213
5. Western Carolina 178
6. Appalachian State 159
7. Furman 103
8. UNC Greensboro 84
9. Samford 82
10. Davidson 60
11. Wofford 49