Baseball: Big East Preseason Poll
December 05, 2002 12:59 PM | General
December 4, 2002
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorite to capture the 2003 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, it was announced. Irish junior second baseman Steve Sollmann was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year, while sophomore righthander Chris Lambert of Boston College was tabbed as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players.
Notre Dame is coming off a trip to the College World Series and its 14th straight 40-win season with a 50-18 record. The Irish garnered nine first-place and placed two players on the preseason All-BIG EAST team, led by Sollmann. He finished last season ranked among the league's top 10 in hits (77), runs (53) and triples (4). Sollmann also hit .362 with 47 RBI and was MVP of the South Bend Regional in the NCAA Championship. Pitcher Grant Johnson was the other Notre Dame representative named to the preseason team.
Virginia Tech was picked second and collected one first-place vote. The Hokies shared the 2002 BIG EAST Regular Season Championship with Notre Dame. Tech will be led by a trio of Preseason All-BIG EAST picks. Infielders Spencer Harris and Marc Tugwell were both All-BIG EAST First Team members last season. Harris (.292, 5 HR, 40 RBI) and Tugwell (.342, 79 hits, 47 RBI) are joined by catcher Jed English (.312, 3 HR, 31 RBI) on the preseason squad.
Boston College had the other first place vote and was picked third. The Eagles will be led by Lambert who was named both the 2002 BIG EAST Pitcher and Rookie of the Year. The sophomore had a 9-3 record with a league-low 2.76 ERA in his first year. Joining Lambert on the preseason first team are infielder Jason Delaney, outfielder Drew Locke and designated hitter Vinnie Scavone.
Rutgers was fourth, followed by St. John's and Seton Hall, respectively. The Scarlet Knights will be led by Jeff Frazier who hit .356 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI and had a .596 slugging percentage in 2002. The Pirates are represented on the preseason All-BIG EAST team by senior Casey Grimm. A member of the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2002, Grimm hit .363 with a .490 on-base percentage.
Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Villanova were seventh, eighth and ninth. Peter Soteropoulos will lead the Huskies after hitting .374 with 46 RBI. The Panthers will be led by senior pitcher P.J. Hiser (6-2, 3.01 ERA). The Wildcats placed pitcher James Russell and Chris Graziano on the preseason squad, after both earned second team honors last season. Russell was third in the nation with 15 saves, while Graziano's 38 stolen bases topped the league leaders.
Rounding out the selections were West Virginia and Georgetown. Senior Tim McCabe was chosen to the preseason All-BIG EAST team for the Mountaineers. Last season he hit .305 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. The Hoyas will be led by sophomore Bill Quinn, a third team All-BIG EAST selection in 2002.
A total of 15 players earned recognition on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The 11 teams will play in one division and play a 26-game conference slate. The top four teams at the end of the regular season advance to the 2003 BIG EAST Championship, which will be held at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., on May 22-24. The winner of the league's tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
NOTRE DAME SELECTED TO WIN BIG EAST BASEBALL TITLE
ORDER OF FINISH
| Team (1st Place Votes) | Pts. | 2002 Record | |
| 1. | Notre Dame (9) | 98 | 50-18 (18-8 BIG EAST) |
| 2. | Virginia Tech (1) | 85 | 33-26 (18-8) |
| 3. | Boston College (1) | 80 | 30-25 (15-11) |
| 4. | Rutgers | 75 | 35-22 (15-11) |
| 5. | St. John's | 58 | 29-23 (14-12) |
| 6. | Seton Hall | 55 | 25-28 (11-15) |
| 7. | Connecticut | 44 | 28-22 (13-12) |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | 42 | 36-16-1 (14-11) |
| 9. | Villanova | 29 | 30-23 (12-13) |
| 10. | West Virginia | 27 | 24-26 (9-16) |
| 11. | Georgetown | 12 | 9-47 (2-24) |
| PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Steve Sollmann, Notre Dame, Jr., 2B, 5-10, 190, Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier |
| PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR |
| Chris Lambert, Boston College, So., RHP, 6-0, 195, Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial |
| Preseason All-BIG EAST Team | Key 2002 Statistics (All Games Played) | |
| P - | Chris Lambert, Boston College, So.** | 9-3, 2.76 ERA, 78.1 IP, 87 SO, 5 CG, .216 Opp. Avg. |
| P - | Grant Johnson, Notre Dame, So. | 9-5, 3.46 ERA, 101.1 IP, 86 SO, 1 CG |
| P - | James Russell, Villanova, Sr. | 1-3, 2.33 ERA, 27 IP, 15 Saves, 35 SO, 8 BB |
| C - | Jed English, Virginia Tech, Sr. | .312, 37 R, 60 H, 14 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI |
| IF - | Jason Delaney, Boston College, So. | .348, 32 R, 63 H, 15 2B, 27 RBI, .417 OBP |
| IF - | Steve Sollmann, Notre Dame, Jr. | .362, 53 R, 77 H, 4 3B, 47 RBI, .420 OBP |
| IF - | Spencer Harris, Virginia Tech, Sr. | .292, 39 R, 12 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 10 SB |
| IF - | Marc Tugwell, Virginia Tech, Sr. | .342, 50 R, 79 H, 14 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 47 RBI, 12 SB |
| IF - | Tim McCabe, West Virginia, Sr. | .305, 37 R, 8 2B, 10 HR, 32 RBI, .520 Slug% |
| OF - | Drew Locke, Boston College, So. | .404, 34 R, 16 2B, 24 RBI, .455 OBP, .560 Slug% |
| OF - | Jeff Frazier, Rutgers, So. | .356, 45 R, 13 HR, 54 RBI, .439 OBP, .596 Slug% |
| OF - | Casey Grimm, Seton Hall, Sr. | .363, 25 R, 6 HR, 38 RBI, .490 OBP, .548 Slug% |
| OF - | Chris Graziano, Villanova, Sr. | .270, 38 R, 9 2B, 4 3B, 20 RBI, 38 SB |
| DH - | Vinnie Scavone, Boston College, Sr. | .287, 40 R, 10 2B, 10 HR, 42 RBI, .495 Slug% |
| U - | Peter Soteropoulos, Connecticut, So. | .374, 43 R, 71 H, 46 RBI, .463 OBP, .500 Slug% |
| ** - unanimous selection | ||
| A tie created additional infield and outfield positions. | ||
