LAREDO, Texas – With a fragrance of just-mowed grass wafting through the brisk-but-warming air, the Heartland Conference has announced its 2014 preseason poll for baseball – ranking Texas A&M International as the fourth place team out of the seven full members.
"We are looking forward to the upcoming season and our players have been working very hard to prepare," Dustdevils head coach Chad Porter said. "We are excited to get started with the regular season as well as the Heartland Conference portion of the schedule."
South Texas rivals St. Edward's and St. Mary's were selected Nos. 1-2 , with the pair earning all 13 first place votes. The Hilltoppers took No. 1 with 14 top votes, while the Rattlers were picked second with three first place votes. The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith was picked third in conference.
The poll was chosen by the leagues' head coaches and sports information directors.
The Dustdevils played their best ball as a NCAA Division II member last year, including the program's first winning season (27-26) in five years as an Division II active member and the program's first Heartland Conference Tournament win – a 4-3 victory over Arkansas-Fort Smith.
The team earned a first ever national ranking, coming in at No. 18 on March 11, 2013, after winning its first nine games and going 16-6 in its first month of play.
The Dustdevils caught a record number of postseason acclaim as well, sending one to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America All-Region Honorable Mention Team, a program-high eight to the All-Heartland Conference team, one to the All-Heartland Tournament team and two players into professional baseball. Reigning as the team's outstanding individual achievement, then-senior center fielder Jeff Anderson was honored with a Gold Glove by the 2013 American Baseball Coaches Association. He is the first player in school history to win the award, which goes to the nation's best center fielder.
TAMIU will hold its home opener, a doubleheader against Southeastern Oklahoma State, on Feb. 1 at noon.
The Dustdevils will play 27 home games, including a season-opening 10-game home stretch with three against SEOSU, one against the University of Houston-Victoria, and three against both Angelo State and Fort Hays State. TAMIU faces 30 games in Heartland competition after going 19-17 to finish fourth last season.
Rounding out the Heartland poll, Newman, the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and Oklahoma Panhandle State were voted as the Nos. 5-7 ranked teams.
Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma Christian, Rogers State, and McMurry will also be competing in the Heartland during the 2014 season as provisional members. Since the schools are provisional members they will not be eligible for the conference championship.
