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RICHARDSON, Texas (Baseball) – Can they go back-to-back? The Lone Star Conference believes they can as the No. 19 Texas A&M University-Kingsville baseball team was picked to win the conference Thursday, earning eight of the 17 first-place votes and tallying 83 overall points in the LSC Preseason Poll.
 
Voted on by LSC head baseball coaches, sports information directors and media representatives, the reigning conference champions went 38-20 last season and advanced to the championship game of the South Central Region. For his efforts, head coach Jason Gonzales earned conference coach of the year honors and 11 players were selected on All-LSC squads, including returning closer Ryan Scott, who tied a single season school record with 14 saves.
 
West Texas A&M University follows with four first-place votes and 80 points with Tarleton State University placing third with 69 points and a first-place nod. Angelo State University (64 total points, four first-place votes), Eastern New Mexico University (42) and Cameron University (19) round out the poll at fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
 
Greyhounds outfielder Matthew Burks was tabbed LSC Preseason Player of the Year after leading the league with 10 home runs and a .627 slugging percentage in 2014. Burks finished the season with a .384 batting average, 71 hits, 32 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Rams right-hander Blake Bass was selected as LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year after posting a 2.72 earned run average in 76.0 innings. In 13 appearances (12 starts), Bass compiled a 4-4 record.
 
The tarps come off on Jan. 31 with several LSC teams competing on the final day of the month. LSC action begins on a 10-week schedule with a four-game series and three-game series against every other team. The conference champion will be the team(s) with the highest winning percentage in regular-season LSC action, while the LSC postseason champion receives an automatic qualifier into NCAA South Central Region Championships.
 
The season begins on Feb. 5 at the QuikTrip Division II Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas.
 
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2015 LSC Preseason Poll

Rank	LSC Baseball	First Place Votes	Total
1	Texas A&M-Kingsville	8	83
2	West Texas A&M	4	80
3	Tarleton State	1	69
4	Angelo State	4	64
5	Eastern New Mexico		42
6	Cameron		19