ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum baseball team has been picked to finish second in the South Atlantic Conference according to the league's preseason coaches' poll announced officials Thursday.

Four Pioneers were also named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as selected by the league's media relations directors. Zack Finchum was named the first team second baseman, while first baseman Nick Lacina and pitchers Christian Raasch and Zach Slagle garnered second team recognition.

Tusculum head coach Doug Jones, who is entering his 20^th season in Greeneville, returns 15 lettermen, including seven pitchers from last year's team that posted a 38-18 record, earned a share of the SAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a seventh time in program history.  The Pioneers have recorded 16 consecutive winning seasons, including 14 in a row with 30-plus wins.

Catawba is favored to repeat as SAC champions as the Catawba Indians received 107 total points, including eight first place votes. Tusculum is second with 90 points and one first place vote, while Newberry is third with 86 points and a first place nod.  Carson-Newman garnered the final first place vote to give the Eagles 78 points and are picked to finish fourth.  Lincoln Memorial and Wingate are tied for fifth with 74 points each, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne (70), Mars Hill (39), Anderson (38), Coker (37) and Brevard (19).

Finchum, a sophomore from Greeneville, garnered All-SAC second team honors last season as he finished second on the team with his .337 batting average while totaling 61 hits including 10 doubles, two triples, one home run and 28 RBI.  The Greeneville High School graduate went 6-of-8 in stolen bases and finished third on the roster with his 102 fielding assists.  He tallied 15 multiple hit game and boasted an 11-game hitting streak from Apr. 2-19 where he batted .512 (22-of-43) during that span.

Lacina, a senior from St. Paul, Minnesota, was the Pioneers leading hitter in 2016 with his .382 batting average, which was the fifth-best in the conference.  He also led the team with 66 hits and ended the year by reaching base safely in his last 17 games (Apr. 17-present).  Of his 66 hits, he posted a team-high 17 doubles (5^th in SAC0 to go along with two triples, two home runs and 32 RBI.  Lacina shined during the Pioneers' postseason run.  He batted .368 with five RBI as TC went 3-1 in the SAC Tournament to earn a share of the league's postseason crown. For his efforts, he was named to the SAC All-Tournament Team.  Lacina batted .400 and reached base safely in all four games at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. He went 6-of-15 with a double and three RBI as he earned a spot on the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team.

Raasch, a graduate student from Norcross, Georgia, earned All-SAC honorable mention recognition in 2016 after posting an 8-4 record in his 15 mound appearances, including 13 starts.  The right-handed mound veteran finished second on the team with his 60 strikeouts, while tallying a 3.67 earned run average.  Raasch enters his final TC campaign with a 13-7 career record to go along with his 4.01 ERA.  His 197.2 inning pitched are the seventh most in program history where he has recorded 134 career strikeouts against 52 walks.

Slagle, a graduate student from Powell, Tennessee, is another veteran pitcher who brings game experience to the TC staff.  In his 33 career outings, he has a 3.80 ERA while posting a 13-5 record.  In 2016, he finished second on the team and third in the league with his 3.05 ERA. He went 7-2 in his 16 appearances which included a complete game and combined on a shutout.  Earned a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team has he pitched 5.2 innings in relief in TC's elimination game win over Carson-Newman.

Tusculum opens the 2017 season on Feb. 3 as the Pioneers travel to top-ranked and defending national champion Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale. Florida. 

SAC Baseball Coaches' Poll