HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – In a preseason poll of eight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) baseball coaches, Hope College was predicted to defend the championship title after recording five first-place votes and a total of 46 points.

Adrian College finished a point behind the Flying Dutchmen for the second-place slot with the three remaining first-place votes.  Kalamazoo College rounds out the top three with 37 points, followed by Calvin University in fourth place (30 points) and Alma College in fifth place (24 points).  In sixth place, Albion College tallied a total of 20 points.  Trine University (15 points) and Olivet College (7 points) were ranked seventh and eighth, respectively.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Hope claimed the regular-season championship last season for the first time outright since 2007.  The Flying Dutchmen had a conference record of 17-4 and an overall record of 28-10.  In losing all three First Team All-MIAA honorees from 2022, Hope will look to Second Team All-MIAA recipient Al Money.  The sophomore infielder concluded the 2022 campaign with 25 runs, 13 walks, an on-base percentage of .529, and 49 assists.

The Bulldogs wrapped up 2022 with a 12-9 mark in league competition and an overall record of 21-20.  The Adrian roster will be headlined by sophomore infielder Ryan Davis and senior outfielder Don Goodes, who both received First Team All-MIAA accolades last year.  Davis totaled eight doubles, 21 runs, and 45 assists during the 2022 season.  Goodes finished top five in the conference with 25 runs, three triples, 10 stolen bases, a .405 batting average, and a slugging percentage of .676.

Kalamazoo (15-6 MIAA, 27-13 overall) won the 2022 MIAA Tournament and competed in the NCAA Division III Regionals.  The Hornets' roster will feature the returning First Team All-MIAA honorees Thomas Sylvester and Cooper Mills.  Sylvester, a senior pitcher, was last year's conference leader with 10.80 strikeouts per game.  He also finished in the top five with three wins, 19 walks, and 36 strikeouts.  Junior shortstop Mills recorded five sacrifice hits, 12 walks, and nine double plays.

The Knights finished the 2022 campaign with an 11-10 league record and an overall record of 19-18.  Calvin returns junior pitcher Ian Doyle, who receive a spot on the All-MIAA First Team.  Last season, Doyle was the conference leader with an earned-run average of 2.78.  He also finished in the top six with 35.2 innings pitched, 28 strikeouts, 7.07 strikeouts per game, 127 at-bats against, and a .181 batting-average against.

Rounding out the top five in the preseason poll, Alma went 8-13 in MIAA competition and 11-28 overall last year.  The Scots will look to returning Second Team All-MIAA infielder Kevin Tuttle.  The senior finished third in the conference with 89 at bats last season, while also tallying 30 hits.

Albion (8-13 MIAA, 15-24 overall) welcomes back sophomore pitcher Sean Cooper after earning a spot on the All-MIAA First Team during his freshman year.  Pitcher Josh Hoogewerf, who earned Second Team All-MIAA honors last season, will return for Trine (9-12 MIAA, 14-23 overall) for his junior year.  Olivet's (4-17 MIAA, 9-26 overall) roster will feature 2022 Second Team All-MIAA infielder Gabriel Kirck in his junior year.  The Comets will be led by former assistant coach Santiago Mendez in his first season at the helm of the program.

MIAA competition is slated to begin on Friday, March 31, with Adrian hosting Calvin at 3:00 p.m. and Alma hosting Hope at 4:00 p.m.

The 2023 MIAA Baseball Tournament will be held May 10-12.  The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.