Red Raiders Ranked Eighth in NCBWA North Atlantic Region Pre-Season Poll

Jan. 24, 2007

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg Red Raiders, under the direction of first-year coach Matt Jones, were ranked eighth in the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) pre-season poll.

Along with its No. 8 ranking in the North Atlantic Region, the Red Raiders received votes and were just outside of the Collegiate Baseball Newsletter’s Pre-Season Top 40. Shippensburg finished last season with a 31-24 mark and tied for eighth in the final region poll, just missing an at-large bid into the NCAA regional tournament held at W.Va. State.

Shippensburg is one of five Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference squads to land in the region's pre-season top 10. Defending PSAC Tournament champion Kutztown is ranked first with 2006 Division II World Series participant West Chester ranked second. The defending PSAC Western Division champion California (Pa.) is ranked third and Slippery Rock stands in sixth.

W.Va. Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) schools W.Va. State (tied for third), Ohio Valley (fifth) and Shepherd (seventh) are ranked above Shippensburg while Division II newcomer Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown are ranked ninth and tenth respectively.

Shippensburg’s 2007 schedule will be challenging, as it plays a total of 16 games against teams ranked in the region's top 10. Along with the usual four PSAC Western Division games against California and Slippery Rock, Shippensburg meets West Chester, Shepherd, Kutztown and Ohio Valley twice.

And on March 9-10, the Red Raiders are slated for a three-game series against Tampa, the defending NCAA Division II National Champions and the NCBWA pre-season No. 1.

The Red Raiders return 24 players from last year’s squad including six former All-PSAC Western Division honorees. PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year and first team all-region performer Matt Wright (McClure/Mid-West) led the team with a 1.99 ERA and a finished with a 7-1 record.

Junior Justin Garber (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown), who was named All-PSAC Western Division First Team in 2006, returns to centerfield after hitting .410 last season. Senior Jamie Mengle (Cumberland Valley/Mechanicsburg) led the PSAC in homers with 10 in 2006.

Matt Jones, in his first season with the Red Raiders, was hired in the off-season as the program’s head coach after winning three conference championships in seven seasons at Division III Elizabethtown.

Shippensburg opens its season on Sat., Feb. 10 with a trip to West Georgia.

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