2021 RSC Baseball Preseason Poll: IU Southeast picked on top again
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Indiana University Southeast finds itself in familiar territory as the predicted favorite in the 2021 River States Conference Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll released by the league office today. The Grenadiers are picked to win the conference this coming spring after voting conducting by the RSC's 10 head coaches.
IU Southeast was engineering a very impressive campaign in the spring of 2020 before the pandemic halted things. The Grenadiers were 18-1 overall and ranked No. 12 in the NAIA at the time. IU Southeast went 6-0 in the first two weekends of conference play, and the RSC coaches have the Grenadiers on top this preseason. IU Southeast earned 80 total votes and eight of the possible 10 first-place votes in the poll.
IU Kokomo, which was "receiving votes" nationally at the end of last year, was picked second with 73 total votes and the remaining two first-place votes. The Cougars were 12-10 during the shortened spring, which included playing 10 games versus nationally ranked ball clubs. IU Kokomo won six of seven games in conference play before things ended.
Point Park (Pa.) was picked third with 71 total votes. That's after the Pioneers were 10-3 overall, 4-2 RSC in the spring.
Asbury (Ky.) University got out to a record of 14-4 overall, 2-1 RSC and came in at No. 4 in the preseason poll with 53 votes. Midway (Ky.) University was picked fifth with 47 votes followed by University of Rio Grande (Ohio) in sixth as the predicted final playoff team with 45 votes.
WVU Tech earned 31 votes for seventh overall followed by Brescia (Ky.) University in eighth with 27 votes, Ohio Christian University in ninth with 15 votes and conference newcomer Oakland City (Ind.) University in 10th with 14 votes.
2021 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE BASEBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL (NOV. 3, 2020)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Votes |
| 1. IU Southeast (8) | 80 |
| 2. IU Kokomo (2) | 73 |
| 3. Point Park (Pa.) | 71 |
| 4. Asbury (Ky.) | 53 |
| 5. Midway (Ky.) | 47 |
| 6. Rio Grande (Ohio) | 45 |
| 7. WVU Tech | 31 |
| 8. Brescia (Ky.) | 27 |
| 9. Ohio Christian | 15 |
| 10. Oakland City (Ind.) | 14 |