2022 RSC Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll: No. 7 IU Southeast the favorite
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Coming off its NAIA World Series run last year and with a No. 7 NAIA Top 25 preseason national ranking this year, Indiana University Southeast is the unanimous favorite in the 2022 River States Conference Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll.
The Grenadiers, who were 50-16 last year, received all nine of the possible first-place votes and 81 total points in the poll. IU Southeast won the RSC Regular Season Championship last year at 26-1 RSC and captured the RSC Championship postseason title as well. From there, the Grenadiers marched through the NAIA Opening Round Kingsport Bracket and went 2-2 at the NAIA World Series as one of the last teams left.
IU Southeast starts the year ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll released last month. The Grenadiers are one of only four NAIA programs to win 50 games last year and return several key players.
Point Park (Pa.) University gives the RSC two nationally ranked teams at No. 25 this preseason. The Pioneers were picked second in the conference this year with 73 total votes and the remaining first-place vote. The Pioneers were 40-16 overall, 20-7 RSC last year and made the NAIA National Opening Round as the RSC runner-up.
Indiana University Kokomo came in third in the RSC preseason poll with 62 points. The Cougars were 28-20 overall and 16-10 RSC. University of Rio Grande (Ohio) and Midway (Ky.) University were picked fourth and fifth in the poll with 58 and 51 points, respectively. Those teams round out the playoff qualifiers from a year ago, which also included former conference member Asbury (Ky.) University.
Oakland City (Ind.) University was predicted as the final playoff qualifier in sixth place with 43 points. Next in the poll were Brescia (Ky.) University (29 points), WVU Tech (26 points) and Ohio Christian University (15 points).
2022 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE BASEBALL COACHES' PRESEASON POLL
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Votes |
| 1. IU Southeast (9) | 81 |
| 2. Point Park (Pa.) (1) | 73 |
| 3. IU Kokomo | 62 |
| 4. Rio Grande (Ohio) | 58 |
| 5. Midway (Ky.) | 51 |
| 6. Oakland City (Ind.) | 43 |
| 7. Brescia (Ky.) | 29 |
| 8. WVU Tech | 26 |
| 9. Ohio Christian | 15 |