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Hampden-Sydney College has been picked seventh in the 2023 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Baseball Preseason Poll. The Tigers garnered 63 points in the poll, to come in seventh among the 12 conference schools. H-SC completed the 2022 campaign with a final record of 20-19 overall, including 10-10 in the ODAC for seventh place.

“The ODAC coaches always feel we have the best conference in the country,” said 20th-year head coach Jeff Kinne. “This year might be the strongest the conference has ever been. However, we feel confident in the guys we have on this year’s team. We may have some growing pains early, but the expectation is that we can contend for a top spot late in the year.”

Defending ODAC Baseball Tournament Champion Shenandoah University, who has won the conference championship three of the past four years, was picked first with 119 points, including nine first-place votes. That’s ahead of 2021 champion the University of Lynchburg, which received 105 points and the other three first place votes. 

Those two teams were followed by Randolph-Macon College (99), Roanoke College (90), Bridgewater College (87), Washington and Lee University (69), H-SC (63), Virginia Wesleyan University (53), Eastern Mennonite University (33) and Ferrum College (33), Guilford College (21) and conference newcomer Averett University (20).

Tigers return several for ODAC baseball team

Hampden-Sydney returns 28 lettermen, including six position starters, as well as 10 pitchers among the lettermen-five of them with starting experience on the mound. Among the returning position starters are senior shortstop and team captain Ryan Boyce (.264, 1 HR, 7 2Bs, 18 RBIs), senior catcher and team captain Jay Beavers (.236, 1 HR, 4 2Bs, 10 RBIs) and sophomore catcher Johnny Oates II (.336, 3 HRs, 8 2Bs, 22 RBIs).

Among the returning pitchers are senior right-hander Justin Woodall (1-4, 4.07 ERA, 43K) and senior right-hander Owen Tappy (5-5, 4.18 ERA, 53K). The Tigers have added 22 freshmen newcomers to the program for the upcoming campaign.

Coach Kinne is once-again assisted by Robbie Bailey ’10 (11th-year), Billy Catron (15th-year) and Jonathan Triesler ’20 (third-year).

The Tigers will open the campaign on the road at William Peace on Wednesday, February 15 at 3 p.m., and following four season-opening games away, the Garnet & Grey will play a three-game series at home against Franklin & Marshall (PA) on Feb. 25-26 to include a doubleheader on Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. and a single game on Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m. on Yank Bernier Field at the Ty Cobb Ballpark – Wurdeman Stadium.