VMI baseball’s Angus, Woods earn Preseason All-SoCon Second Team honors

VMI players Andrew Woods and Brandon Angus were named to the Preseason All-SoCon Second Team, according to information released by the league Thursday morning. The honors were voted on by the league’s coaches.

Woods went 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA last year, limiting opponents to a .261 batting average against, and then spent the summerpitching for the Yakima Valley Pippins in the West Coast League, where he led the circuit in strikeouts. He is VMI’s expected Friday starter, while Angus will start in the outfield after hitting .333 with 29 stolen bases last year, the fifth-highest single season theft total in VMI history. Angus earned Second Team All-Big South honors for that performance.

VMI was voted ninth of nine teams in both of the league’s preseason polls.

VMI baseball opens the 2015 season Feb. 13 in Jacksonville, Fla., taking on the North Florida Ospreys.

 

2015 Preseason All-Southern Conference

Preseason Player of the Year
Jacob Hoyle, Sr., 1B, Western Carolina

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ryan Clark, Jr., RHP, UNCG

First Team
SP Eric Nyquist, Mercer
SP Ryan Clark, UNCG
RP Andres Gracia, Samford
C Danny Bermudez, Western Carolina
1B Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B Bradley Strong, Western Carolina
SS Frankie Navarrete, Samford
3B Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF Eric Kalbfleisch, UNCG
OF Zac MacAneney, UNCG
OF Heath Quinn, Samford
DH Jared Watson, Samford

Second Team
SP Alex Ledford, Samford
SP Andrew Woods, VMI
SP Matthew Milburn, Wofford
RP Skylar Hunter, The Citadel
C Charlie Madden, Mercer
1B Howard Joe, Mercer
2B Hunter King, UNCG
SS Johnathan Stokes, The Citadel
3B Chris Cook, ETSU
OF Jake Jones, Furman
OF Brandon Angus, VMI
OF James Plaisted, Wofford
DH Jarrod Rickman, Furman

2015 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Place Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Western Carolina (3) 58
2. Samford (3) 56
3. Mercer (2) 55
4. UNCG (1) 39
5. ETSU 31
6. Furman 28
T7. The Citadel 23
T7. Wofford 23
9. VMI 11

2015 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Place Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Western Carolina (11) 137
2. Mercer (3) 124
3. Samford (2) 117
4. ETSU 88
5. UNCG 64
6. The Citadel 59
7. Furman 53
8. Wofford 48
9. VMI 30