Official AMCC Release | Full 2019 Preseason Coaches' Poll
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference has announced its 2019 baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, selecting the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to finish fourth.
Additionally, senior catcher and defending AMCC Player of the Year Austin Parent has been voted the 2019 AMCC Preseason Player of the Year.
"Another pretty cool accomplishment for Austin," Head Coach Zach Foster said. "He is arguably the best hitter in the country. He has been very motivated and hungry this offseason and has looked great already in the first few weeks. Congrats to AP on representing UPB Baseball and athletics as a whole. He is destined to do great things if he remains humble and continues to be diligent with the work he puts in."
Parent earned 2018 D3Baseball and ABCA First Team All-America honors and was named a 2019 D3Baseball Preseason First Team All-American after leading the nation last year with a .496 batting average and .616 on-base percentage.
The Gilbert, Ariz., native's batting average and on-base percentage led all three NCAA Divisions. His .496 batting average is the second-best in AMCC history. His 34 walks were the most in the conference, while his 48 RBIs, 109 total bases, and 17 doubles were all second-best in the conference. Parent finished the season with an 18-game hitting streak and reached base safely in each of the last 20 games of the season.
Additionally, he set a Pitt-Bradford single-season record with nine home runs.
Last season, Pitt-Bradford finished 17-16 overall and 10-8 in AMCC play. It was one of the most successful seasons in recent time for the program as the 10 regular-season conference victories were the program's most since 2010.
As a result, Pitt-Bradford earned the No. 4 seed in the AMCC Championship Tournament and hosted Penn State-Altoona for the First Round.
"Our guys still have a sour taste in their mouth after losing at home in the playoffs," Foster said. "They aren't satisfied with the finish. We are going to have to battle with some great teams in our conference, but we have our goal set and we are focused on that. We have some strong key returners but also brought in a great class. They are learning our philosophy quickly and we expect a lot out of them to step up and be ready to contribute right away. We just need to control what we can control and we will be in a good spot come mid-May."
Along with Parent, senior pitcher Ryan Boyer was tabbed as a Pitt-Bradford Player to Watch for 2019. The Bradford, Pa., native is a returning All-AMCC Second Team honoree who went 5-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 58.2 innings pitched while striking out 66 opposing hitters last season.
Coaches in the AMCC selected La Roche to defend its conference title once again, while Penn State-Behrend was picked as the AMCC runner-up and Pitt-Greensburg selected third.
The AMCC tournament will begin with first-round play on May 4-5, followed by the championship round May 9-11 at the site of the number one seed. The winner will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Pitt-Bradford is set to begin its 2019 season with three games in New Market, Va., Feb. 23 and 24. Its first home action is slated for March 23 against Mount Aloysius.
