Baseball | 2/10/2023 4:30:00 PM

ITTA BENA, Miss. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2023 SWAC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish along with its Preseason Teams and Individual Award selections on Friday afternoon with Mississippi Valley State predicted to finish sixth in the SWAC Eastern Division.

The SWAC has selected MVSU's Diamond Devils' third baseman Dreylin Holmes on the 2023 SWAC Baseball Preseason Team. 

Holmes was selected to the 2022 SWAC Baseball Preseason Team. He became the first MVSU baseball player to win SWAC Hitter of the Week in 11 seasons on April 6, 2022. He was a revelation for the Diamond Devils, leading the SWAC in home runs per game (0.30) and ending the season second in the league with 12 long balls, the first Diamond Devil with more than five blasts in over a decade.

The slugger at the hot corner ranked tenth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in slugging percentage (.611) with a team-long on-base (23) and hitting (11) streak. The Rust College transfer led the Green and White in most offensive categories including multi-RBI games (8), multi-homer contests (4), total bases (91), hits (45), runs (37), RBIs (33), walks (22), home runs (12), doubles (8), and on-base percentage (.380).

Along with being the top dog in the categories listed above, Holmes logged 11 multi-hit games, batting .302 with six steals, two sacrifice flies plus a triple.

The upcoming 2023 SWAC baseball regular season will begin with the Diamond Devils competing in the Inaugural Cactus Jack HBCU Classic on Friday through Sunday, February 17-19, at Minute Maid Park, home of the World Series Champion Astros. MVSU will face Texas Southern on Friday at 3:00 p.m., Jackson State on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., and Grambling State on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in non-conference games.

Tickets for the tournament are on sale now. Visit Astros.com/hbcuclassic for more information.

A complete listing of the predicted order of finish, preseason team selections, and individual awards winners are listed below.

Predicted Order of Finish

 

SWAC Eastern Division

1. Alabama State- 103 (8)

2. Bethune-Cookman- 84 (3)

3. Florida A&M- 79 (3)

4. Jackson State- 76 (2)

5. Alabama A&M- 51 (3)

6. Mississippi Valley State- 27 (1)

SWAC Western Division

1. Southern- 109 (11)

2. Grambling State- 95 (2)

3. Prairie View A&M- 77 (2)

4. Texas Southern- 66 (1)

5. Arkansas-Pine Bluff- 50 (2)

6. Alcorn State- 44 (2)

*First place votes listed in parenthesis

Preseason Player of the Year

Corey King, Alabama State

Preseason Pitcher of the Year

Hunter Viets, Florida A&M

  

Preseason First Team

C – Irvin Escobar, Bethune-Cookman

1B – O'Neill Burgos, Southern

2B – Ty Hill, Jackson State

3B – Dreylin Holmes, Mississippi Valley State

SS – Cameron Bufford, Grambling State

DH – Corey King, Alabama State

OF – Jaylen Armstrong, Southern

OF – Trevor Hatton, Grambling State

OF – Terry Burrell, Grambling State

SP – Hunter Viets, Florida A&M

SP – Louis Lipthratt, Bethune-Cookman

RP – Enrique Ozoa, Southern

Preseason Second Team

C – Julian Murphy, Grambling State

1B – Jaelen Williams, Jackson State

2B – Joseph Pierini, Florida A&M

3B – CJ Castillo, Texas Southern

SS – Zachary Trevino, Prairie View A&M

DH – Benjamin Ybarra, Prairie View A&M

OF – Ty Hanchey, Florida A&M

OF – JJ Rollon, Southern

OF – Jatavis Melton, Jackson State

SP – Nolan Santos, Bethune-Cookman

SP – Jacorey Boudreaux, Grambling State 

RP – Joan Gonzalez, Bethune-Cookman

Follow the Mississippi Valley State baseball program on Twitter (@ValleyStateBSB) and Instagram (@ValleyStateBSB).

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