AMCC BASEBALL COACHES SELECT LA ROCHE TO DEFEND CONFERENCE CROWN

League coaches have once again selected La Roche College, five-time AMCC champions, to defend their conference crown in 2018. Penn St. Behrend is expected to finish second, while coaches look for Penn State Altoona to round out the top three.

Mount Aloysius College junior infielder Matthew McCourt has been selected as the 2018 AMCC Preseason Player of the Year. The defending Player of the Year, McCourt led the Mounties in 2017 and finished the regular season tops in the AMCC in five different categories -- home runs (14), RBI (47), doubles (22), slugging percentage (.826), and runs scored (48), while also finishing sixth in stolen bases (11). In all of NCAA Division III, McCourt was first in doubles, second in home runs, third in slugging percentage, fourth in home runs per game, and fifth in total bases (105).

Penn State Behrend senior pitcher Jack Herzing has been tabbed as the 2018 Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Herzing sat down a conference-best 80 batters during his junior campaign. In 11 starts for the lefty, he picked up five victories and notched a 3.84 ERA in 58.2 innings. Herzing averaged 12.27 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking 14th in the nation among all pitchers.

The AMCC tournament will begin with first round play on May 5-6, followed by the championship round May 10-12 at the site of the number one seed.  The winner will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Click here for the complete preseason rankings and players to watch.