Friday January 27, 2012

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The University of South Carolina Aiken baseball team was picked to finish seventh in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll released by the league office on Friday, Jan. 27.

Preseason national No. 1 Francis Marion has been dubbed the Peach Belt Conference preseason favorite. Columbus State was picked second, while Georgia College was tabbed third.

One of the most tradition-rich programs in all of NCAA Division II baseball, USC Aiken enters the 2012 season looking to return to its past glories, which includes having been to the NCAA Regionals five times since 2005.

The five consecutive trips to the regionals for the Pacers from 2005-09 was punctuated by USC Aiken playing host to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Roberto Hernandez Stadium in May of 2009. The Pacers were unable to advance to the Division II Baseball Championships that season, losing in the championship game of the regional.

Since then, the Pacers have been on the outside looking in when it came NCAA selection time. USC Aiken head baseball coach Kenny Thomas believes that he has a squad that will make that change in the 2012 season. In fact, he believes that he has a team that is ready to compete not only in the Peach Belt Conference and regionally, but also nationally.

The 2012 Pacers feature a squad that returns eight starting position players to go along with two starting pitchers. Included among the eight returning starters is 2012 Preseason All-American Stephen Carmon (Camden, S.C./Camden), who enters the season as a four-year starter for the Pacers at shortstop.

In total, USC Aiken welcomes back 21 letterwinners to go along with 23 newcomers. USC Aiken’s line-up will also be buoyed by the return of 2010 First-Team All-American selection and 2012 Peach Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference selection Nick Aranas (Lexington, S.C./Lexington), who had to sit out all of the 2011 campaign due to injury.