The Truman Baseball team enters the 2021 season in the newly formed "Green Division" of the GLVC. The Bulldogs finished 4-14 in last year's shortened season and 1-2 in GLVC play, as they took down UIndy in what would be their final game of the season on March 8th. This year the Bulldogs will open at Lindenwood on March 5th at 1:00 p.m.
Lindenwood University and Quincy University have been selected to win their respective divisions for the upcoming 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) baseball season, the league office announced on Wednesday.
The annual GLVC Baseball Preseason Poll was voted on by the league's 15 head coaches and ranks the top eight teams in the Green Division and seven in the Blue Division.
Each team is scheduled to play a 36/32-game divisional schedule in which every school plays every divisional opponent in a standard round-robin slate and one/two non-divisional foes in a four-game weekend series.
Lindenwood, ranked No. 6 in the preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, gleaned eight first-place votes and 92 points to earn top billing in the Blue Division. The Lions were ranked as high as fifth last season, starting 15-1 in their first year in the GLVC before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the remainder of the season. Lindenwood returns five pitchers from its dominant 2020 staff, including starters Blake Beckmann, Kyle Hentis, and Jacob Thompson. Head coach Doug Bletcher is in his 14th season in St. Charles, Mo.
Quincy collected 13 first-place votes in the poll and was selected to win the Green Division with 111 total points. Head coach Josh Rabe, who has led the Hawks to four-straight NCAA tournament appearances, is entering his 11th season. Lance Logsdon, one of the best freshmen in DII a season ago, returns for his sophomore campaign following a 2020 in which he finished with a 1.297 OPS (on-base + slugging percentage), 23 RBI (runs batted in), 18 runs scored, and 12 extra-base hits. Dayson Croes, who recorded a 1.149 OPS a year ago, also returns.
The University of Southern Indiana and University of Indianapolis also received first-place votes in the Blue Division, earning five and two, respectively. USI's Manny Lopez (.967 OPS in 2020) and UIndy's Corey Bates (1.48 ERA in 24.1 IP) are among the top returners.
The University of Illinois Springfield (93 points) and Drury University (91) each claimed a first-place vote in the final results, rounding out the top three in the Green Division. Christian Stelling (1.56 ERA in 17.1 IP) and Zion Pettigrew (1.233 OPS) return for Illinois Springfield in 2021, while Drury's Riley Herron (1.054 OPS, 11 steals) and Mason Meeks (23 strikeouts, 0.79 WHIP) are also back.
Maryville University (60), Lewis University (48), McKendree University (30), and University of Missouri-St. Louis (25) round out the seven-team Blue Division, with Missouri S&T (73), Southwest Baptist University (54), William Jewell College (42), Rockhurst University (37), and Truman State University (31) fill out the eight-club Green Division.
The 2021 GLVC baseball season begins on Feb. 20 when UIndy attempts a 1 p.m. first pitch in Greeneville, Tenn., against Tusculum.
Unlike the indoor sports of basketball, volleyball, and wrestling, which have been restricted from spectator attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the GLVC Council of Presidents voted to give each institution the autonomy to follow its own protocols and guidelines for spectator policies regarding outdoor spring sports. Please refer to each institution's website for more information regarding spectators.
The complete 2021 GLVC preseason poll can be found below.
| 2021 GLVC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL – BLUE DIVISION |
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1 |
Lindenwood |
92 (8) |
| 2 |
Southern Indiana |
84 (5) |
| 3 |
Indianapolis |
74 (2) |
| 4 |
Maryville |
60 |
| 5 |
Lewis |
48 |
| 6 |
McKendree |
30 |
| 7 |
Missouri-St. Louis |
25 |
| 2021 GLVC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL – GREEN DIVISION |
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1 |
Quincy |
111 (13) |
| 2 |
Illinois Springfield |
93 (1) |
| 3 |
Drury |
91 (1) |
| 4 |
Missouri S&T |
73 |
| 5 |
Southwest Baptist |
54 |
| 6 |
William Jewell |
42 |
| 7 |
Rockhurst |
37 |
| 8 |
Truman |
31 |
