Flashes Tagged to Repeat as MAC Regular Season Champs
2/13/2024 11:04:00 AM | Baseball
KENT- The Golden Flashes have been selected to repeat as regular season Mid-American Conference champions in the annual pre-season coaches' poll.
The Flashes took home eight of the possible 10 first-place votes in the poll as coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team. In total, the Flashes took home 98 poll points, ahead of Ball State (93 points, three first-place votes), Central Michigan (68) and Western Michigan (67).
Kent State was also selected to win the MAC Tournament, again grabbing eight votes. This season, the conference tournament returns to Avon, Ohio with the top six teams making the championship.
The Flashes went 42-16 last season and 24-6 in conference play, winning the regular season by five games. Kent State was especially tough at home, going 22-1 in the regular season at Schoonover Stadium. Kent State returns over 60 percent of its offense from 2023 where they averaged 8.5 runs per game. On the mound, the Flashes bring back 55 percent of innings pitched from last season. Kent State as a staff put together a 4.72 team earned run average.
Kent State was also picked atop the Mid-American Conference in the D1Baseball and Baseball America pre-season polls. The full results of the pre-season poll is below. The Flashes open the 2024 campaign at UNC-Wilmington this Friday.
2024 MAC Baseball Head Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Kent State (8)-98
2. Ball State (3)-93
3. Central Michigan-68
4. Western Michigan-67
5. Ohio-61
6. Toledo-60
7. Miami-59
8. Bowling Green-36
9. Eastern Michigan-29
10. Northern Illinois-22
11. Akron-12
*First place votes in parentheses
Tournament Champions: Kent State (8), Western Michigan (2), Ball State (1)
