OMAHA, Neb. – D1Baseball.com predicted a fifth-place Missouri Valley Conference finish for the Illinois State baseball team, while selecting Redbird senior left-hander Jacob Hendren as its favorite to be named the MVC Pitcher of the Year, the organization announced Thursday.
D1Baseball.com pegged Dallas Baptist to win the league's regular-season title in 2016, with Missouri State taking second, a reversal of the 1-2 order predicted by league coaches in the MVC preseason poll released Wednesday. Illinois State was picked to finish sixth in the MVC preseason poll.
Hendren, already a preseason All-America pick by two national outlets, was also named the MVC's seventh-best draft-eligible prospect, according to D1Baseball.com.
Hendren was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year and an All-MVC First-Team selection last spring after going 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA and 99 strikeouts in a school-record 106 innings of work.
The Illinois State baseball team opens its 2016 season Feb. 19 in Nashville, Tennessee, with a three-game series at Belmont.
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