INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University baseball was voted to finish sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the preseason coaches' poll for the 2024 season, the league office announced Monday (Jan. 29). The Flyers received 114 vote points.
The preseason poll is selected by the league's head coaches who, per GLVC bylaws, cannot vote for their own team. Quincy was picked to win the conference, collecting nine first place votes, while Maryville earned three first-place selections and UIndy had two first place votes.
Head coach
Mike Vucsko returns for his third season as the Flyers' head coach after a 30-23 record in 2023 including a 20-12 mark in conference play. The 30 wins was the most for Lewis baseball since 2012 and the Flyers finished fourth in the GLVC.
Last year, Lewis had five players named to All-GLVC teams, with four back with the Flyers this season. Outfielders
Michael Alt (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) and
Cain Headrick (Custer Park, Ill./Providence Catholic), infielder
Thomas Fox (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Christian) and catcher
Angelo Cantelo (Blue Island, Ill./Marian Catholic) all earned second team All-GLVC honors in 2023.
Alt led Lewis with a .387 batting average and 74 hits. The Appleton, Wisc. native scored 46 runs, drove in 26 RBI, hit 11 doubles, and was an on-base machine with 36 walks and a team-best .481 on-base percentage. Headrick hit .356 with 57 hits, four home runs and had 38 RBI. The Custer Park, Ill. native added 12 doubles, one triple and 10 walks, scoring 35 runs.
Fox led the Flyers with 13 home runs, hitting .340 with 57 hits and drove in 44 runs. The Norfolk, Va. native picked up 10 doubles, 39 walks, scored 47 runs, and had a team-best 1.057 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). Cantelo hit .363 with 61 hits and led Lewis with 46 RBI. The Blue Island, Ill. native hit nine home runs, 13 doubles, scored 35 runs, and posted a team-high .601 slugging percentage along with a 1.027 OPS.
2024 GLVC BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1. |
Quincy |
162 (9) |
| 2. |
Maryville |
151 (3) |
| 3. |
Indianapolis |
145 (2) |
| 4. |
Drury |
130 |
| 5. |
Illinois Springfield |
118 |
| 6. |
Lewis |
114 |
| 7. |
William Jewell |
97 |
| 8. |
Missouri-St. Louis |
84 |
| 9. |
Missouri S&T |
83 |
| 10. |
McKendree |
56 |
| 11. |
Truman State |
47 |
| 12. |
Rockhurst |
39 |
| 13. |
Southwest Baptist |
26 |
| 14. |
Upper Iowa |
22 |
