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Iowa Tops Big Ten Baseball Preseason Poll
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Iowa, coming off a program record-tying 44 wins, has been tabbed the favorite to win the 2024 Big Ten Championship, according to the Big Ten Preseason Poll released Wednesday. Balloting was conducted by the conference’s 13 head coaches.
Coaches also selected three student-athletes from their respective squads to comprise the 39-member Players to Watch List.
Iowa, Indiana and Maryland occupy the top three spots in the poll, all three programs participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Rutgers, Nebraska and Michigan round out the poll which projected the top six spots. In preseason Top 20 polls, Iowa is ranked 16th by Perfect Game, 20th by Baseball America, USA Today and D1Baseball and 21st by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
The Big Ten Players to Watch List features nine players who earned All-Big Ten honors last season, including four from the first team — Indiana’s Devin Taylor, Iowa’s Brody Brecht and Sam Petersen and Rutgers’ Christian Coppola.
The Big Ten baseball season commences Friday with Big Ten games beginning March 22.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
1. Iowa
2. Indiana
3. Maryland
4. Rutgers
5. Nebraska
6. Michigan
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
+ 2023 All-Big Ten First Team
^ 2023 All-Big Ten Second Team
* 2023 All-Big Ten Third Team
Coaches also selected three student-athletes from their respective squads to comprise the 39-member Players to Watch List.
Iowa, Indiana and Maryland occupy the top three spots in the poll, all three programs participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Rutgers, Nebraska and Michigan round out the poll which projected the top six spots. In preseason Top 20 polls, Iowa is ranked 16th by Perfect Game, 20th by Baseball America, USA Today and D1Baseball and 21st by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
The Big Ten Players to Watch List features nine players who earned All-Big Ten honors last season, including four from the first team — Indiana’s Devin Taylor, Iowa’s Brody Brecht and Sam Petersen and Rutgers’ Christian Coppola.
The Big Ten baseball season commences Friday with Big Ten games beginning March 22.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
1. Iowa
2. Indiana
3. Maryland
4. Rutgers
5. Nebraska
6. Michigan
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
| Name | School | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown |
| Jack Crowder | Illinois | Sr. | RHP | Romeoville, Ill. |
| Ryan Moerman ^ | Illinois | Jr. | OF | Lockport, Ill. |
| Logan Tabeling | Illinois | Sr. | RHP | Tuscola, Ill. |
| Connor Foley | Indiana | So. | RHP | Jasper, Ind. |
| Devin Taylor + | Indiana | So. | OF | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Brock Tibbitts ^ | Indiana | Jr. | C | New Albany, Ohio |
| Brody Brecht + | Iowa | Jr. | RHP | Ankeny, Iowa |
| Marcus Morgan ^ | Iowa | Jr. | RHP | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Sam Petersen + | Iowa | Jr. | OF | Huxley, Iowa |
| Alex Calarco | Maryland | Jr. | C/DH | Wilmette, Ill. |
| Chris Hacopian | Maryland | Fr. | 3B | Potomac, Md. |
| Sam Hojnar | Maryland | Sr. | 2B | Naperville, Ill. |
| Jonathan Kim * | Michigan | So. | CF | Brookfield, Wis. |
| Dylan Vigue | Michigan | Fr. | RHP | Leominster, Mass. |
| Mitch Voit | Michigan | So. | RHP/1B | Whitefish Bay, Wis. |
| Joseph Dzierwa | Michigan State | So. | LHP | Haskins, Ohio |
| Jack Frank | Michigan State | Sr. | OF | Strongsville, Ohio |
| Nick Powers | Michigan State | Sr. | LHP | Flushing, Mich. |
| Brady Counsell | Minnesota | Jr. | 2B | Milwaukee, Wis. |
| Weber Neels | Minnesota | So. | C/1B | Cottage Grove, Minn. |
| Connor Wietgrefe | Minnesota | Jr. | LHP | Prior Lake, Minn. |
| Dylan Carey | Nebraska | So. | SS | Castle Rock, Colo. |
| Gabe Swansen ^ | Nebraska | Jr. | OF | Johnston, Iowa |
| Will Walsh | Nebraska | Jr. | UTL | Leawood, Kan. |
| Tyler Ganus | Northwestern | Gr. | OF | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Owen McElfatrick | Northwestern | So. | INF | Tampa, Fla. |
| Garrett Shearer | Northwestern | Fr. | RHP | O'Fallon, Ill. |
| Landon Beidelschies | Ohio State | So. | LHP | Canfield, Ohio |
| Gavin Bruni | Ohio State | Jr. | LHP | Alliance, Ohio |
| Henry Kaczmar | Ohio State | So. | SS | Bath, Ohio |
| Adam Cecere | Penn State | Gr. | OF | Adams Township, Pa. |
| J.T. Marr | Penn State | Gr. | C | Fort Mill, S.C. |
| Bryce Molinaro | Penn State | So. | INF | Drums, Pa. |
| Mike Bolton Jr. | Purdue | 5th | OF | Chicago, Ill. |
| Connor Caskenette | Purdue | Sr. | C | Duncan, British Columbia |
| Couper Cornblum | Purdue | Sr. | OF | Woodway, Texas |
| Christian Coppola + | Rutgers | So. | RHP | Galloway, N.J. |
| Josh Kuroda-Grauer | Rutgers | Jr. | SS | Somerset, N.J. |
| Tony Santa Maria | Rutgers | So. | 3B | Absecon, N.J. |
+ 2023 All-Big Ten First Team
^ 2023 All-Big Ten Second Team
* 2023 All-Big Ten Third Team