La Plume, PA (1-24-12) - The Keystone College baseball team enjoyed an incredible ride in 2011, as the Giants captured their first NCAA Division III Regional title, advancing to the national semi-finals.
Now as the 2012 season gets set to take shape, the Giants have learned that they have been picked 16th in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 pre-season poll.
In the other national poll for Division III baseball, conducted by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Keystone finds themselves just outside the 30, as the top team receiving votes.
Defending national champion, Marietta College, was the top choice in both polls.
Keystone will face an early test against three ranked teams, as the Giants will square off with 11th ranked Alvernia University and 14th ranked St. Scholastica College during the team's spring trip to Florida. The Giants will also welcome the nation's third ranked team in Kean University to campus on March 25.
Conference opponent Neumann University, who the Giants will face three times and non-conference foe Misericordia University were both recieving votes in the latest poll.
The Giants will kick off the 2012 season on Friday, February 17 when they take on Southern Virginia University as part of the Ty Cobb Classic in Hampden-Sydney, VA. Keystone will round out the weekend with games against Hampden-Sydney College on the 18th and Stevenson University on the 19th.
