VIDEO: Tom Griffin Interview

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Thursday morning the South Atlantic Conference released its preseason coaches' poll and Carson-Newman was picked fourth, its highest prediction since 2011, and earned a first-place vote for the third time in program history.

Over the last five seasons, C-N had not been picked higher than fifth while in 2011, the Eagles were tabbed for a third-place finish. The Eagles received a singular first-place vote prior to the 2007 and 2010 campaigns.

"I really could care less about the poll," Carson-Newman baseball coach Tom Griffin said. "I don't even know where we were last year and yet we finished second. It's irrelevant. There are no underdogs and no favorites. I hadn't even seen it until you told me. Honestly, it's so cliché. All we can do is make sure that we take care of our guys to get them prepared. Each day we need to get better mentally, physically and fundamentally."

The Eagles finished the 2016 campaign with a 31-21 overall record while finishing second in the SAC with a 14-10 mark in the regular season. The 31 wins were the most since the 2010 campaign while the 18 wins at home were the third-most since joining the D2 ranks.

As a team, the roster returns seven of nine regulars and seven of its nine top hitters in terms of batting average. The biggest missing piece on offense is current assistant and 2016 all-region third baseman Brandon Roberts. Otherwise the Eagles have 72 percent of their hits and runs batted in returning.

The Eagles clubbed 55 home runs overall in 2016, the fifth-most since the school moved to Division II in 1994 and return 43 of those dingers.

C-N has four players on preseason all-league rosters, two outfielders, an infielder and a catcher, marking the most preseason honorees since 2009.

On the rubber, Carson-Newman is looking to replace a pair of hurlers, Vince Apicella and Dustin Batson, who accounted for 183 of the team's 437 innings pitched. Apicella was an all-region pitcher for the second straight season while Batson earned a spot on the SAC All-Tournament team.

The good news for Griffin's group is that 239 2/3 innings pitched return this season as 12 flamethrowers are on the roster that pitched a season ago.

"Every year is different," Griffin said. "The chemistry is different. The core of guys changes so the mindsets change a little bit. As a culture we talk about the process that is truly what we are talking about every day."

The four-time reigning regular season champions, Catawba, were picked to finish atop of the table in the league earning eight first-place votes. The biggest gap for the Indians comes with former National Hitter of the Year Will Albertson's graduation and 21^st round selection in the MLB Draft to the San Francisco Giants. Catawba has a league-high five players on preseason SAC squads, four of which come on the top unit.

Tusculum edges out Newberry for second place with 90 points after placing third in the league a season ago. The Pioneers have a pair of elite pitchers to replace in 2016 National Pitcher of the Year, Placido Torres, an eighth-round pick of the New York Mets, and Devan Watts, a 17^th round selection of the Atlanta Braves. One first-team picks and a trio of second-teamers lead the charge entering the year.

Newberry is just ahead of Carson-Newman as one of four teams to earn a first-place vote after a fifth-place spot in the standings a year ago. The Wolves did not have a member of the first team in 2016 but placed four of its five preseason All-SAC picks on the first squad.

Lincoln Memorial and Wingate tied for fifth compiling 74 points apiece. The Railsplitters return first-team All-SAC pitcher Ethan Elliot and tout three preseason all-league players.

The Bulldogs need to replace Shane Billings, a 13^th round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft. Wingate does not have a member on the preseason first team but has three players listed on the second squad.

Lenoir-Rhyne reels in a seventh-place projection after concluding last season in sixth. The Bears need to replace second-team All-SAC shortstop Matthew De La Rosa who finished second in the league in RBIs with 61. The only player to earn preseason credentials was reliever Tad Ratliff who had a 1.69 earned run average in 26 2/3 innings pitched.

Spots eight through nine are separated by two total points as Mars Hill comes in eighth. The Lions leave a huge hole at shortstop as the reigning SAC Player of the Year, Evan Rogers, has graduated. He led the league with 19 home runs and finished third in batting average at .390.

Anderson is ninth in the poll needing to replace first-team selection Steven Cooper at first base and honorable mention catcher L.J. Newman.

Coker comes in 10^th needing to replace second-team starting pitcher Dallas Baldwin and outfielder Will Winslow. Shortstop Bryson Conner picked up a preseason second-team nod as he hit .321 with 10 steals in 2016.

Rounding out the group is Brevard with 19 total points after a 5-19 SAC record a season ago. The Tornados were last in the league with a total of 298 runs while posting a league-high 8.26 team ERA.