2008 MVC Preseason Poll & All-Conference Teams

University of Evansville senior outfielder Jim Viscomi (Aurora, Ill./Glenbard East) has been named to the 2008 preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference baseball team by a vote of the league’s coaches.

Viscomi garnered preseason all-MVC honors this year after earning first team all-Valley recognition in 2007.  Viscomi ranked third in the MVC in hitting last spring as a junior with a .374 batting average, while also ranking third in the league in stolen bases (22) and first in runs scored (59).  Viscomi will enter his senior season at Evansville as a career .326 hitter as a Purple Ace, and will likely rank in UE’s career top five in stolen bases before the year is up.

As a team, head coach David Seifert’s new-look Purple Aces’ squad was picked to finish sixth in the Valley’s preseason poll.  The 2008 version of the Purple Aces will feature 14 returning players from last year’s 35-23 squad and a group of 22 newcomers which ranked as the fourth-best recruiting class in the Upper Midwest by Baseball America.

“With a lot of new faces this year, you could see some inconsistencies from our team in the early going,” said Seifert.  “But, as the season moves on and the younger players get more comfortable in their roles, I really think that you will see this team take off.  The talent is there to have another successful year this year.”

Evansville will open the 2008 season on February 22 in Rock Hill, South Carolina against perennial Big South Conference power Winthrop.  First-pitch for the 2008 season is set for 3:00 p.m. central time.