The East Coast Conference recently released the Baseball Preseason Poll and Honors, and the Mercy College Mavericks have been predicted to finish in sixth place. The voting was conducted over the last week, and reflects the collective opinions of the league's seven head coaches.

With three first place votes and 42 total points, the Dowling College Golden Lions have been tabbed

as the favorite. Molloy College holds the number two spot while defending ECC Champion C.W. Post rounds out the top three. St. Thomas Aquinas was selected fourth, followed by Bridgeport, Mercy, and Queens.

A year ago, Mercy finished the season 19-28 overall, and 13-17 in the ECC. The Mavericks finished in fourth place. In the ECC Championships, Mercy eliminated St. Thomas Aquinas before being ousted by Molloy.

This year, Mercy returns several core pieces from last year, including senior outfielder Matt Walsh (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys), who was named Second Team All-Conference in 2010.

The entire release can be found here.

2011 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll

School                                             Points
1. Dowling (3)                            42
2. Molloy (1)                              39
3. C.W. Post (2)                         37
4. St. Thomas Aquinas (1)          34
5. Bridgeport                             16
6. Mercy                                   15
7. Queens                                 13
() First place votes received