ST. PAUL, Minn.- 2021 was a historic season for the University of Northwestern Baseball team. The Eagles ended a 25 year drought by winning the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference for the first time since 1996. The Eagles' success was not contained to the regular season as UNW would host (and win) the UMAC Postseason Tournament, earn their first ever berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, host a NCAA regional, and advance to the regional championship game where they came up one game short of the College World Series.

With 2021's success in mind, the coaches around the UMAC have high expectations for the Eagles once again in 2022. In the UMAC's 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Thursday, Northwestern was picked to repeat as UMAC Champions.

• UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

The Eagles will not be alone in competing to win the UMAC in 2022. In a tight race at the top of the poll, Northwestern received six first place votes and finished atop the poll with 48 points. According to the coaches around the UMAC, the Eagles will have two main competitors in their attempt to repeat. Bethany Lutheran received a first place vote and finished with 42 points and Crown College finished with 37 points, including a first place vote of their own.

Wisconsin-Superior finished in the fourth spot in the poll with 33 points and Minnesota-Morris came next with 25 points. Northland (17 points), North Central (15 points), and Martin Luther (7 points) rounded out the preseason poll for the 2022 season.

There will be a lot of excitement around Reynolds Field this spring. Along with some promising additions to the team, the Eagles have some key contributors from last year's championship team returning in 2022.

The Eagles will be led by a dynamic pitching duo in 2022. Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) and Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) will be leading the Eagles' pitching rotation after the duo were nearly unhittable in 2021. Boerema returns for his junior season after being named the 2021 UMAC Pitcher of the Year a season ago. The lefthander had a long list of accolades in 2021, including landing on the ABCA, D3Baseball.com, and NCCAA's All-Region teams. Boerema finished the season with a 7-2 record, and ERA of 2.08. Additionally, putting the ball in play off of the Eagles' ace was a challenge as he finished with 92 strikeouts on the season.

Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian) had an equally impressive 2021. Crabb is the definition of a complete player, getting things done on the mound and in the batters' box. The junior returns after being named 1^st Team All-Conference last season, and joining Boerema on the ABCA, D3Baseball.com, and NCCAA All-Region teams. Crabb finished the season with a 9-3 record on the mound and turned in a staggering 1.52 ERA on the season. Crabb also struck out 70 batters in 2021. When he wasn't on the mound, Crabb was extremely productive with the bat. The junior hit .373, hit a homerun, and drove in 23 RBIs at the top of the Eagle batting order.

Another key member of the Eagles' offense, Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte), is returning in 2022. No baseball is safe at Reynolds Field when Vercoe is around, as the senior set the program record for homeruns in a season with 13 homeruns in 2021. Vercoe was named First Team All-Conference in 2021 and joined his teammates on the ABCA, D3Baseball.com, and NCCAA All-Region Teams. Vercoe hit .325 and drove in 44 runs for the Eagles' offense.

There is a lot of excitement around Northwestern baseball in 2022. The Eagles will start their season with a trip to Florida where they will play good competition. UNW plays Saint Mary's on March 5^th in a rematch of a NCAA National Tournament game from a year ago to open up the 2022 campaign.