ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend Lions baseball team is projected to finish second in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) according to the 2021 Preseason Coaches Poll, announced on Wednesday.

The La Roche Redhawks were voted to finish in first place after winning their sixth straight AMCC Championships. The Behrend Lions edge out Penn State Altoona for second place in the rankings.

For a second year in a row, senior infielder Josh Wagner (South Park, PA/South Park) and junior pitcher Thomas Zbezinski (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) have been named the AMCC Preseason Player and Pitchers of the Year, respectively. They were selected to the 2021 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Players to Watch for a second consecutive time earlier this season.

Wagner earns his second Preseason Player of the Year accolades. He was Team MVP last season and a First Team All-Conference selection in 2019. Wagner concluded 2019 ranked third in NCAA DIII statistics in doubles (23) and in doubles per game (.56). He was first in the league in RBIs (32), doubles (18), and total chances (153), while ranking third in hits (32) and at-bats (75). Wagner led Behrend and the AMCC in RBIs (51) and was second in doubles (23). A year ago, he began the season hitting .442.

Zbezinski repeats as Preseason Pitcher of the Year. He earned AMCC Newcomer of the Year and was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2019. Zbezinski finished the season tied for first in AMCC games with wins at 5-1 on the mound. He was also tied for first in games started, while ranking third in ERA (3.07) and was fifth in innings pitched (35.2). Zbezinski was first in wins at 7-2 and was sixth in strikeouts (51). He made 13 appearances while pitching 61.1 innings and holding opponents to a .256 batting average.

Behrend begins the 2021 season on the road at Pitt-Greensburg for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m. The Lions will host the Bobcats on Saturday, March 27 to kick off the AMCC portion of their schedule.

Pre-Season Ranking
1. La Roche
2. Penn State Behrend
3. Penn State Altoona
4. Mount Aloysius
5. Alfred State
6. Pitt-Greensburg
7. Pitt-Bradford
8. Hilbert
9. Medaille