LANCASTER, Pa. – Two-time defending champion Johns Hopkins has been picked as the unanimous favorite to three-peat in the 2022 Centennial Conference Baseball Preseason Poll. In a vote among the conference's 10 head coaches, the Blue Jays secured all nine possible first-place votes and totaled 81 points to sit atop the rankings. 

Franklin & Marshall (65) edged Swarthmore (64) for second place, while Washington College (54) and Haverford (51) rounded out the top five. 

Dickinson received the other first-place vote and landed sixth in the poll with 47 points, followed by Ursinus (31) and Muhlenberg (31) in a seventh-place tie. Gettysburg (14) and McDaniel (12) closed out the poll in ninth and 10th, respectively. 

The 2022 season begins this weekend for a handful of Centennial squads, with all 10 teams set to begin play by early March. Conference contests begin on Saturday, Apr. 2 and continue through the end of April. The four-team, double-eliminatioon CC Tournament is slated for May 5-7-8, with the No. 1 seed hosting championship weekend. 

2022 Schedule | 2021 Results| 2021 Statistics | 2021 All-Centennial Team 

Johns Hopkins captured its second consecutive and conference-leading 16th overall Centennial Conference title last spring, posting an 11-3 conference record to edge Franklin & Marshall for the CC crown. The traditional four-team CC tournament was not held last spring, as schedules were condensed and regular season play determined the conference champion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Blue Jays went on to win the six-team St. Paul, Minn. regional tournament as the No. 6 seed, advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time as a Centennial member and fifth time overall. At the CWS, JHU fell in its opening two contests to Washington University and Adrian to conclude the year with a 15-6 record. Hopkins' World Series trip marked the third-straight year and fifth time overall that a CC team reached the national tournament. The Blue Jays have now reached the final eight in 2021, 2019, 2010 and 2008, while Swarthmore also accomplished the feat in 2018. 

The Centennial is the only conference in the nation to have a team advance to the College World Series each of the last three seasons. 

Hopkins enters the year ranked No. 4 in the D3baseball.com Preseason Rankings and No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Swarthmore received one vote in the D3baseball poll. 

A total of 22 All-Centennial players are back on the diamond this spring, including six All-Region performers and one All-American. Reigning CC Pitcher of the Year Kyle Roche returns for the Diplomats after earning All-America honors from both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in 2021. Roche earned second team honors from D3baseball.com and third team accolades from the ABCA, and was also named the D3baseball Mid-Atlantic Pitcher of the Year last spring. 

Returning All-Region performers include Roche (ABCA first team, D3baseball first team), McDaniel second baseman Joey Hubinger (D3baseball third team), Dickinson designated hitter Andrew Mazzone (D3baseball third team), Washington College outfielder Chris Baker (ABCA second team), and the JHU pitching duo of Peter Schaefer (ABCA second team) and Kieran Collins (ABCA third team). 

Eight Centennial teams welcome back at least one All-CC performer in 2022, led by Johns Hopkins and Dickinson with five returning all-stars apiece. JHU's Schaefer, Collins, catcher A.J. King and first baseman Jared Defaria were all first-teamers in 2021, while relief pitcher Jack McRae earned second team laurels. For Dickinson, Mazzone and reliever Beau Dana are returning first team selections, with pitcher Ethan Hamilton, outfielder Lukas Atsalis, and third baseman Kenny Tagliareni back after securing second team honors last spring. Hamilton was also chosen as CC Rookie of the Year.  

F&M, McDaniel and Washington College all have a trio of all-conference players back in the fold this season. Roche, first baseman Will Samuel, and designated hitter Jakob Hoffman are all back for the Diplomats after securing first team All-CC nods last spring. Samuel and Hoffman were both second-teamers in 2021. For the Green Terror, Hubinger, third baseman Billy Wheatley (2021 first team) and pitcher Jack Vener (2021 second team) all return. Washington College's outfield tandem of Baker and Max Ruvo each earned first team All-CC awards in 2021, while shortstop CJ Gillmer collected honorable mention honors. 

Muhlenberg outfielder Ryan Hebert, Gettysburg second baseman Andrew Donlan, and Swarthmore second baseman Michael Sepe are returning conference all-stars this spring. Hebert was a second team choice in 2021, Donlan landed on the 2021 honorable mention squad, and Sepe was a second-teamer in 2019. 

2022 Centennial Conference Baseball Preseason Poll