Aurora University ranked in preseason Division-III college baseball poll

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In spite of the holiday season that just arrived, the 2022 baseball season is just around the corner for the Aurora University baseball team. The Spartans will enter the 2022 season as the sixth-ranked program in NCAA Division III, according to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll released December 21.

The Spartans finished the 2021 season with a 38-8 overall record and made the 23rd appearance overall and third consecutive NCAA Division III Regional appearance. The Spartans earned their place in the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships after winning the 2021 Northern Athletics Conference Conference (NACC) regular season and tournament championship. For AU, the 38 victories ties a program record previously held by the 2000 and 2012 baseball teams.

AU returns the core of the 2021 team with eight returners who hit .320 or better and 25 victories from the pitching staff. ABCA and D3baseball.com All-American Corey Vondra leads the returners along with All-Region selections Nick Malmberg, Dylan White, Josh Reinhardt and Collin Meinert.

Vondra finished the 2021 season with a .410 batting average, eight home runs, six triples, 17 doubles, 65 runs scored and 56 runs batted in while also stealing nine bases. In the NCAA Division III St. Paul Regional, Vondra was eight-for-15 with four home runs (two grand slams), a triple, scored six runs and collected 14 runs batted in over the three games. He walked once and was hit by a pitch. Reinhardt finished 2021 by hitting .324 with 10 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 33 runs scored and 28 runs batted in. On the mound he was 5-1 with a 4.19 earned run average and 33 strikeouts in 38-2/3 innings pitched.

The 2022 Aurora University Spartan baseball program will open the season Friday, Feb. 25, at Webster University in Sauget, Ill..

—Aurora University

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