TicketsThe American Athletic Conference announced its 2020 preseason awards and coaches poll on Monday afternoon with University of Cincinnati's Wyatt Stapp earning a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Team as the designated hitter and the Bearcats selected to finish sixth out of nine teams.
Stapp becomes UC's first AAC preseason honoree since Ian Happ earned a spot on the team prior to the 2015 season when he was also selected as preseason player of the year. Happ was also recognized prior to the 2014 season. Stapp, therefore, becomes just the second Bearcats player to earn AAC preseason accolades. The junior DH landed on the 2019 AAC All-Tournament Team as the No. 2 seeded Bearcats made a historic run to win the AAC Tournament Championship and appear in the NCAA postseason for the first time in 45 years. Stapp ended the 2019 season with the team's best batting average, finishing at .294 in 235 at-bats. He played in 60 of the team's 62 games with 59 starts. He was second on the team in RBI with 35.
Voted to finish sixth, UC receives its highest preseason ranking since the 2017 season when it was selected fifth and the second-highest spot all-time. The Bearcats were picked either eighth or ninth in the five other AAC preseason polls. 33 points in the poll is the most ever for UC as voted by the conference's nine head coaches.
// PRESEASON POLL
First-place votes in parenthesis
// PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
P – Jake Kuchmaner, Jr., ECU*
P – Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
P – Clay Aguilar, Jr., Houston
P – Lael Lockhart Jr, Sr., Houston
RP – Caleb Wurster, R-So., UConn
C – Hunter Goodman, So., Memphis
1B – Grant Mathews, R-Sr., Tulane
2B – Jonathon Artigues, R-Sr., Tulane
SS – Paxton Wallace, Jr., Wichita State
3B – Alec Trela, Sr., Memphis
OF – Dalton Wingo, Jr., UCF
OF – Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
OF – Hudson Haskin, So., Tulane
DH – Wyatt Stapp, Jr., Cincinnati
Preseason Player of the Year
Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Jake Kuchmaner, Jr., ECU
* denotes unanimous decision
// 2020 SEASON COMING SOON
• The 2020 campaign will begin Friday, February 14 in Atlanta as UC competes at the Atlanta Challenge
• The Bearcats will open up against host Georgia State then take on Georgia Tech on Saturday and Kennesaw State on Sunday
• The home-opener at Marge Scott Stadium is slated for Wednesday, February 26 against Indiana State
// SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
• Season tickets for the 2020 season are now available by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX, by logging on to GoBearcats.com or by visiting the ticket office
• Prices remain at $50 for adults and $30 for youth, senior, military and faculty for 27 home games
• Flex packs and single game tickets will go on sale in February
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stapp becomes UC's first AAC preseason honoree since Ian Happ earned a spot on the team prior to the 2015 season when he was also selected as preseason player of the year. Happ was also recognized prior to the 2014 season. Stapp, therefore, becomes just the second Bearcats player to earn AAC preseason accolades. The junior DH landed on the 2019 AAC All-Tournament Team as the No. 2 seeded Bearcats made a historic run to win the AAC Tournament Championship and appear in the NCAA postseason for the first time in 45 years. Stapp ended the 2019 season with the team's best batting average, finishing at .294 in 235 at-bats. He played in 60 of the team's 62 games with 59 starts. He was second on the team in RBI with 35.
Voted to finish sixth, UC receives its highest preseason ranking since the 2017 season when it was selected fifth and the second-highest spot all-time. The Bearcats were picked either eighth or ninth in the five other AAC preseason polls. 33 points in the poll is the most ever for UC as voted by the conference's nine head coaches.
// PRESEASON POLL
| 1 | ECU (6) | 62 |
| 2 | Houston (3) | 54 |
| 3 | UConn | 49 |
| 4 | Tulane | 38 |
| 5 | UCF | 37 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 33 |
| 7 | USF | 20 |
| 8 | Memphis | 19 |
| 9 | Wichita State | 12 |
// PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
P – Jake Kuchmaner, Jr., ECU*
P – Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
P – Clay Aguilar, Jr., Houston
P – Lael Lockhart Jr, Sr., Houston
RP – Caleb Wurster, R-So., UConn
C – Hunter Goodman, So., Memphis
1B – Grant Mathews, R-Sr., Tulane
2B – Jonathon Artigues, R-Sr., Tulane
SS – Paxton Wallace, Jr., Wichita State
3B – Alec Trela, Sr., Memphis
OF – Dalton Wingo, Jr., UCF
OF – Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
OF – Hudson Haskin, So., Tulane
DH – Wyatt Stapp, Jr., Cincinnati
Preseason Player of the Year
Alec Burleson, Jr., ECU
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Jake Kuchmaner, Jr., ECU
* denotes unanimous decision
// 2020 SEASON COMING SOON
• The 2020 campaign will begin Friday, February 14 in Atlanta as UC competes at the Atlanta Challenge
• The Bearcats will open up against host Georgia State then take on Georgia Tech on Saturday and Kennesaw State on Sunday
• The home-opener at Marge Scott Stadium is slated for Wednesday, February 26 against Indiana State
// SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
• Season tickets for the 2020 season are now available by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX, by logging on to GoBearcats.com or by visiting the ticket office
• Prices remain at $50 for adults and $30 for youth, senior, military and faculty for 27 home games
• Flex packs and single game tickets will go on sale in February
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.