NCAA Baseball: Du Quoin duo tabbed as pre-season All-Valley

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Southern Illinois University baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2010 Preseason Missouri Valley Conference Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday.

The Du Quoin du of senior closer Bryant George and senior catcher Tyler Bullock were both selected to the preseason all-conference team.

Coming off a 24-28 season and a fifth place finish in the conference, the Salukis return seven starters in the field, one starting pitcher and 18 lettermen.

Head coach Dan Callahan <didn't read much into the preseason ranking.

"You don't play the game in the polls and you don't play the game in the papers," Callahan said. "We will have to prove ourselves whether we are picked first, or picked eighth. It will be interesting once we get into league play."

SIU adds in a group of 13 newcomers to the mix, including a talented pool of pitchers, which has Callahan excited about the talent he has to work with.

"I like our team, I like our personnel and I think we are going to compete," Callahan said.

George and Bullock were both named to the All-MVC first team in 2009.

Bullock has led the team in home runs in each of the past two seasons and last year he became the first Saluki since 2003 to have 10 or more home runs in a season (he finished with 11).

George finished second in the MVC a year ago with eight saves and he already owns the school record with 23 saves in his career.

"Both of those guys were all-conference last year and they are returning so they deserve some preseason recognition, and I'm glad they're on that list," Callahan noted.

"Tyler Bullock is an established college player, and a heck of a good hitter. "We think we have the best closer in the Valley in Bryant George and I feel fortunate that we have him in our program. It's been fun to watch how he's evolved as a person and as a baseball player, even as a closer."

Wichita State received seven of the eight first-place votes, as they have been picked to win the league after capturing the 2009 State Farm MVC Tournament Championship.

The Salukis opened up practice on Friday, Jan. 29 and open the season Feb. 19-21 at Arkansas State.

2009 MVC Preseason Poll

1. Wichita State (7), 57 points

2. Missouri State, 52 points

3. Creighton (1), 50 points

4. Illinois State, 38 points

5. Southern Illinois, 33 points

6. Indiana State, 29 points

7. Evansville, 16 points

8. Bradley, 13 points

(first place votes in parenthesizes)