They've got it all: the team to beat, top prospects, players to watch.
Baseball America has been releasing previews for each conference that plays at the Division-1 level. Today, they've released their preview for our beloved Mid-American Conference. Let's start by looking at who they think are the top 10 prospects in the MAC:
| Pos.- Prospect (School) | Eligible for 2014 Draft? |
| RHP- Jordan Foley (CMU) | Yes |
| LHP- Brian Clark (Kent St) | Yes |
| OF- Logan Regnier (CMU) | No, 2015 |
| LHP- Matt Trowbridge (CMU) | Yes |
| RHP- Scott Baker (Ball St) | Yes |
| 3B- Zarley Zalewski (Kent St) | No, 2015 |
| SS- Andrew Sohn (WMU) | Yes |
| OF- Nick Regnier (CMU) | Yes |
| RHP- Alex Klonowski (NIU) | Yes |
| OF- Matt Honchel (Miami) | Yes |
Team to beat: Central Michigan
Baseball America seems pretty big on the Chippewas. With four players in their list of top 10 prospects in the conference, Aaron Fitt says that "The Chippewas expect their pitching staff to be their deepest and most talented in the last decade, bookended by ace Jordan Foley and closer Matt Towbridge."
Player of the year: Andrew Sohn, SS, Western Michigan
This is why I'm glad BA exists, because I had no idea that Sohn was this noteworthy. But hey, he is the #7 prospect in the MAC. Looks like we'll be keeping our eyes peeled to see how he does this season as he enters his junior year.
Pitcher of the Year: Scott Baker, RHP, Ball State
Baker is really good. The ace for Ball State had a spectacular year as a true sophomore and is expected to be even better in 2014. Outside of Baker and Foley, be sure to follow other starting pitchers like Eli Anderson (NIU), Brian Clark (Kent State), Eric Lauer (Kent State), Sterling Sharp (Eastern Michigan) and Cody Agthorpe (BGSU).
Freshman of the Year: Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State
Named #14 on BA's list of top 50 freshman in the nation, Lauer should have an immediate impact in the MAC. Lauer was drafted in the 17th round in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
You can read the rest of BA's MAC preview here.
