The University of Delaware was picked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association baseball preseason poll and placed four players on the preseason All-CAA Team.

Sophomore first baseman Nick Patten, sophomore starter Brandon Walter and senior outfielder Jordan Glover were the UD representatives on the first team, while sophomore Kyle Baker was named honorable mention.

Overall, the Blue Hens received 39 points, falling just eights points behind third place College of Charleston.

Reigning CAA regular season champions the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) received 64 points (eight of nine first place votes) while William and Mary was slotted second (52 points, one first-place vote). Elon finished fifth (36 points), followed by James Madison, Northeastern, Towson and Hofstra.

UD's three first team All-CAA preseason selections ranked second, as only UNCW (5) had more.

“The recognition of all of our all-conference selections are well deserved,” UD head coach Jim Sherman said. “Today was an outstanding showing by our coaches in the conference and says a lot about what they think about our program. We’re excited. Every year our ultimate goal is to be one of the top three teams in the conference and this comes close to that goal. Our ultimate goal is to win the conference title and then the conference playoffs.”

Voted a third team 2017 Preseason Collegiate Baseball All-American earlier this month, Glover projects to be one of the top hitters on the East Coast this spring.

Last season, the Marlton, New Jersey, native batted .360 with 5 home runs, 52 RBIs (fourth in the CAA) and 20 doubles (tied for fourth in the CAA). His performance, in the batter's box in particular, earned him a slot on the 2016 All-CAA first team and a second team honor on the All-East (ECAC) team.

A Butler, Pennsylvania, native, Patten was one of the top power hitters in the CAA last season. Overall the righty batted .285 in his first collegiate season, socking a team high 12 home runs (tied for fourth in the CAA) and connecting on 28 extra-base hits. He was named to the Louisville Slugger/CBM Freshman All-American team a year ago.

The lone Delaware pitcher representative was Walter, who posted a 7-3 record with an ERA of just 3.63 as a freshman. He, like Patten, was named to the Louisville Slugger/CBM Freshman All-American team a year ago. The lanky left-hander struck out 85 batters (tied for fourth in the CAA), and his seven wins were tied for the fifth most in the conference. His .232 BAA (batting average against) was good for fourth in the CAA a year ago.

Another local, Baker was one of the top freshmen in the CAA last season, batting .346 with 15 extra-base hits. His accomplishments on the diamond earned the righty multiple postseason honors, including spots on the CAA All-Rookie Team, All-CAA third team, and a selection to the Louisville Slugger/CBM Freshman All-American squad.

Last season, the Blue Hens finished 32-22 (10-14 CAA) and finished two games behind sixth place Charleston, just missing out on a postseason berth.

Overall, UD returns its top eight hitters and 10 of its 11 top pitchers from last season’s squad.

The Blue Hens open the 2017 season on Feb. 17 against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida.

For complete coverage, see the article on BlueHens.com.