George Washington University

Jan. 24, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington University baseball team was selected to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2008 season, as voted on by the league's head coaches. After winning a program-record 49 games and capturing its first-ever A-10 title, Charlotte was picked defend its title and to win this season's A-10 Baseball Championship.

Winners of a league-record 23 games in Conference play a year ago, Charlotte is led by senior outfielder and preseason first-team All-American Brad McElroy and senior infielder Shayne Moody, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 Championship.

The Colonials were 23-31-1 overall in 2007 and 14-13 in the A-10, missing the conference tournament by just one half game, despite ending the year with a season-best six-game winning streak. It was their 14th straight season with at least 20 wins.

GW returns Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection senior OF Charlie Kruer (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) (.324/13HR/57RBI) and A-10 All-Rookie team selections INF Tom Zebroski (Port Washington, NY/Paul Schreiber) (.314/32R/11SB) and 1B/DH Curtis Eward (Oak Hill, VA/Oakton) (.310/3HR/25RBI) in 2008, when they open the season against Tennessee-Martin at the USC-Upstate Tournament in Spartanburg, SC on Feb. 22.

GW's home debut at Barcroft Park in Arlington, VA, is scheduled for March 1, when they host Yale in a three-game series. A-10 play begins March 21 at home against Saint Joseph's.

The six-team, double-elimination 2008 Championship will be held May 21-24 at Campbell's Field in Camden, N.J. A different team has captured the A-10 Championship in each of the last eight years.

Below is the 2008 predicted order of finish along with last year's records in parentheses:

1. Charlotte (49-12/23-4)
2. Richmond (32-28/18-9)
3. Xavier (29-31/17-10)
4. Rhode Island (23-29/16-11)
5. Fordham (35-22/19-8)
6. George Washington (23-30-1/14-13)
7. Dayton (21-33/9-18)
8. St. Bonaventure (25-27/14-12)
9. Massachusetts (22-25/13-14
10. Saint Louis (16-37/12-14)
11. Temple (18-37/9-18)
12. Duquesne (22-29/10-17)
13. La Salle (17-32/8-19)
14. Saint Joseph's (10-39/6-21)

-GW-