Trio of Dukes Selected to Preseason Team; Baseball Picked Fourth in South Division

RICHMOND, Va. – James Madison two-way player Chase DeLauter, designated hitter Kyle Novak, and pitcher Justin Showalter were all named to the 2021 Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Team, the league announced on Friday morning. The Dukes were selected to finish fourth in the South Division for the season.

UNCW was picked to win the South Division, earning seven first-place votes. Charleston, who received the other two first-place votes, Elon, JMU, and William & Mary round out the South Division. Northeastern was the selected favorite for the North Division with eight first-place votes. Delaware received the other first-place vote, with Hofstra and Towson rounding out the North Division.

The conference is using a divisional format this season to reduce travel and with the health, safety, and well-being of coaches and student-athletes in mind.

DeLauter was selected to the preseason team as an outfielder, although he is a two-way player. He played and started in all 16 games last season and led the team in batting average (.382), runs (14), hits (26), doubles (seven), slugging percentage, and was tied for lead in stolen bases (seven). The Martinsburg, W.Va. native went 0-3 with a 7.98 ERA in four starts. He tossed 14 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched. DeLauter also ranked in multiple CAA statistical categories.

Novak earned his second straight appearance on the preseason team heading into the 2021 season. He led the team last season in RBIs with 16, and finished the year with a slash line of .317/.460/.361. The Oakton, Va. native finished with 20 hits, three doubles, and two home runs in 16 games of action.

Showalter appeared on the preseason team after a strong 2020 season. He appeared in five games, starting four, and went 4-0 with a 0.68 ERA. He threw his first career shutout last year and led the team in innings pitched (26.2) and strikeouts (21). The Bridgewater, Va. native kept opposing hitters to a .144 average, and didn't allow an earned run in 24.2 consecutive innings which was the longest streak in program history since 1995.

The Dukes open up their 45^th season of Division I ball on Friday, March 5 at home against Bowling Green.

2021 CAA BASEBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
North Division

Northeastern (8 first-place votes) 29
Delaware (1 first-place votes) 19
Hofstra 16
Towson 12

South Division

UNCW (7 first-place votes) 35
Charleston (2 first-place votes) 30
Elon 18
James Madison 17
William & Mary 10

2021 CAA BASEBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Player, School                                                 Pos.     Cl.        Hometown
Matthew Trehub, William & Mary                 C          Sr.        Southborough, Mass.
Joseph Carpenter, Delaware                          IF         Jr.        Cornwall, Pa.
Ian Fair, Northeastern                                    IF         Jr.        Walpole, Mass.
Austin Gauthier, Hofstra                                 IF         Sr.        Lorton, Va.
Scott Holzwasser, Northeastern                     IF         Sr.        Sudbury, Mass.
Ari Sechopoulos, Charleston                          IF         Sr.        Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Cole Weiss, UNCW                                          IF         Sr.        Winston-Salem, N.C.
Noah Bridges, UNCW                                      OF        Jr.        Benson, N.C.
Chase DeLauter, James Madison                   OF       Fr.    Martinsburg, W.Va.
Jared Dupere, Northeastern                           OF        So.       Amesbury, Mass.
Anthony D'Onofrio, Hofstra                           OF        Jr.        Wantagh, N.Y.
Jack Cone, William & Mary                             UT       So.       Fairfax Station, Va.
Kyle Novak, James Madison                          DH       So.   Oakton, Va.
Landen Roupp, UNCW                                    SP        Jr.        Rocky Mount, N.C.
Justin Showalter, James Madison                 SP        Jr.     Bridgewater, Va.
Caswell Smith, Charleston                              SP        Fr.        Ball Ground, Ga.
Jared Wetherbee, Elon                                   SP        Jr.        Fiskdale, Mass.
Brandon Dufault, Northeastern                     RP        Jr.        Windham, N.H.
Bryce Greenly, Delaware                                RP        Fr.        Milford, Del.
Adam Smith, UNCW                                       RP        Fr.        Hampstead, N.C.

CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Landen Roupp, UNCW

Honorable Mention: Jack Goan, C, Delaware; Matt McDermott, IF, William & Mary; Rob Weissheier, IF, Hofstra; Kyle Baker, OF, Delaware; Javon Fields, OF, Towson; Anthony Galason, OF, Elon; Donald Hansis, OF, Charleston; Hunter Hart, DH, William & Mary; Luke Gesell, SP, UNCW; Kyle Murphy, SP, Northeastern; Derek Wakeley, RP, Delaware

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