PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The 2009 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference baseball Preseason Polls were released Monday, and the Lions were predicted to finish sixth in the ten-team field.

Head coach Joe Piotti's squad is coming off of a 19-23 season in 2008 when Altoona lost in the first round of the conference playoffs to former-AMCC member Lake Erie College.

The AMCC baseball coaches decided that Penn State Behrend is the odds-on favorite to defend its 2008 conference championship, which would be the school's thrid since 2003.  Frostburg State, which has won five league titles, including two of the past three, was picked to finish second, while La Roche College was selected to come in third.

Brandon Lumadue, outfielder for Medaille, was awarded AMCC Preseason Player of the Year honors.  Lumadue started all of the Mavericks' 34 games in 2008 while leading the conference in batting average (.483), slugging percentage (.833), RBI (51), and triples (5). 

Penn State Altoona senior pitcher Paul Keith (Smithmill, PA/Moshannon Valley) and sophomore first baseman Grady Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch) were picked as Players To Watch in AMCC for 2009.  Keith's ERA of 2.89 was good for second in the conference in 2008, while Luzier finished ninth in the AMCC in RBI with 37 for the season.

To view the entire 2009 Preseason Coach's Poll, visit www.amcconf.org