The Northern Sun Conference has released the 2019 Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll and Upper Iowa has been picked twelfth, along with Southwest Minnesota State University. Augustana University, the 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion, was selected to win the league by the coaches.
 
Upper Iowa baseball is eager to return to Robertson Woods Field in 2019 and pick up where they left off in 2018. The Peacocks ended the season with a 3-1 series win over Minnesota State University, Mankato on graduation weekend to finish two games out of eighth place.
 
UIU ended the 2018 campaign with a 17-24 record overall and a 15-18 mark in the Northern Sun. Upper Iowa picked up a pair of sweeps at home in 2018, including a four-game series over the University of Mary and a doubleheader sweep over Southwest Minnesota State University.
 
In the friendly confines of Robertson Woods Field, the Peacocks finished 9-4, but were limited with home games due to bad weather.
 
Six Peacocks finished the season with a batting average above .300 including returners Emmett Kulick(.344), Zac Cain (.319) and Conner Klostermann (.301). Tony Salato (.297) also returns to the Peacock lineup after a good first year with UIU. Cain was named to the 2018 NSIC Gold Glove Team at first base after posting a clean sheet in NSIC games without an error while recording 251 putouts and 11 assists.
 
Pitching will be the x-factor for first-year Head Coach Jeremy Ische, who was the top assistant with the program the last two years. Only two arms with more than five innings of work in 2018 return to the staff. Sophomore Colin Lacey and junior Parker Kray will be the veterans on a staff with over 25 arms ready to earn innings on the hill.
 
Lacey started 8 games for the Peacocks and the southpaw posted a 3-4 record with a 5.11 ERA in 49.1 innings. Kray made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and secured a 3-0 record in 12 innings with a 4.50 ERA.

Both Lacey and Cain were named as NSIC Players to Watch for the 2019 season.
 
The Peacocks will start their season with a pair of double headers against Emporia State University and Pittsburgh State University on Feb. 19-20 in Kansas.