BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football team is picked to win the American Southwest Conference Championship in the league’s 2018 Preseason Coaches and Media Poll, making it 16 straight years for UMHB to be the choice to win the league. The Cru picked up 23 of the 30 first-place votes and totaled 293 points in balloting of the ASC head coaches, sports information directors and selected media members. Hardin-Simmons is the pick to finish second with 276 total points and the Cowboys also received the other seven first-place votes. East Texas Baptist is picked third with 222 total points, Texas Lutheran totaled 204 points for fourth place and Southwestern University is picked fifth with 200 points. Sul Ross State came in sixth with 141 points, Louisiana College’s 113 points is good for seventh place, McMurry University is picked eighth with 84 points, Howard Payne is picked ninth with 62 points and Belhaven University rounds out the poll with 61 total points.
UMHB’s Tevin Jones was also named ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Jones, a senior linebacker from Belton High School, earned All-American honors after leading the Cru with 129 tackles last season. He added 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Jones also broke up five passes and recovered two fumbles. He set two UMHB school records with 19 total tackles against ETBU and a 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Southwestern University.
Hardin-Simmons senior running back Jaquan Hemphill was voted ASC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Cowboys’ senior kick returner/punter Reese Childress was voted ASC Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. UMHB senior wide receiver T.J. Josey and freshman kick returner/wide receiver Aaron Sims were named to the Preseason Players to Watch list after being nominated for Preseason Player of the Year honors. Josey caught 41 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns despite playing quarterback for the first three games of the season in 2017. Sims is expected to take over kick return duties for the Cru after running track at Texas A&M.
The Cru went 14-1 overall and won its 15th ASC title with a 9-0 league record last season. The team advanced to Stagg Bowl XLV before falling to Mount Union 12-0. UMHB expects to return 42 lettermen and five starters on both sides of the ball from that team this year. The Cru kicks off the 2018 season at Albright College on September 8th. The Cru has won at least a share of 15 of the last 16 ASC titles and has advanced to at least the Second Round of the NCAA Division III National Championships in each of the last 14 seasons.