LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola University's baseball team will open the 2009 season as the No. 4 team in the NAIA according to the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Poll released on Tuesday.

The Eagles return seven defensive starters and all but two pitchers from the 2008 squad which finished with a 35-18 overall record and reached the NAIA Region II tournament for the sixth straight season.

Leading the way for Biola will be senior shortstop Hawkins Gebbers, who was recently named an NAIA Preseason All-American. Gebbers is coming off an impressive junior campaign where he batted a GSAC-best .426 and also led the team with 81 hits, 13 home runs, 59 RBIs, 54 runs, 20 doubles, a .747 slugging percentage and 142 total bases.

Three-time defending National Championion Lewis-Clark State earned all 21 first-place votes and will start the campaign as the No. 1 team. The 2008 national runners-up, Lee (Tenn.) University, nabs the No. 2 slot with 572 total points. The Flames won a school-record 63 games en route to the Atlantic South Super Regional Championship last year. Lee made its third World Series appearance overall and earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) checks in at No. 3 with 533 total points with Spring Arbor (Mich.) coming in at No. 5.

Other GSAC schools in the preseason poll include defending GSAC champ Azusa Pacific at No. 8 and Fresno Pacific at No. 16. Point Loma Nazarene, California Baptist and The Master's all received votes. 

The complete 2009 NAIA Baseball Preseason Poll can be found at http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/111108aaa.html.