Valparaiso University senior outfielder Blake Billinger (Los Gatos, Calif. / St. Francis [Mission]) has been named to the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason All-Conference team, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.

Billinger garnered All-MVC First Team recognition as a junior a year ago, his first season at Valpo as a junior college transfer. He started all 53 games and batted .323 including a team-best .342 league-only average that ranked sixth in the MVC.

Billinger tied the program record for doubles in a single season with 23 and ranked second in The Valley. He also finished in the Top 10 in the conference in hits (71, eighth) and total bases (115, 10^th). He became the first Valpo player since 2008 with a three-homer game, doing so against Western Michigan.

Valpo was picked to finish seventh of eight in the MVC Preseason Poll, edging out Evansville for seventh. Defending champion Missouri State received five of the eight first-place votes and was named the preseason favorite, narrowly ahead of DBU.

Valpo will begin the season on Friday, Feb. 15 for the opener of a three-game series against Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. The home slate opens on March 22 against Butler, while the conference campaign gets going on March 29 at DBU.

2019 Preseason Poll RANK TEAM (1ST-PLACE VOTES) POINTS

1. Missouri State (5) ................................59
2. DBU (2).................................................58
3. Indiana State (1)..................................49
4. Bradley .................................................39
5. Southern Illinois...................................31
6. Illinois State .........................................28
7. Valparaiso ............................................13
8. Evansville .............................................11

PLAYER, TEAM POS. B/T YR. HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL)

Ben Whetstone, Missouri State 1B L/R Jr. Overland Park, Kan. (Rockhurst)

Jarrod Watkins, Indiana State 2B L/R Jr. Washington, Ill. (Wabash Valley CC)

Brendan Dougherty, Bradley 3B L/R Jr. Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling Catholic)

Jimmy Glowenke, DBU SS R/R So. Lewisville, Texas (Marcus)

Drew Millas, Missouri State C S/R Jr. Swansea, Ill. (Belleville East)

John Rave, Illinois State OF L/L Jr. Bloomington, Ill. (Central Catholic)

Blake Billinger, Valparaiso OF R/R Sr. Los Gatos, Calif. (Mission)

Andy Shadid, Bradley OF R/R Sr. Peoria, Ill. (Notre Dame HS)

Triston Polley, Indiana State SP L/L Jr. Avon, Ind. (Brownsburg)

Luke Eldred, DBU SP R/R So. Mount Vernon, Iowa (Mount Vernon)

Connor Sechler, Missouri State RP R/R So. Bolivar, Mo. (Bolivar)

Jarod Bayless, DBU RP R/R Sr. Texarkana, Texas (Northeast Texas CC)