AUSTIN, Texas – With five returning position players, who played at least 30 games, and five returning pitchers, who appeared in at least 14 contests on the mound last season, the Concordia Texas baseball team will look to repeat as American Southwest Conference champions in the 2019 season.
 
After winning the 2018 ASC regular season title and advancing to the NCAA West Regional for the second consecutive year, the Tornados (29-18, 18-6 ASC) will be looking to make their third straight appearance in an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history.
 
The Tornados will be led offensively by D3Baseball.com and ABCA All-West Region selection Carson Cox. The 2018 ASC Newcomer of the Year returns for his senior campaign after leading the team in batting average (.394), hits (65), doubles (11), RBIs (45) and slugging percentage (.542) last season. Cox was also named to D3Baseball.com's Preseason All-America Team, the first CTX player to receive the honor since 2016.
 
Additionally, CTX returns 2016 ASC Freshman of the Year Bret Leiferman for his junior season. Leiferman, out of Round Rock, Texas, hit .431 in 14 contests last season before missing the majority of the year due to injury. Currently, Leiferman is tied for first in program history with 12 career triples, while also sitting in third place with a .375 career batting average.
 
On the mound, the Tornados will bring back two of their top three starting pitchers from the 2018 season in junior Matthew Williams and senior Calvin Bush.  
 
Williams, a junior from Hyde Park, Texas, tossed 97.2 innings for CTX and produced a 7-4 overall record with a 3.69 ERA last season. On the year, he racked up 86 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .219 batting average. 
 
The Tornados were picked to win the ASC Title in 2019 in the conference preseason poll released last Wednesday. CTX is also ranked 37th in the Collegiate Baseball News preseason poll while also receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com/NCBWA poll. 
 
The season will begin for CTX in the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Classic at QuickTrip Field in Grand Prairie, Texas, when they take on Linfield on Friday at 11 a.m.