The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin baseball coaches picked Carthage College to finish third in this year's conference race. 

Illinois Wesleyan University (47 points, 5 first-place votes) was picked to win the 2013 league title, followed by 2012-champion North Park University (40 points, 2 first-place votes) second, Carthage (31 points) third, North Central College (30 points, 1 first-place vote) fourth, Augustana College (Ill., 28 points) fifth, Wheaton College (Ill., 23 points) sixth, Elmhurst College (18 points) seventh and Millikin University (7 points) eighth.
 
Carthage opens its 2013 season with a three-game series at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday-Sunday, March 9-10.