The American Southwest Conference releases their 2019 football preseason poll Tuesday afternoon and the Southwestern University Pirates were picked to finish fifth in the league following their 6-4 campaign in 2018.

RICHARDSON, Texas – Mary Hardin-Baylor has been picked to win the 2019 American Southwest Conference football title after a vote of the league's head coaches and directors of sports information, the ASC office announced on Tuesday (August 20).
 
Hardin-Simmons senior running back Jaquan Hemphill was voted as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while UMHB senior defensive lineman Joey Longoria was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Texas Lutheran sophomore kicker Juan Ocampo earned Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year honors.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor (15-0 / 9-0 ASC) received 199 points in the preseason poll and recorded 19 out of a possible 20 first-place votes. The Cru are the defending national champions, winning their 14th consecutive ASC title in the process. UMHB led the NCAA in scoring offense in 2018 with 53.4 points per game, while the defense led with a 2.20 turnover margin.
 
Hardin-Simmons (9-2 / 8-1 ASC) received 189 points, including one first-place votes, to come in second in the preseason poll. HSU has finished no lower than fourth in the league standings in each of the last 23 seasons, including a three-way tie for the championship in 2015. The Cowboys ranked fourth in Division III in scoring offense (48.0 points per game) and fifth in total offense (524.8 yards) en route to their ninth trip to the NCAA Championship Playoffs. HSU were No. 9 in the D3football.com Preseason Poll.
 
East Texas Baptist (6-4 / 6-3 ASC) was picked third in the preseason poll with 148 points. The Tigers tied for third in the 2018 standings. They ranked sixth in the nation in total offense (510.4).
 
Texas Lutheran (7-3, 6-3 ASC) was picked fourth after tying with ETBU for third last year. Southwestern (6-4, 5-4 ASC) and Louisiana College (5-5, 5-4 ASC) were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the preseason poll after tying for fifth place. They are followed by Howard Payne (1-9, 1-8 ASC) in seventh, Belhaven (2-8, 2-7 ASC) and Sul Ross State (1-9, 1-8 ASC) in a tie for eighth and McMurry (2-8, 2-7) in tenth.
 
The NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs begin Nov. 23, with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl national championship game scheduled for Dec. 20 at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is the host for the Stagg Bowl.
 
Wilson is the official football of American Southwest Conference.
 
2019 ASC Preseason Football Poll

2019 ASC Preseason Players of the Year
Offense: Jaquan Hemphill, RB, Sr., Hardin-Simmons
Defense: Joey Longoria, DL, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor
Special Teams: Juan Ocampo, K, So., Texas Lutheran
 
2019 Players to Watch