The Missouri State baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference race in a vote of the league’s coaches, the conference announced Tuesday morning.

The Bears earned 44 points to place fourth, while Wichita State is the favorite to repeat as champions, garnering 73 points and eight first place votes. Defending tournament champion Creighton received the remaining first place vote and 68 points for the second spot in the poll. Southern Illinois (64), MSU (44), UNI (38) and Evansville (37) round out the top six favored to make the MVC Tournament field. Bradley (31), Indiana State (31) and Illinois State (19) fill in the final three spots.

The Bears open the season Feb. 22 at Dallas Baptist before heading to nearby Arlington, Texas, to close the weekend with games against Texas-Arlington and Arkansas-Little Rock.