Football Chosen to Repeat as Heart South Champs

OLATHE, KS – The defending Heart of America Athletic Conference Southern Division Baker University football team was chosen to repeat as conference champions, announced on Monday at the Heart Media Day inside the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Baker received five of six first place votes for a maximum 50 points, as voted by the Heart South coaches. Rival MNU earned the other first place vote and came in second with 45 points, followed by Missouri Valley in third with 43 points, Evangel and Central Methodist tied for fourth place with 35 points and Avila came in sixth with 32.

The Wildcats are in search of its third Heart conference title in the last four years, as they also captured the conference championship in 2013 and 2015. Baker also hopes to qualify for its fourth NAIA-FCS Playoff appearance in the last five years, as they qualified in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Baker went a perfect 5-0 in its first season in the Heart South in 2015 and captured 10 regular season wins, a school-record. They also tied the school-record for total wins in a season with its 11-2 mark.

Baker head coach Mike Grossner returns for his 13^th season. Under his leadership in 2015, the Wildcats earned 10 First Team All-Conference award winners and a program record 13 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

The Wildcat offense broke several program records in 2015, including passing attempts in a season with 480, completions in a game against Central Methodist with 39, completions in a season with 309, passing yards in a season with 3,714, passing yards per game with 285.7 and passing touchdowns in a season with 38. Baker also led the nation in turnover margin at +28.