Wildcats Narrowly Picked to Win Baseball Crown
Watch the video
SAN RAMON, Calif. – It’s crowded at the top of the 2018 CCAA Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll with Chico State leading the way, as voted on by the league’s 12 coaches.
The Wildcats garnered 116 points and six first-place votes in the polling, with UC San Diego just three points behind as the Tritons tallied 113 points with five first-place votes. Cal Poly Pomona stands as the only other club to break the 100-point barrier with one champion vote and 104 total points.
The trio at the top is followed by Cal State Monterey Bay (84) in the fourth position. Cal State LA (71), Sonoma State (70), Stanislaus State (69) come in at 5-6-7 with one point of separation between each squad. Cal State East Bay (55) follows, then Cal State Dominguez Hills (38), San Francisco State (27), Cal State San Marcos (27) and Cal State San Bernardino (18) round out the predictions.
Chico State (45-11,34-4 CCAA) is looking for a repeat of 2017’s success where the Wildcats won both the regular-season and tournament crown before bowing out in the NCAA West Regional. The team returns a seasoned bunch that includes 2017 Player of the Year Cameron Santos and 2017 Pitcher of the Year Casey Costello. Santos his .359 and led the league with a .457 on-base percentage while Costello compiled a 12-0 record and 2.49 earned run average for the Wildcats. Fellow first-team honoree from a year ago, pitcher Hunter Haworth, is now with the Red Sox organization after he became the eighth Chico State pitcher drafted and one of 11 to sign with a Major League organization in Coach Taylor’s 11 years at the helm.
UC San Diego (44-19, 24-13 CCAA), reigning NCAA Division II West Region champion and 2017 national runner-up sits in second in the CCAA polling. Entering the year ranked seventh nationally in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll, the Tritons are led by junior first baseman and All-CCAA first teamer Tyler Durna who led the team with a .363 batting average and 28-game hitting streak a year ago.
Last season’s CCAA Tournament runners-up and NCAA tournament participant, Cal Poly Pomona (34-22, 27-11 CCAA), nabbed third in the voting. The Broncos enjoyed a second half surge in 017 that saw the squad win 10 straight to finish the regular season. After hitting .318 with 48 hits and 37 runs batted in in his rookie campaign, Freshman of the Year Brennan McKenzie is back in the mix for the Broncos, and joined by first-team All-CCAA selection Cody Martin.
San Francisco State is first to hit the field in 2018, opening a home series with Azusa Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 1, with six more squads seeing action on Feb. 2. The remaining five teams – UC San Diego, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State LA, Cal State East Bay and Cal State San Bernardino – hit the field the following weekend.
Unlike a year ago, there are no north-south division standings in play for the 2018 campaign. After completing a 44-game conference schedule, the top six CCAA squads convene in Stockton at Banner Island Ballpark on May 9-12 for the 2018 CCAA Baseball Championship Tournament.
2018 CCAA Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Pl. |
Team |
Points (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
Chico State |
116 (6) |
| 2. |
UC San Diego |
113 (5) |
| 3. |
Cal Poly Pomona |
104 (1) |
| 4. |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
84 |
| 5. |
Cal State LA |
71 |
| 6. |
Sonoma State |
70 |
| 7. |
Stanislaus State |
69 |
| 8. |
Cal State East Bay |
55 |
| 9. |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
38 |
| T-10. |
San Francisco State |
27 |
| T-10. |
Cal State San Marcos |
27 |
| 12. |
Cal State San Bernardino |
18 |