With several key players from the 2014 squad that qualified for the Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament returning, the Seattle University baseball team has been picked to finish in fourth place in the league in the preseason coach’s poll, announced Tuesday by the conference office.
Senior catcher Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) and junior outfielder Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.), First Team All-WAC honorees last season, were selected by the coaches as part of the Preseason All-WAC Team. Seattle U is one of four teams, along with Sacramento State, Grand Canyon, and Bakersfield, to have multiple representatives on the preseason squad.
Defending WAC regular season and tournament champion Sacramento State received eight first-place votes and 80 total points as the Hornets were selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference in 2015. Grand Canyon received the other two first-place votes to finish in second place in the poll with 71 points, with Bakersfield collecting 60 points to come in third place.
With 49 points, Seattle U finished just ahead of fifth place Utah Valley, who received 48 points in the poll. New Mexico State and Texas-Pan American ended up in a tie for sixth place with 45 points apiece. Chicago State (19 points), North Dakota (17 points), and Northern Colorado (16 points) rounded out the preseason poll results.
Second baseman Chad De La Guerra of Grand Canyon was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, while Sacramento State’s Brennan Leitao received WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors. The Hornets led the way on the Preseason All-WAC squad with five honorees, followed by the Antelopes with three representatives.
Seattle University opens the 2015 baseball season next Friday, Feb. 13, as it hosts Saint Mary’s College in a four-game series. The Redhawks open nine straight weekends of conference play Friday, March 20, with a three-game series against Utah Valley, with Seattle U also hosting Sacramento State (April 2-4), New Mexico State (April 10-12), North Dakota (April 17-19), and Chicago State (May 8-10) this season.