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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
2017 begins this weekend will a full slate of games. All nine teams will be in action with several teams getting to open the season at home. Chicago State will be the first team on the diamond as the Cougars head to Arizona to take on Northern Illinois and South Dakota State at the White Sox Invite. Northern Colorado opens with a three-game series at San Francisco while Utah Valley heads to Kansas for three games at Wichita State. Preseason favorite Seattle U will open at home with four games against SIUE. Both Sacramento State and CSU Bakersfield open with Pac-12 opponents at home as Washington State will take on the Hornets and Utah will visit the ‘Runners. NM State plays host to Bryant for four while UT Rio Grande Valley welcomes Texas Southern to Edinburg. The marquee series of the week looks to be in Phoenix as Grand Canyon hosts nationally-ranked Oklahoma State for three games.
WAC COACHES SELECT SU, MESSERVERY, SCHWARTZ AS PRESEASON FAVORITES
Seattle U is the preseason favorite to win the 2017 Western Athletic Conference baseball title and Redhawks' pitcher Nick Meservey and Grand Canyon outfielder Garrison Schwartz were selected WAC Preseason Pitcher and Player of the Year respectively in a vote of the league's nine head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.
The Redhawks received four first place votes to finish atop the preseason poll with 60 points. NM State was selected second, earning one first place vote and 52 points overall. Sacramento State picked up two first place votes for 47 points, edging out Grand Canyon by one point for third as the Lopes earned 46 points. Utah Valley was selected fifth as the 2016 tournament champions finished with 43 points. CSU Bakersfield was sixth, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley, Northern Colorado and Chicago State.
Meservey and Schwartz highlighted the Preseason All-WAC squad. Seattle U led the way with five honorees as Sean Sutton, Griffin Andreychuk, Tarik Skubal and Connor Moore joined Meservey. NM State had four honored as Mason Fishback, Trey Stine, Austin Botello and Kyle Bradish represented the Aggies. Schwartz was joined by GCU teammate Zach Malis while the CSU Bakersfield duo of David Metzgar and Max Carter represented the Roadrunners. UT Rio Grande Valley's Jose Garcia rounded out the 14-member squad.
SU'S WOLF ON STOPPER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST
The WAC's saves leader from a year ago opens the season listed among the nation's best as Seattle U's Zach Wolf was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year preseason watch list. Wolf finished the 2016 season with 12 saves in 27 appearances for the regular season champion Redhawks.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO HOHOKAM STADIUM
For the third straight season, the WAC Baseball Tournament will head to Hohokam Stadium, preseason home of the Oakland Athletics. Renovated prior to spring training in 2015, improvements to Hohokam Stadium are immediately noticeable as the exterior and entrance gates has been painted and re-branded with the familiar Oakland Athletics green and gold color scheme. The stadium also features refurbished seating, a state-of-the art scoreboard and a new and expanded clubhouse. The bleachers along the left field and right field foul lines have been replaced with party decks. The top six teams from the WAC's regular season standings will advance to the tournament.The WAC Baseball Tournament is no stranger to the state of Arizona and the City of Mesa. The league's championship has been played in Arizona 15 times (1963, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 2010, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16) and the event was held in Mesa in 1971, 1973, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Utah Valley won the 2016 tournament, earning the WAC's automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament.
Seattle U was represented on the all-tournament team by Sean Sutton and Lucas Denney. NM State put three players on the team with Austin Botello, Daniel Johnson and Greg Popylisen earning honors. David Metzgar represented CSU Bakersfield.