Air Force (2018 Record: 24-30, 12-17)
The Falcons struggled out of the gate and late last season, and that ultimately doomed them to missing the conference tournament.
Returning Players
Catcher Rob Dau led the team with a .350 average a season ago to go along with 41 runs scored, 19 doubles, 5 home runs, and 52 RBI. First base Nic Rady hit .341 with 56 runs scored, 18 doubles, 20 home runs, and 74 RBI. Outfielder Drew Wiss hit .326 a season ago with 49 runs scored, 17 doubles, 6 home runs, and 35 RBI.
Tyler Mortenson (6.98) and Matt Hargreaves (5.73) should return to the weekend rotation after starting and 13 and 14 games respectively last year. Mortenson struck out 54 batters in 68.1 innings pitched. Josh Leaser is expected to take on a bigger role in the pitching staff this season after making 17 appearances last year.
Newcomers
Tommy Gillman is a transfer who has a chance to earn playing time on the infield. Freshman Brayden Dragoo will get a chance to pitch significant innings in 2019.
Outlook for 2019
Assistant coach CJ Gillman said they’d like to see the pitching staff lower their team ERA and issue less walks. On offense, they’d like to strikeout less and slug more.
Fresno State (2018 Record: 30-24, 13-17)
For whatever reason Fresno State dominated a tough out-of-conference slate but struggled in conference in 2018.
Returning Players
“We have a lot of returning impact players on our team for the 2019 season. Carter Bins, Zach Ashford, and JT Arruda not only are three of our top hitters, but they are also the strength up the middle of our defense playing catcher, center field and shortstop. Offensively, we also return Nolan Dempsey, Emilio Nogales, Zach Presno, Nate Thimjon, and Miles Tomczak. All of whom had significant at-bats in their first year of Division 1 baseball and we expect them to take nice steps forward in production as sophomores.” — Assistant Coach Ryan Overland
Ashford hit .352 last season with 35 runs scored, 18 doubles, 2 home runs, and 24 RBI. Bins hit .301 with 7 home runs and 39 RBI. Arruda hit .305 with 42 runs scored, 8 home runs, and 39 RBI. Nogales hit .341 in just 85 at-bats last season.
“On the mound we return five of our top six pitchers from 2018. Ryan Jensen, Davis Moore, Jaime Arias, Nikoh Mitchell, and Jamison Hill all return and will be our front-line pitchers.” — Coach Overland
Arias posted a 3.69 ERA in 2018 over 68.1 innings pitched with 62 strikeouts and will likely be in the weekend rotation. Jensen will likely join him on the weekends after making 11 starts last season with a 5.35 ERA in 67.1 innings with 66 strikeouts. Mitchell posted a 3.28 ERA last year in 57.2 innings with 53 strikeouts. Moore had a 4.50 ERA in 48 innings pitched (seven starts) with 40 strikeouts.
Newcomers
“We have several freshman who can have an impact in their first year. Jefferey Jamison will be in the mix for an impact as an infielder. Other freshman including EJ Andrews, Ryan Higgins, Zach Morgan, and Kyle Pruhsmeier look to make an impact as well.” — Coach Overland
Outlook for 2019
“In 2019 we look to improve on finishing games and winning close games. In 2018 we had a lot of one-run loses and several games with leads late we let slip away — many of these were conference games. We will look to use our experience gained from a year ago and take several steps forward from a year ago.” — Coach Overland
Nevada (2018 Record: 29-24, 20-9)
Nevada had a really solid 2018 season, and they took the eventual CWS champs to extra innings twice. They had several games cancelled that hurt their win total, but ultimately they fell flat in the conference tournament.
Returning Players
Third baseman Josh Zamora was a Freshman All-American last year when he hit .355 with 43 runs scored, 11 doubles, 9 home runs, and 33 RBI. First baseman Dillan Shrum will hit in the middle of the lineup after batting .312 last year with 7 home runs and 46 RBI. Weston Hatten and Otis Statum will form an athletic outfield. Shortstop Jaylon McLaughlin will try to build off a 2018 season in which he hit just .252 in 103 at-bats.
Jake Jackson returns to lead the weekend rotation after leading the Mountain West in wins last year with eight. He also posted an ERA of 5.42 in 84.2 innings pitched 77 strikeouts.
Newcomers
Freshman Matt Clayton has a really solid arm behind the plate and can hit for power. Freshman Julian Boyd could see time in the outfield and on the mound. He was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Nick Seamons is another two-way freshman player.
Freshman Owen Shorts was taken in the 32nd round of the draft and should have an immediate impact. As should freshman Tyler Smith.
Outlook for 2019
“We can always continue to get better on the mound and play better defense. We should be deeper on the mound this year, and we bring back a talented lineup with a lot of our 2018 at-bats coming back for the 2019 season. We have experience starting for us on the mound and have some guys that should develop into good relievers. Offensively, we bring back our entire infield and most of our outfield and have good young players that will develop and make it a competition for our older guys. We have a good mixture of experience and youth and a lot of our players have experience in our league.” — Assistant Coach Steven Bennett
New Mexico (2018 Record: 20-33-1, 11-19)
It was a rough season for New Mexico in 2018 as they finished last in the Mt. West standings and missed the conference tournament.
Returning Players
Shortstop Hayden Schilling should return atop the lineup after hitting .348 last season with 33 runs scored, 15 doubles, and 30 RBI. Connor Mang should be back at third base after hitting .326 in 2018 with 35 runs scored and a pair of home runs. His older brother, Jared, will be back for his senior season after hitting .284 last year with 8 home runs and 29 RBI in just 102 at-bats before his season ended early.
Cody Dye led the team in innings pitched last year at 86.1 with 71 strikeouts and an ERA of 5.63. Nathaniel Garley made six starts last year with an ERA of 5.10 in 60 innings with 47 strikeouts. Malachi Emond could take over the closer role after posting a 2.72 ERA in 2018 over 39.2 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts and 2 saves.
Outlook for 2019
They have a lot of experience coming back in 2019. If those players can take a step forward and remain healthy, this team could jump up in the conference standings.
San Diego State (2018 Record: 39-21, 18-12)
San Diego State flirted with being a top 40 team throughout the season with wins over Arizona, Michigan, Long Beach State (x2), Washington, and Cal State Fullerton (x2). But it didn’t matter as they breezed through the Mt. West Tournament and earned a trip to the Corvallis Regional.
Returning Players
Chad Bible returns to the middle of the order where he hit .327 last year with 37 runs scored, 11 doubles, 9 home runs, and 42 RBI. Outfielder Matt Rudick should be back atop the lineup after hitting .319 last season with 43 runs scored. And he also hit. 325 this past summer in the Northwoods League. Julian Escobedo will join him in the outfield after hitting .316 a season ago with 48 runs scored, 14 doubles, 2 home runs, and 25 RBI.
Harrison Pyatt will take up a weekend rotation spot again after posting a 4.8 ERA in 2018 over 73 innings pitched with 70 strikeouts. Justin Goossen-Brown will be back for his senior season after making 10 starts last year with an ERA of 3.72 in 58 innings with 38 strikeouts. Casey Schmitt returns after a Freshman All-American season in which he posted a 0.28 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 32 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts and 9 saves.
Outlook for 2019
They lose their two best hitters from 2018 in Chase Calabuig and Jordan Verdon who combined for 17 home runs and 111 RBI. There are some key players coming back in the lineup, but others will have to step up to try and replace that production. They also lose three of their top four pitchers from last season, so they’ll need some newcomers to help out right away to get back to where they were in 2018.
San Jose State (2018 Record: 27-30, 16-14)
Despite struggling in their out-of-conference games last year, San Jose State finished third in the Mt. West standings. They went 1-2 in the conference tournament as the three-seed.
Returning Players
San Jose State was a senior heavy team last year with their top four hitters from 2018 departing to graduation. Kellen Strahm is the top returning hitter from last year’s team when he hit .307 with 50 runs scored. Catcher Johnny Mendoza also returns after hitting .288 in 160 at-bats last year with 2 home runs and 34 RBI.
Andrew Mitchel does return for his senior season to lead the weekend rotation after posting a 3.72 ERA in 2018 over 87 innings pitched with 101 strikeouts. Fineas Bonta-Smith posted a 3.99 ERA last year in 47.1 innings pitched with 54 strikeouts and 5 saves. Tevin Cadola could be part of the weekend rotation as well after making eight starts last year with an ERA of 4.53 in 47.2 innings pitched with 41 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
The lineup has been absolutely gutted and they’ll need some newcomers to come in and pick up the slack. On the pitching side there are plenty of key contributors coming back that will hopefully help them reduce their staff ERA of 5.55 from 2018.
UNLV (2018 Record: 35-24, 14-16)
It was a disappointing finish to the 2018 season for UNLV as they started the year 20-3 and 6-1 in the conference and were considered a top 40 team in the country. But they stumbled down the stretch, and despite making it to the Mt. West tournament championship game, they were left out of the postseason.
Returning Players
Shortstop Bryson Stott returns as one of the best players in the country and potential first round pick in the upcoming MLB Draft after hitting .365 last season with 61 runs scored, 30 doubles, 4 home runs, 32 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Third baseman Dillon Johnson returns for his senior season after hitting .328 last year with 55 runs scored, 13 doubles, and 43 RBI. Max Smith is also back as a senior after hitting .313 in 2018 with 39 runs scored, 16 doubles, 4 triples, 9 home runs, and 42 RBI. Jack-Thomas Wold hit .308 a season ago with 32 runs scored, 12 doubles, 6 home runs, and 36 RBI.
Chase Maddux, son of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, is back for his redshirt junior season after posting a 4.14 ERA in 2018 over 71.2 innings pitched with 30 strikeouts. Larry Quaney was limited to just five starts last year but was 3-0 in those outings with an ERA of 3.63 in 22.1 innings with 14 strikeouts. Donavon McCrystal was solid out of the bullpen last year with an ERA of 4.65 in 31 appearances (31 innings) and 23 strikeouts.
Outlook for 2019
The offense should be one of the best, if not the best, in a conference that is loaded with offense. They lose a good bit of power with Kyle Isbel and Nick Rodriguez – who combined for 24 home runs and 112 RBI in 2018 – now gone. Now to mention the loss of Nick Ames who hit 18 home runs and drove in 73 last year. The pitching staff loses a couple of key arms as well but have enough coming back to be just as good.
2019 All-Mt. West Preseason Team
C: Rob Dau (Air Force)
1B: Nic Ready (Air Force)
INF: JT Arruda (Fresno State)
SS: Bryson Stott (UNLV)
3B: Josh Zamora (Nevada)
OF: Max Smith (UNLV)
OF: Zach Ashford (Fresno State)
OF: Drew Wiss (Air Force)
DH: Chad Bible (SDSU)
SP: Andrew Mitchel (SJSU)
SP: Harrison Pyatt (SDSU)
SP: Jake Jackson (Nevada)
SP: Jaime Arias (Fresno State)
SP: Chase Maddux (UNLV)
RP: Casey Schmitt (SDSU)
RP: Malachi Emond (New Mexico)
RP: Fineas Bonta-Smith (SJSU)
Honorable Mention:
C – Carter Bins (Fresno State)
1B – Dillan Shrum (Nevada)
SS – Hayden Schilling (New Mexico)
3B – Connor Mang (New Mexico)
3B – Dillon Johnson (UNLV)
OF – Jared Mang (New Mexico)
OF – Matt Rudick (SDSU)
OF – Julian Escobedo (SDSU)
DH – Jack-Thomas Wold (UNLV)
Predicted Order to Finish:
1. San Diego State
2. UNLV
3. Nevada
4. Fresno State
5. Air Force
6. San Jose State
7. New Mexico
