COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Back-to-back Mountain West tournament champion San Diego State has been predicted to win the 2019 baseball title, voted on by the league’s seven head coaches. The Aztecs received four first-place votes and 32 points overall, while Nevada is three points behind with 29 and two first-place votes.
Fresno State and UNLV finished just four points apart in third- and fourth-place with 28 and 24 points, respectively. Air Force and New Mexico ended up in fifth and sixth with 14 and 12 points each and San José State placed seventh with eight points.
San Diego State, under the direction of head coach Mark Martinez, returns 16 letterwinners from a 2018 squad that went 39-21 overall, including 18-12 in Mountain West action. SDSU is one of 18 programs which has advanced to an NCAA Regional in five of the last six season. The Aztecs are led by 2019 MW preseason team selections Logan Boyer (Jr., RHP), Julian Escobedo (Jr., OF) and Casey Schmitt (So., RHP). Last season, Boyer appeared in nine games, recording a 3.79 earned run average with 27 strikeouts. In 32 innings, Schmitt led the team with nine saves, while recording a 0.32 earned run average and striking out 24 batters. As a sophomore, Escobedo, who appeared in 59 games, had a .316 batting average, with 14 doubles and 25 RBIs. In the field, Escobedo was one of only three Mountain West players with a perfect fielding percentage.
Nevada (29-24, 20-9 MW), led by 2018 MW Coach of the Year T.J. Bruce, returns 18 letterwinners from a team that earned the No. 1 seed in the 2018 Mountain West Baseball Championship. 2018 MW Freshman of the Year Joshua Zamora (So., 3B) returns for the Wolf Pack after hitting .355 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs last season. Kaleb Foster (Sr., C) and Jake Jackson (So., RHP) also earned 2019 preseason honors. Foster registered 40 hits last year, including seven doubles and six home runs, while Jackson led the team with eight wins, while striking out 77 batters and only walking 22.
Fresno State (30-24, 13-17 MW), led by head coach Mike Batesole, has been selected to finish third for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs will count on Zach Ashford (Sr., OF) and Carter Bins (Jr., C) to lead the way in 2019. Ashford led the team with a .352 batting average, knocking home 24 RBIs and hitting 18 doubles last season. Bins finished the 2018 campaign with 52 hits, including 18 doubles and seven home runs, and tied for a Bulldogs best 39 RBIs. On the base paths, Bins has thrown out 32 runners in his career.
UNLV (35-24, 14-16) has earned a spot in the MW postseason in 18 of the Conference’s 19 tournaments. Under the direction of head coach Stan Stolte, the Rebels return 15 letterwinners in 2019. UNLV will be led by preseason team selections Max Smith (Sr., OF) and Bryson Stott (Jr., SS). Smith returns after hitting for a .313 average, while playing in all 59 games in 2018. Smith tallied 42 RBIs on 72 hits. Stott has earned five preseason All-American honors and was named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list. The Las Vegas native led the nation in doubles a year ago (30) and was 15th in hits (92). Stott led the MW in both categories.
Air Force (24-30, 12-17 MW) is managed by ninth-year head coach Mike Kazlausky. The Falcons will be led in 2019 by all-MW preseason selection Nic Ready (Sr., 1B). Ready, who won the 2018 Quicken Loans College Home Run Derby in the offseason, returns after leading the league in home runs (20) and RBIs (74). The native of Dallas, Texas, ranked seventh in the nation in home runs and eighth in RBIs.
New Mexico (20-33-1, 11-19 MW), which missed the MW championship for the first time since the inception of the league, returns seven starters from one of the Conference’s youngest teams in 2018. The Lobos, who is managed by 12th-year head coach Ray Birmingham, will be led by senior outfielder Jared Mang. Mang registered 56 hits, including 10 doubles and 27 RBIs while hitting .326 last season.
San José State (27-30, 16-14 MW) will be led by second-year head coach Brad Sanfilippo. Sanfilippo led the Spartans to the Mountain West tournament for the first time since 2016 and fourth-time since joining the league. The Spartans will be led by 2019 MW preseason team selection Andrew Mitchel (Sr., LHP). Mitchel, a 2018 MW Co-Pitcher of the Year, led the Conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.45) and was second in the league in total strikeouts (101).
The 2019 Mountain West baseball season begins Friday, Feb. 15 with all seven teams in action. Conference play will begin on Friday, March 1 with San Diego State at Air Force, San José State at New Mexico and UNLV at Fresno State in a trio of three-game series. The 2019 MW Baseball Championship will be played at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park in Reno, Nevada, from May 23-26.
2019 MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Points
1 San Diego State (4) 32
2 Nevada (2) 29
3 Fresno State (1) 28
4 UNLV 24
5 Air Force 14
6 New Mexico 12
7 San José State 8
2019 MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Name Class Position Institution
Nic Ready Sr. 1B Air Force
Zach Ashford Sr. OF Fresno State
Carter Bins Jr. C Fresno State
Kaleb Foster Sr. C Nevada
Jake Jackson So. RHP Nevada
Joshua Zamora So. 3B Nevada
Jared Mang Sr. OF New Mexico
Logan Boyer Jr. RHP San Diego State
Julian Escobedo Jr. OF San Diego State
Casey Schmitt So. RHP San Diego State
Andrew Mitchel Sr. LHP San José State
Max Smith Sr. OF UNLV
Bryson Stott Jr. SS UNLV
