PORTLAND, Ore. – Fresh off its second GNAC Championship title in as many years, Western Oregon University has been picked at the top of the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Under the direction of seventh-year head coach
Kellen Walker, the Wolves received three first-place votes and finished with 33 points in the poll. The team finished last season with a record of 27-21 and outscored its opponents 30-21 in the GNAC Championships to grab its fourth tournament title since its inception in 2013.
Following closely behind WOU is Montana State Billings, the defending GNAC regular-season champions. Picked second with 31 points, the Yellowjackets received two first-place votes. Head coach
Aaron Sutton's team finished in first place last season with a record of 33-18.
Central Washington is picked third with 21 points and one first-place vote, while Concordia was selected fourth (17 points). Rounding out the poll is Northwest Nazarene (13 points) and Saint Martin's (11 points).
For the third straight season, the GNAC Championships will feature four teams after being a three-team tournament prior to the 2017 season. The tournament will be hosted by Concordia on May 8-10 in Portland.
Western Oregon's 2018 campaign ended in what has become a familiar scene for the program - a dogpile at the culmination of the GNAC Championships. Despite struggling to gain momentum early in the season, the club regained its footing and competed at a high level from the month of March onward. It recorded six shutout victories in conference play, ranking No. 19 nationally and doubling the amount of the next-closest GNAC team.
A dominant pitching staff carried WOU throughout the year, leading the conference in earned run average (4.64), opponent batting average (.263) and fewest hits allowed (405). The staff returns three key starters in upperclassmen
Alex Roth,
Jacob Fricke and
Gabe Benavides. A First Team All-GNAC selection a year ago, Roth recorded a 5-1 record and a 3.77 ERA. Fricke (3-2, 4.01 ERA) received Second Team All-GNAC honors while Benavides also won three games in his first season after transferring in from Division I Grand Canyon.
Of the team's 25 returners, five are position starters. That group is led by catcher
Jared McDonald, a First Team All-GNAC and Honorable Mention NCBWA All-West Region selection a year ago. McDonald finished the 2018 campaign with a .349 batting average while driving in 35 runs.
The 2019 campaign begins on Friday, February 1 with Central Washington, Saint Martin's and Concordia all lifting the lid on opening day. Western Oregon's season is set to begin Feb. 8 at Lewis-Clark State College.
| 2019 GNAC PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES POLL |
| Pos. |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Overall |
GNAC (Place) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
Western Oregon (3) |
27-21 |
24-16 (2nd) |
33 |
| 2. |
Montana State Billings (2) |
33-18 |
29-11 (1st) |
31 |
| 3. |
Central Washington (1) |
27-26 |
21-19 (3rd) |
21 |
| 4. |
Concordia |
20-32 |
19-21 (4th) |
17 |
| 5. |
Northwest Nazarene |
19-31 |
17-23 (5th) |
13 |
| 6. |
Saint Martin's |
11-37 |
11-30 (6th) |
11 |
Points awarded on 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
