BYU baseball: Cougars picked to finish fourth in Coaches Poll

The West Coast Conference Coaches Poll was released at the end of the week. BYU baseball is projected to finish fourth.

BYU baseball was picked to finish fourth in West Coast Conference, according to the Coaches Poll.

The Cougars won the WCC last season, but a litany of injuries derailed them later in the season. The were picked to finish behind San Diego, Gonzaga and Pepperdine.

Last season, BYU baseball jolted out to a 23-3 start.

“The only exciting thing about seeing all of these preseason polls is that it means the season is right around the corner,” BYU head coach Mike Littlewood said in a press release. “Other than that, they don’t mean a whole lot.”

The Cougars lost a couple of key players from a season ago – most notably Brennon Lund and Michael Rucker – but they’ve gained much more. Kyle Dean is finally healthy. Maverik Buffo is back. Power-hitting Colton Shaver returned.

In short, there’s plenty of talent in Provo.

That might be why Baseball America selected BYU baseball to win the WCC.

The Cougars begin their season on Friday, Feb. 17 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. The following night they’ll play Kennesaw State.

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The Yellow Jackets lost in the regional round of the NCAA tournament last season and were picked to finish fourth in the ACC in the Coaches Poll. They went 38-25 a season ago, but return a pair of preseason All-Americans (Kel Johnson and Trevor Craport). Georgia Tech is led by Danny Hall, who owns a career record of 1,169-594-1.

The complete BYU baseball roster can be viewed here. The schedule can be seen here.