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Here’s a look at the teams ranked by preseason poll (RPI and strength of schedule rankings courtesy of boydsworld.com):
1. Cal State Fullerton (21-4)
Coach: Rick Vanderhook, second season, 57-25
RPI/SOS: 3/31
Batting average: .272 (126)
ERA: 2.61 (20)
Record vs. UH: 8-4
Next series: vs. Pacific, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: OF Michael Lorenzen, Jr. (.337, 3 HR, 6 2B, 21 runs, 20 RBIs); RHP Thomas Eshelman, Fr. (5-1, 1.07 ERA, 42 IP, 24 H, 0 BB, 27 K); RHP Justin Garza, Fr. (5-0, 1.99 ERA, 402⁄3 IP, 32 K); INF J.D. Davis, So. (.300, 2 HR, 18 RBIs); INF Carlos Lopez, Sr. (.341, 31 H, 19 runs, 9 SB).
Outlook: The Titans have made 21 consecutive appearances in the postseason, which is third-longest in the country behind Miami and Florida State, and have won three straight conference championships and seven of the past nine … Team has outscored opponents 21-5 in the first inning … Titans lead the country in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.62) … Lorenzen, second in the country with eight saves, was projected as the preseason national player of the year by Collegiate Baseball.
2. UC Irvine (16-5)
Coach: Mike Gillespie, sixth season, 216-102
RPI/SOS: 46/57
Batting average: .304 (29)
ERA: 2.66 (24)
Record vs. UH: 15-6
Next series: at UC Riverside, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: INF Connor Spencer, So. (.405, 7 2B, 14 runs); C Ronnie Shaeffer, Sr. (.366, 3 HR, 19 RBIs); RHP Andrew Thurman, Jr. (2-2, 2.38 ERA, 34 IP, 31 K, 1 CG); RHP Andrew Morales, Jr. (6-0, 2.01 ERA, 311⁄3 IP, .227 BAA); LHP Matt Whitehouse, Jr. (2-2, 2.48 ERA, 361⁄3 IP, 29 K, .175 BAA).
Outlook: The Anteaters lead the country with a .991 fielding percentage and rank in the top 10 in both fewest walks and hits allowed per nine innings … UC Irvine had a string of four straight postseason appearances snapped in 2012 … Gillespie was the 2009 Big West coach of the year after coaching from 1987 to 2006 at USC, where he went to five College World Series and won the national title in 1998.
3. Long Beach State (9-15)
Coach: Troy Buckley, third season, 66-69
RPI/SOS: 139/24
Batting average: .239 (251)
ERA: 4.00 (122)
Record vs. UH: 5-2
Next series: vs. Cal State Northridge, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: INF Jeff McNeil, Jr. (.313, 5 2B, 2 3B, 10 RBIs); INF Michael Hill, Jr. (.329, 4 3B, 9 runs); RHP Shane Carle, Jr. (1-3, 1.64 ERA, 381⁄3 IP, 29 K, .190 BAA); RHP Jon Maciel, Jr. (1-4, 5.84 ERA, 3 SV, 242⁄3 IP, 24 K); LHP Jake Stassi, Jr. (1-1, 3.13 ERA, 23 IP, 18 K)
Outlook: Buckley has led the Dirtbags to consecutive winning seasons in his first two years since taking over a program that finished worse than fourth in the Big West for the first time since 1989 … LBSU has played a tough nonconference schedule but has lost 10 of its past 13 games … Dirtbags have been swept by both Fullerton and Arizona State … Backup catcher Royce Murai, a 2010 Pearl City alumnus, has played in only four games this season after starting 27 as a freshman.
4. Cal Poly (17-6)
Coach: Larry Lee, 11th season, 326-259-2
RPI/SOS: 32/93
Batting average: .293 (56)
ERA: 2.89 (33)
Record vs. UH: 7-6
Next series: vs. UC Davis, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: RHP Joey Wagman, Sr. (5-1, 2.70 ERA, 40 IP, 26 H, 53 K, .183 BAA); LHP Matt Imhof, So. (2-0, 1.41 ERA, 381⁄3 IP, 39 K); INF Denver Chavez, Sr. (.396, 6 2B, 18 runs, 6 SB, 10 BB); OF Nick Torres, So. (.355, 5 HR, 7 2B, 18 RBIs); C Brian Mundell, Fr. (.358, 7 HR, 19 RBIs)
Outlook: The Mustangs won 36 games last year and finished a game behind Fullerton in the conference but weren’t selected as an at-large to the NCAA tournament … Cal Poly has hit 17 homers this year, ranking 26th in the country … Mundell’s seven home runs rank him in the top 10 … Wagman is sixth in the country with 53 strikeouts.
5. UC Santa Barbara (12-10)
Coach: Andrew Checketts, second season, 40-38
RPI/SOS: 148/84
Batting average: .263 (177)
ERA: 4.09 (132)
Record vs. UH: 5-11
Next series: at Hawaii, Thursday-Sunday
Key players: RHP Austin Pettibone, So. (3-2, 2.51 ERA, 1 CG, 43 IP, 9 BB, 25 K); INF Brandon Trinkwon, Jr. (.250, 1 HR, 13 RBIs); INF Tyler Kuresa, So. (.302, 6 2B, 1 HR, 17 RBIs); DH Robby Nesovic, Fr. (.419, 3 2B, 12 RBIs); OF Luke Swenson, So. (.345, 4 2B, 11 RBIs).
Outlook: Checketts set a school record with 28 wins in his first season as head coach … Baseball America ranked the Gauchos’ 2012 recruiting class a program-best 12th in the country … Pitching staff set a record with 451 strikeouts in 2012 … Trinkwon was listed as a preseason second-team All-American by Baseball America … Outfielder Woody Woodward has reached base in all 17 games he’s played.
6. Hawaii (5-16)
Coach: Mike Trapasso, 12th season, 349-310
RPI/SOS: 209/18
Batting average: .232 (263)
ERA: 4.46 (166)
Next series: vs. UC Santa Barbara, Thursday-Sunday
Key players: RHP Matt Cooper, Jr. (2-2, 1.53 ERA, 351⁄3 IP, 33 K, 1 SO); OF Conner George, Jr. (.298, 2 3B, 11 RBIs); INF Marc Flores, Jr. (.288, 6 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs); INF Pi‘ikea Kitamura, Sr. (.235, 4 2B, 8 RBIs); LHP Scott Squier, So. (0-3, 2.70 ERA, 30 IP, .229 BAA).
Outlook: Rainbows enter their first season in the Big West winning four of their past five games … UH ranks fourth in the country with a .986 fielding percentage … George is hitting.400
(8-for-20) during a five-game hitting streak with eight RBIs … Flores leads the team with 10 walks and a .403 on-base percentage … Cooper hasn’t allowed a run in 162⁄3 consecutive innings and has given up only one in 282⁄3 innings at home this season … Hawaii has won at least 29 games in seven straight seasons.
7. UC Riverside (10-9)
Coach: Doug Smith, ninth season, 242-213
RPI/SOS: 98/61
Batting average: .278 (106)
ERA: 4.62 (183)
Record vs. UH: 2-0
Next series: vs. UC Irvine, Thursday-Sunday
Key players: C Clayton Prestridge, Sr. (.342, 4 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBIs, 6 SB); OF David Andriese, Jr. (.333, 5 2B, 2 3B, 15 RBIs); INF Joe Chavez, So. (.318, 5 2B, 16 runs, 11 BB); LHP Dylan Stuart, Jr. (2-2, 5.28 ERA, 1 CG); RHP Mitch Patito, Sr. (1-0, 3.86 ERA, .257 BAA).
Outlook: The Highlanders returned eight of nine position players from a team that went 22-32, which was just the second losing season in 11 years since UC Riverside transitioned to Division I … Patito struck out 11 per nine innings as a junior last year to break the school record … Senior Eddie Young leads the country averaging 1.4 walks per game … The Highlanders hadn’t lost a series all year until dropping two of three against Portland … Thursday’s game against UC Irvine will be Riverside’s first in 11 days.
8. Cal State Northridge (11-12)
Coach: Matt Curtis, third season, 57-75
RPI/SOS: 178/98
Batting average: .251 (216)
ERA: 4.09 (131)
Record vs. UH: 21-12
Next series: at Long Beach State, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: INF Kyle Attl (.319, 23 runs, 10 BB, 14 H); INF/OF Nate Ring, Sr. (.300, 13 BB, 2 HR, 7 RBIs); OF Miles Williams, Jr. (.229, 7 HR, 23 RBIs); LHP Jerry Keel, So. (2-1, 2.38 ERA, 34 IP, 26 K); RHP Calvin Copping, Fr. (2-2, 2.63 ERA, 271⁄3 IP, 20 K).
Outlook: Williams ranks ninth in the country in home runs, slugging seven of the Matadors’ 12 this season … Northridge hasn’t won a conference championship in 11 years … Right-hander Harley Holt, a 2010 Kamehameha alumnus, has started four games and is 2-2 with a 4.71 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 21 innings.
9. UC Davis (10-12)
Coach: Matt Vaughn, second season, 37-42
RPI/SOS: 216/184
Batting average: .297 (49)
ERA: 5.59 (248)
Record vs. UH: 2-3
Next series: at Cal Poly, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: INF Nick Lynch, So. (.365, 27 hits, 1 HR, 15 RBIs); INF Paul Politi, Sr. (.308, 7 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBIs); INF Steven Patterson, Jr. (.320, 3 2B, 11 runs); RHP Evan Wolf, Jr. (1-0, 2.59 ERA, 311⁄3 IP, .233 BAA); RHP Spencer Koopmans, So. (0-3, 6.31 ERA, 252⁄3 IP, 21 K).
Outlook: The Aggies are the only Big West team giving up more than five earned runs a game … Lynch and Politi are both returning All-Big West players and Politi ranks 10th all-time at UC Davis in hits … UC Davis scored a huge win with a 2-1 victory over Stanford on Tuesday.
10. Pacific (7-12)
Coach: Ed Sprague, 10th season, 202-315
RPI/SOS: 170/35
Batting average: .253 (209)
ERA: 4.79 (201)
Record vs. UH: 3-15
Next series: at Cal State Fullerton, Thursday-Saturday
Key players: INF Erik Lockwood, Jr. (.333, 4 2B, 9 RBIs); OF Tyler Sullivan, So. (.313, 15 runs); INF Dustin Torchio, Sr. (.276, 6 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBIs); RHP Michael Benson, So. (2-1, 2.17 ERA); RHP Cory Popham, Jr. (2-0, 2.18 ERA, 1 CG, 33 IP, 14 K).
Outlook: The Tigers have played five games against UH opponents Gonzaga and UNLV, going 2-3 … Backup catcher Dallas Correa is a 2011 Saint Louis alumnus and has played in two games, going 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter … Sprague is the third-longest-tenured coach in the Big West and guided the team to a school-record 31 wins in 2010.