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2 0 1 9 S E A S O N P R E V I E W 2 0 1 9 P A C - 1 2 B A S E B A L L M E D I A G U I D E 6 PRESEASON RANKINGS USA TODAY PRESEASON COACHES' POLL 5. OREGON STATE 7. UCLA 9. STANFORD NCBWA PRESEASON TOP 40 4. UCLA 5. OREGON STATE 8. STANFORD 32. ARIZONA 34. WASHINGTON BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON TOP 25 3. UCLA 7. STANFORD 10. OREGON STATE D1BASEBALL.COM PRESEASON TOP 25 5. UCLA 8. OREGON STATE 12. STANFORD COLLEGIATE BASEBALL PRESEASON FABULOUS 40 3. UCLA 5. STANFORD 7. OREGON STATE 26. ARIZONA 31. OREGON 36. ARIZONA STATE • ARIZONA finished the 2018 season with a 34-22 overall record and 14-16 mark in the Pac-12. Head coach Jay Johnson's squad posted its third-straight 30-win season and welcome back a handful of key players for 2019. Junior third baseman and 2018 first-team All-Pac-12 selection Nick Quintana was named a Collegiate Baseball preseason third-team All-American after leading the Wildcats in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage last season. The 2018 recruiting class was also ranked No. 3 in the country by Collegiate Baseball. • ARIZONA STATE recorded a 23-32 overall and 13-17 Conference record last season, and return with one of the best young stars in the country, sophomore infielder Spencer Torkelson. The 2018 NCAA home run champion and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was named National Freshman of the Year by three outlets last season (Perfect Game, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA), in addition to being named a unanimous All-American by every major baseball media outlet. • CALIFORNIA head coach Mike Neu guided the Bears to a 32-22 overall record and 16-14 mark in the Pac-12 in his first season at the helm. The 2018 season was highlighted by the emergence of Andrew Vaughn as one of the nation's top players, becoming the first-ever Cal Bear and the eighth in Pac-12 history to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. Vaughn, the 2018 Pac-12 Player of the Year, has been named a first team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball. • OREGON ended the 2018 campaign with a 26-29 overall record and a 12-18 Pac-12 mark. Head coach George Horton's team is set to return three of its top four hitters, as well as junior starting pitcher Kenyon Yovan. Yovan returns to the mound after becoming just the fifth Duck during the modern era to claim first-team All-Pac-12 honors in back-to-back seasons and was recently named a second-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball. • NCAA Champion OREGON STATE won its third NCAA title in record-breaking fashion. The Beavers (55-12-1, 20-9-1) became the first team in the NCAA Super Regional era to win three titles and the only program to ever win six elimination games in Omaha. Star catcher Adley Rutschman returns behind the plate after setting a school-record 102 hits and 83 runs batted in last season. He looks to have another dominant season this year as he's already earned three preseason All-American selec- tions (D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game) and is the Projected Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball. • STANFORD impressed in head coach David Esquer's first season at the helm, clinching the Cardi- nal's first Pac-12 Championship since 2004. Posting a 46-12 overall record and 22-8 league mark, Stanford's win percentage (.793) was the second highest in program history. Reliever Jack Little had a breakout year, tying a program record with 16 saves and posting a 0.60 ERA with 58 strikeouts and eight walks. He was named a first-team All-American by D1Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game, NCBWA and ABCA. • UCLA recorded a 37-21 overall record and a 19-11 record in the Pac-12. Head coach John Savage's squad notched 38 or more wins for the fifth time in the last eight years. The Bruins return a strong nucleus of position players including preseason All-Americans second baseman Chase Strumpf, first baseman Michael Toglia and outfielder Jeremy Ydens. UCLA also brought in Baseball America's sixth- best recruiting class in the country. • USC posted a 26-28 overall record and 12-18 league mark in Dan Hubb's sixth year as head coach. Perfect Game gave USC's incoming class a No. 16 ranking, the best ranking of any Pac-12 or West Coast team. It was also ranked as high as No. 14 by Baseball America. Freshman outfielder Preston Hartsell looks to be a promising addition; he was ranked the best outfielder in California for the class of 2018 by Perfect Game. • UTAH finished the 2018 season with a 16-39 overall record and an 8-22 in the Pac-12. The Utes return to the diamond with a slew of talented freshmen, including right-handed pitcher Jacob Dahle who is the top-ranked RHP in Utah according to Perfect Game. Senior outfielder Erick Migueles could once again make a big impact in his final season, as he led Utah with seven home runs and 36 RBI last season. • WASHINGTON raised its program to new heights in 2018 as head coach Lindsay Meggs guided the Huskies to its first-ever NCAA College World Series appearance. The Huskies finished 35-26 and third in the Pac-12 at 20-10, and hope to continue its momentum with the return of 2018 All-Pac-12 selection junior catcher Nick Kahle who hit .293 with six home runs and 37 RBI. Also returning is left-handed slugger Joe Wainhouse who earned All-Pac-12 and West-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region first team recognition after he hit a team-high 19 home runs (tied for third in the Pac-12) along with driving in 61 runs. California is led by junior infielder Andrew Vaughn, the reigning Golden Spikes Award winner awarded to the best amateur baseball player in the country.