Nevada Press Release:
As voted on by the head coaches in the Mountain West, Nevada has been predicted to finish second in the conference this season, totaling two first place votes. Three members of the Wolf Pack in Joshua Zamora, Jake Jackson and Kaleb Foster were named to the Preseason All-MW team.
The 2018 conference tournament champion San Diego State is predicted to win the conference in 2019 after receiving four first-place votes. Fresno State is slated to finish third after receiving one first-place vote, with UNLV predicted to come in fourth.
Nevada is coming off a 29-24 year where it finished with a 20-9 conference record and first place finish in the MW during the regular season. It was the second time in four years that Nevada won the conference, after being predicted to finish fourth prior to the 2018 season.
Zamora posted one of the best freshman seasons in Nevada history, batting .427 in MW play en route to being named the MW Freshman of the Year in 2018. He smacked a team-high nine home runs last season while finishing with a .355 batting average. He was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and D1 Baseball.
Jackson was also named a Freshman All-American last season by Collegiate Baseball, after leading the Mountain West with six wins in conference play and totaling a team-high 77 strikeouts in his first season. He made 15 starts on the year, recording eight wins and a save in 84.2 innings pitched on his way to being named second-team All-MW.
Foster had a breakout year for Nevada as a junior, being named first-team All-MW after batting .378 in conference action, with four of his six home runs coming against MW opponents. He set a career-high in appearances with 39 and totaled 20 RBI on 40 hits.
Nevada’s season kicks off against No. 24 Missouri State in the Texas State tournament this Friday at 10 a.m. PT. A live stream and live stats will be available for the game, with Alex Margulies calling the game on 94.1 FM/1450 AM. Season tickets are available here, with the Pack’s opening home series slated for March 15-17 against New Mexico.
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
