Three CCAA teams earn preseason baseball ranking
The California Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAA) had three teams appear in the 2008 preseason Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 40 poll that was recently released. UC San Diego, Cal State L.A. and Chico State all received Top 20 rankings.
UC San Diego begins 2008 ranked No. 15 while Cal State L.A. is No. 17 and Chico State is 19th.
The Tritons are coming off a 37-25 record and an NCAA West Regional Championship appearance in 2007. UC San Diego enters the 2008 campaign led by junior infielder Matt Cantele, who earned first team Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-American honors after batting .365 with a conference-leading 23 home runs, .787 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. He also topped UC San Diego and ranked fifth in the CCAA with 60 RBI.
The Golden Eagles, who won the 2007 NCAA Division II West Region championship and advanced to the College World Series, finished last year with a 45-17-1 overall record.
Interim head coach Vince Beringhele inherits only five players from last year’s club. Junior pitcher Isaac Morales (9-3, 3.58), who earned second-team All-CCAA and second-team All-West Region honors, leads the list of returning players. Senior catcher Henry Contreras (.315-0-20), who was part of the West Regional All-Tournament team, is also back and reliable reliever junior John Mitchell (4-3, 3.49) returns as well. Senior infielder Darrick Hale (.263-2-15) and senior reliever Manny Urresti (0-1, 6.75) also return for the Golden Eagles.
Chico State posted a 47-15 overall record, including a 25-11 mark in CCAA play, en route to advancing the NCAA Division II West Region. Despite losing 23 letterwinners, including 11 starters, second-year head coach Dave Taylor returns some quality talent led by senior right-handed starter Kyle Woodruff (7-1, 5.67) and senior first baseman/outfielder Matt Bitker (.341-4-17).
Sonoma State, which finished the 2007 campaign with a 50-12 overall record, including a 29-7 conference mark, is the defending CCAA regular-season and conference tournament champion.
Several teams open their 2008 campaign on February 1.
UC San Diego begins 2008 ranked No. 15 while Cal State L.A. is No. 17 and Chico State is 19th.
The Tritons are coming off a 37-25 record and an NCAA West Regional Championship appearance in 2007. UC San Diego enters the 2008 campaign led by junior infielder Matt Cantele, who earned first team Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-American honors after batting .365 with a conference-leading 23 home runs, .787 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. He also topped UC San Diego and ranked fifth in the CCAA with 60 RBI.
The Golden Eagles, who won the 2007 NCAA Division II West Region championship and advanced to the College World Series, finished last year with a 45-17-1 overall record.
Interim head coach Vince Beringhele inherits only five players from last year’s club. Junior pitcher Isaac Morales (9-3, 3.58), who earned second-team All-CCAA and second-team All-West Region honors, leads the list of returning players. Senior catcher Henry Contreras (.315-0-20), who was part of the West Regional All-Tournament team, is also back and reliable reliever junior John Mitchell (4-3, 3.49) returns as well. Senior infielder Darrick Hale (.263-2-15) and senior reliever Manny Urresti (0-1, 6.75) also return for the Golden Eagles.
Chico State posted a 47-15 overall record, including a 25-11 mark in CCAA play, en route to advancing the NCAA Division II West Region. Despite losing 23 letterwinners, including 11 starters, second-year head coach Dave Taylor returns some quality talent led by senior right-handed starter Kyle Woodruff (7-1, 5.67) and senior first baseman/outfielder Matt Bitker (.341-4-17).
Sonoma State, which finished the 2007 campaign with a 50-12 overall record, including a 29-7 conference mark, is the defending CCAA regular-season and conference tournament champion.
Several teams open their 2008 campaign on February 1.
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