Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State, and Cal State Monterey Bay each received multiple first-place votes in the 2022 CCAA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll, but it was the Broncos that claimed the title of preseason favorites with six first-place votes and 116 points.
 
Cal Poly Pomona will be looking for their seventh straight 30-win season under coach Randy Betten (COVID season excluded). Cal Poly Pomona will bring back All-CCAA infield selection Ryon Knowles (.333 avg/.369 ob%/.458 slg% in 2020) along with starting outfielder Cesar Lopez (.309/.387/.346) to headline the offense. On the mound, the Broncos will return two starters, Rhys Stevens (2-2, 2.83 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) and Drew Atherton (3-0, 4.28 ERA, 1.32 WHIP), and top reliever, Eric Romo (2 saves, 1.29 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). 

2022 Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll
1.	Cal Poly Pomona (6)	116
2.	Chico State (2)	106
3.	Cal State Monterey Bay (2)	98
4.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	74
5.	San Francisco State	66
6.	Stanislaus State	65
7.	Cal State East Bay	63
8.	Cal State LA (1)	45
9.	Sonoma State	42
10.	Cal State San Bernardino	27
11.	Cal State San Marcos	24
First-place votes in parenthesis

 
Chico State finished second in the CCAA preseason poll with two first-place votes and 106 points. The Wildcats lost seven of their nine starting position players from 2020, but those returning are expected to give coach Dave Taylor a strong foundation. First baseman Willie Lajoie (.410/.472/.615) is one of the CCAA's top returning hitters. He finished second in the conference during the 2020 season with a .410 batting average, and he was fourth with 32 hits. The Wildcats also added 2019 CCAA Freshman of the Year, Rylan Tinsley (6-0, 1.20 ERA, 0.73 WHIP in 2020), as a transfer from Sacramento State.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay placed third in the voting with 98 points and two first-place votes. The Otters have never finished below .500 at home in coach Walt White's 11 years at the helm, and he will once again be bringing back a talented group. Cal State Monterey Bay's lineup will be led by shortstop Brady Miguel (.375/.456/.456) and outfielder Kyle Guerra (.333/.396/.444). Levi Noddin (4-1, 2.70 ERA) anchors the staff on the mound.
 
Fourth place in the preseason poll was also very closely contested, with four teams finishing within 11 points of each other.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills earned 74 points to place fourth. Coach Tyler Wright and the Toros bring back talent on the mound and in the batter's box. Dylan Steen (3-1, 2.23 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), Isaac Mullins (2-1, 4.41 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), and Nathan Ortiz (1-1, 4.07 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) all started at least four games in 2020 and are expected back in the rotation. Infielder Pierson Loska (.329/.510/.685) was the 2019 CCAA Newcomer of the Year. He will be back along with outfielder Aaron Greenfield who hit .349 with five home runs, 16 RBI, and five steals in 2020. 
 
San Francisco State claimed the fifth spot in the preseason poll after edging out Stanislaus State by one point, 66-65. The Gators, which paced the league in steals in 2020, will return Richie Rios (.317/.396/.476) at shortstop and Nick Upstill (.324/.403/.368) in the outfield. Tyler Franks (1-2, 3.37 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) and Jordyn Eglite (2-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) give coach Tony Schifano additional experience on the mound.
 
Stanislaus State and coach Kenny Leonesio boasts some of the conference's top returners at the plate. Multiple Warriors that will be coming back placed high on the CCAA stats leaderboard during the pandemic-shortened season. Alex Paz (.314/.347/.419) finished third in the CCAA with 23 runs batted in 2020. Grant Bunker (.300/.463/.475) scored 26 runs and placed second on the CCAA leaderboard. Zach Jones was just behind them on both leaderboards placing fifth in RBI (21) and third in runs (25).
 
Cal State East Bay is just outside the top half, finishing seventh with 63 points. Samuel Esparza (.325/.381/.416) will lead a Pioneers' offense that tied for third in the CCAA in batting average (.301) in 2020. Ethan Brodsky (1-2, 3.57 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) gives coach Mike Cummins a reliable arm at the front of the rotation.
 
Cal State LA received the remaining first-place vote. The Golden Eagles finished eighth with 45 points. Sonoma State (42), Cal State San Bernardino (27), and Cal State San Marcos (24) rounded out the 2022 CCAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.  
 
Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State will get the 2022 schedule started for the CCAA on Tuesday, Feb. 1, when they face Holy Names and Academy of Art, respectively. Most teams will begin play on Friday, Feb. 4. CCAA Conference play begins Friday, Feb. 25.
 
All 11 teams will be vying to earn one of the six spots in the CCAA Baseball Tournament in Chico on May 11-14. To learn more about the CCAA Baseball Tournament, click here.