Cal U's baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West in Tuesday's preseason poll.
Mercyhurst was the PSAC West's preseason favorite, receiving four first-place votes after posting its fourth-consecutive 30-win season.
Seton Hill, which had 41 wins last year while advancing to the College World Series, also earned four first-place votes and finished second in the poll. Slippery Rock and Cal U were picked to finish third and fourth, respectively, while Gannon was tabbed fifth for the third straight year. IUP, Pitt-Johnstown and Clarion rounded out the poll.
The Vulcans finished last season 25-22 and tied for fifth in the PSAC West standings, missing the league tournament for only the second time since 2001. Cal U features only four returning regulars in its starting lineup, but returns all eight pitchers who logged at least 20 innings last season.
Coach Mike Conte enters his 19th season guiding the program. He has led Cal U to seven PSAC West titles and 13 PSAC Tournament appearances. Conte was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2013 and NCBWA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2010.
Senior shortstop Matt Peters bolsters the Vulcans' infield defensively and is coming off a 2014 campaign in which he hit .325 with a team co-leading 35 RBI. He enters the year as the team's active leader in virtually every offensive category, highlighted by a .330 average and 154 hits.
Millersville repeated as the preseason favorite in the PSAC East with five first-place votes, while three other teams each received one first-place vote. Shippensburg ranked second in the poll, while West Chester and East Stroudsburg finished third and fourth, respectively. Defending PSAC champion Kutztown was fifth for the second straight year.
Cal U is scheduled to open the season Feb. 21, hosting a doubleheader against Penn State-Greater Allegheny at Consol Energy Park in Washington.
