SAN BRUNO, Calif. – San Diego has been selected as the favorite to capture the 2026 West Coast Conference Baseball crown in the Conference’s annual preseason coaches’ poll.
The coaches’ poll and preseason all-conference team were selected solely by a vote of the conference's 10 head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.
San Diego was once again selected as the conference's preseason favorite after claiming five of the 10 first-place votes for a total of 77 points. Gonzaga came in a very close second with four first-place votes and 73 points. 2025 West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament champion Saint Mary's was third with 67 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Among the preseason team honorees is the 2025 Player of the Year Mikey Bell from Gonzaga and the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Jayden Lobliner from San Diego. Four preseason team honorees made the all-conference first team year, as well - Bell, Erik Hoffberg (Gonzaga), Finbar O'Brien (Gonzaga) and Jonas Salk (Portland).
Gonzaga and Saint Mary's led the way with four members on preseason team. San Diego and LMU boasted two players each on the preseason team.
The 2026 baseball season gets underway Friday, Feb. 13. The conference season begins on Friday, March 20, and runs through Saturday, May 16. The 2026 West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament heads to Scottsdale Stadium this year and will be held from May 20-23. As announced earlier this week, the conference tournament championship game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 1 p.m.
2026 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES POLL
| School |
Points |
| 1. San Diego (5) |
77 |
| 2. Gonzaga (4) |
73 |
| 3. Saint Mary's (1) |
67 |
| 4. Portland |
55 |
| 5. LMU |
52 |
| 6. Santa Clara |
38 |
| 7. San Francisco |
29 |
| 8. Pacific |
24 |
| 9. Pepperdine |
23 |
| 10. Seattle U |
12 |
2026 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON BASEBALL TEAM - POSITION PLAYERS
| Name |
Institution |
| Ian Armstrong |
Saint Mary's |
| Mikey Bell |
Gonzaga |
| Diego Castellanos |
Saint Mary's |
| Isaiah Lane |
San Diego |
| Jayden Lobliner |
San Diego |
| Jared Mettam |
Saint Mary's |
| TJ Rogers |
San Francisco |
| Jonas Salk |
Portland |
| Hudson Shupe |
Gonzaga |
| Zion Williams |
LMU |
2026 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON BASEBALL TEAM - PITCHERS
| Name |
Institution |
| Max Bayles |
Santa Clara |
| Erik Hoffberg |
Gonzaga |
| Avery Laine |
LMU |
| Finbar O'Brien |
Gonzaga |
| Lukas Sarantos |
Saint Mary's |