Pack baseball picked third in Mountain West

The University of Nevada baseball team was selected third in the 2015 Mountain West coaches preseason poll, the conference office announced Tuesday.

The Wolf Pack placed tied for third with 25 points and one first place vote.

New Mexico, the reigning MW regular season co-champions, was selected first, followed by San Diego State in second and Nevada and UNLV in third. The preseason poll is rounded out by Fresno State, Air Force and San Jose State.

Nevada and New Mexico placed the most players on the 2015 MW Preseason All-Conference team with three each. Senior first basemen Austin Byler, senior outfielder Kewby Meyer and sophomore utility/designated hitter Trenton Brooks each earned pre-season all-conference accolades.

Byler is a consensus pre-season All-American and was voted the top senior in college baseball by Perfect Game. The Peoria, Ariz., native is coming off a stellar junior season leading the MW in slugging percentage, total bases and home runs. Byler has a .318 batting average in 155 career games.

Meyer has been one of the MW’s most consistent players in the past three seasons, batting .324 in 2012, .302 in 2013 and .328 last season. The Waipahu, Hawaii, native is a to-be four-year starter with 195 hits, 99 runs and 81 RBIs in his collegiate career.

Brooks returns for his sophomore season after posting one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. The Alpine, Calif., native provided Nevada’s best batting average hitting .330 with 62 hits, 35 RBIs and 23 runs scored. A two-way player, Brooks also posted a 3.86 ERA with a 3-1 record in 28 innings pitched.

The MW Preseason All-Conference team also consists of catcher Taylor Ward (FS), second basemen Sam Haggerty (NM), third basemen Ty France (SDSU), shortstop Jared Holley (NM), outfielder Tyler Jones (AF), outfielder Joey Armstrong (UNLV), utility/designated hitter Danny Collier (NM) and pitchers Bubba Derby (SDSU) and Kalei Contrades (SJSU).

The 2015 season gets underway as Nevada travels to Texas for a three-game series with Abilene Christian and one game against Texas Tech. The Wolf Pack’s opener is Friday at 2 p.m. against Abilene Christian.

Baseball season tickets are on sale now and start at just $130 for adults and $45 for youth eighth grade and under. Lock in your seat location today by calling 775-348-PACK or by going online at NevadaWolfPack.com.