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The 2024 WCC Preseason Team for Baseball.

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Four Pilots Named to All-WCC Preseason Team; Pilots Picked Second

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Portland Pilots Baseball had four players make the 2024 All-WCC Preseason Team for baseball and were picked to finish second in the conference in the annual preseason coaches poll on Thursday. Jake Holcroft, Evan Scavotto, Zach Toglia and Nick Brink all made the preseason team.

This is the highest the Pilots have been picked to finish in the WCC preseason poll since head coach Geoff Loomis took over in 2016, and also the most players the Pilots have had on the team since he took the helm as well. The Santa Clara Broncos were picked to repeat as champions with 58 points and five first-place votes. Portland was tied with the San Diego Toreros in the poll at 54 points, with USD earning three first-place votes and the Pilots earning one.

The LMU Lions and the Saint Mary's Gaels were picked to finish fourth in the conference with 38 points, with the Gonzaga Bulldogs right behind them in sixth with 37 points. The Pepperdine Waves, San Francisco Dons and Pacific Tigers fill out the rest of the conference with 19, 16 and 10 points respectively.

Holcroft had a record-breaking year for the Pilots. An All-WCC First Team selection, Holcroft batted .343 with seven home runs and 43 RBI's, breaking the school record for hits in a season with 83. He led the conference in total hits and also ranked fourth in hits per game (1.54) and ninth in batting average. He was the third toughest player in the conference to strike out, doing so just once every 10.5 trips to the plate.

Scavotto was also stellar for Portland in both the outfield and infield. He batted a career-best .310 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI's and was one of just two Pilots to hit double-digit home runs on the year. The last Pilot to hit at least 10 home runs in a season was Cody Hawken back in 2018. He was ninth in the WCC in RBI's as well. He was also one of five Pilots to earn All-WCC First Team honors, doing so for the first time in his career.

Toglia provided plenty of power at the plate for the Pilots, being the only other Pilot to hit at least 10 home runs on the year and adding 33 RBI's with a .315 batting average in his first year with Portland. He ranked in the top 15 conference-wise in home runs, slugging percentage and walks. He was an All-WCC First Team selection last season.

Brink rounds out the preseason team selections for Portland, slotting in as one of five pitchers. Brink was one of the top hurlers in the conference and the nation, posting a 2.02 ERA in 14 appearances and nine starts to rank first in the conference and seventh nationally. Another All-WCC First Team selection last year. He allowed no more than two earned runs in all his appearances last season.

The Pilots had a stellar season in 2023, posting a 31-23 record overall and a 17-10 record in WCC play to finish second in the conference. They played in the WCC Championship for the first time in program history last year, coming up just short against the Santa Clara Broncos.

Portland opens the season on the road with a three-game series against the San Diego State Aztecs. The first game is on Friday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options. Below is the full preseason team as well as the official coaches poll

2024 WCC PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES POLL
School Points
  1. Santa Clara (5)
  58
  1. San Diego (3)
  54
            Portland (1)  54
  1. Saint Mary's
  38
            LMU  38
  1. Gonzaga
  37
  1. Pepperdine
  19
  1. San Francisco
  16
  1. Pacific
  10
 
2024 ALL-WCC PRESEASON BASEBALL TEAM - POSITION PLAYERS
 Name  Institution Position Class
 Christian Almanza  Saint Mary's INF     Gr.
 JonJon Berring  Santa Clara OF Sr.
 Coleman Brigman  Santa Clara OF     Gr.
 Khadim Diaw      LMU C So.
 Jack Gurevitch  San Diego INF So.
 Jake Holcroft  Portland OF Sr.
 Efrain Manzo  Santa Clara INF Jr.
 Angelo Peraza  San Diego UTIL Sr.
 Evan Scavotto  Portland INF Sr.
 Coleman Schmidt  Saint Mary's UTIL Sr.
 Zach Toglia  Portland INF Jr.
 
2024 ALL-WCC PRESEASON BASEBALL TEAM - PITCHERS
 Name  Institution Class
 Nick Brink  Portland Jr.
 Brandon Gomez  Santa Clara Jr.
 Blake Hammond  Santa Clara Jr.
 Cole Kitchen  Santa Clara Gr.
 Connor Linchey  Saint Mary's Gr.
 
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