Seawolves ranked No. 2 in preseason polls

Baseball season is just around the corner and the preseason vote by the California Collegiate Athletic Association league's coaches have the Seawolves slotted to finish second in the CCAA. After a very successful 2011 season where the Seawolves finished 33-17 in the regular season and won their second West Region title in four years.

"The polls say we're going to finish second, but we want to sweep Chico and prove to the rest that we should be first," said junior pitcher Jayson Richards.

The Seawolves went on to qualify for the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Tournament last season in Cary, N.C. and went up against the Grand Valley State Lakers, who were 52-3 on the season and the No. 1 team in Division II baseball. Sonoma State were the obvious underdog, but were ready for battle and in a nail biting back and forth game that needed extra innings to find a winner, the Seawolves pulled through and snatched a thrilling 7-6 victory.

Snapping the Lakers 32-game win streak, the Seawolves went on to play the eventual Division II champions West Florida University and lost a close one run game at 5-4. One more loss against Southern Connecticut State and Sonoma State was knocked out of the tournament with a final record of 37-22.

For the 2012 campaign, the Seawolves have 19 returning athletes from last year's roster, nine of which are pitchers. The team did lose all four of their All-West Region players: first baseman O'Koyea Dickson, shortstop Alex Todd, pitcher Kenny Arnerich,and SSU's all-time hit leader Kyle Jones. With these key players gone, others will have to fill their place if the Seawolves want to make an even deeper run in the postseason.

"This year, we have some core guys coming back and our tough mentality is carrying over from last season," said ace pitcher Thomas Lee. "We have a good understanding of what we have to do to win and anybody can be beat. It's just a matter of playing hard."

After an injury riddled 2011 season that saw Lee miss the back half of the season, the senior is back, healthy and ready for some baseball.

"I think the injury helped me realize anything can happen and to stay more humble," said Lee, a senior. "It was a blessing in disguise because if anything, I have only came back stronger."

Going into his 27th season at Sonoma State, head coach John Goelz and his 887 wins put him ranked sixth amongst active coaches at NCAA Division II level. Goelz did get acknowledged for his coaching last season, earning the American Baseball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year.

"I don't pay attention to the polls. They don't affect me one way or the other," said Goelz. "I can tell that this team seems to get along very well and have other qualities that I have seen in past championship teams."

The coaches' poll has only rival Chico State University ranked in front of the Seawolves, with an overall record last year of 30-20. Behind Sonoma State, ranked third is UC San Diego followed by Cal Poly Pomona, and rounding things off is Cal State L.A. ranked fifth.

"We're going to go out and play the same way we've always played--upbeat and positive," said Coach Goelz. "Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and we cannot compare ourselves to past teams."

The Seawolves will start their season and defend their West Region title Feb. 4 when they travel south to Hayward to take on Cal State East Bay in a non-conference game. The Seawolves' first official home game will be Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. on the Seawolf Diamond against Western Oregon.