TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) -- Winners of four consecutive conference championships, Washington & Jefferson College was picked as the favorite to win the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title when the 2024 Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll, along with the PAC Players to Watch list, was released Thursday.

The annual preseason poll collects votes from each of the league's 11 head coaches.

W&J, led by 22nd-year head coach Jeff Mountain, received 10 first-place votes and 100 points to finish first in the polling. Mountain led the Presidents to their fourth straight league crown, 11th claimed by W&J under Mountain and 15th conference championship in program history last spring. After earning the top seed for the PAC Tournament, the Presidents went 3-0 in the tournament to secure the championship.

Mountain, who was named the PAC Coach of the Year for the 11th time following the season, led the Presidents into the NCAA Regionals for the 10th time in program history. W&J posted a 1-2 record in the Regional.

Grove City College, skippered by eighth-year head coach Matt Royer, ranked second in the poll after gathering 87 points and one first-place vote. Allegheny College and seventh-year head coach Brandon Crum placed third in the rankings with 82 points.

Coming in fourth in the poll was Westminster College with 72 points, just ahead of last year's PAC Tournament runner-up Saint Vincent College, who secured 67 points to come in fifth. Chatham University was sixth with 54 points, followed by Waynesburg University in seventh (44), Thiel College in eighth (33), Bethany College (26) in ninth, Geneva College (24) and Franciscan University (16).

The Players to Watch list features 26 who were honored with All-PAC recognition in 2023, including seven who earned First Team accolades. Also on the list is Grove City sophomore Nick Sampson (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), who was the PAC Newcomer of the Year last spring. The Wolverine outfielder started in all 37 games he played in and batted .352 with nine doubles and four triples among his 51 hits. Sampson scored 41 runs and knocked in 27 while also drawing 22 walks and posted a .442 on-base percentage.

Also a Second Team All-PAC selection, Sampson played flawless defense, handling all 47 chances without an error. 

The 2024 PAC Championship Tournament expands to a six-team, double-elimination tournament for the first time this season. The tournament is scheduled to begin Wednesday, May 8 and run through Saturday, May 11 and be hosted at W&J's Ross Memorial Park

The PAC Championship Tournament winner will earn the conference’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Selections for the Division III Championship are scheduled to be announced Monday, May 13 with regional preliminary round play slated for Thursday-Monday, May 16-20. Regional champions will compete in the Super Regionals, a best-of-three series, to determine the eight participants in this year’s Division III College World Series, scheduled for Friday-Thursday, May 31-June 6. The Division III College World Series will be held at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. 
 

2024 PAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes)	Points	2023 Records
1. W&J (10)	100	32-14, 17-3 PAC
2. Grove City (1)	87	30-11, 16-4 PAC
3. Allegheny	82	20-16, 13-7 PAC
4. Westminster	72	20-20, 13-7 PAC
5. Saint Vincent	67	22-18, 13-7 PAC
6. Chatham	54	19-18, 10-10 PAC
7. Waynesburg	44	14-24, 9-11 PAC
8. Thiel	33	11-28, 5-15 PAC
9. Bethany	26	18-22, 4-16 PAC
10. Geneva	24	16-23, 7-13 PAC
11. Franciscan	16	6-28, 3-17 PAC

2024 PAC Baseball Players to Watch

Allegheny
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Tyson Bryant-Dawson	Jr.	OF/P	Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)
Ryan Dougherty	Sr.	OF	Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny
Brent Herrmann	Sr.	P	Canfield, Ohio/Canfield
Brady Nolin	Jr.	IF	Cumberland, Maine/Greely
Mark Schweickert	Jr.	P	Richmond, Va./John Randolph Tucker

 

Bethany
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
JT Hubert	Jr.	OF/P	Green, Ohio/Green
Trey Mantle	Sr.	P	Groveport, Ohio/Groveport Madison
Zach Pressnell	Jr.	P	Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North
Nick Roell	Sr.	OF/P	Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle
Josh Speaker	Sr.	IF/P	Steubenville, Ohio/Indian Creek

 

Chatham
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Jake Bredl	Sr.	3B	Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler
Tyler Cote	Jr.	C/P	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills
Benny Dottle	Sr.	SS	New Castle, Pa./Shenango
Dawson Morrow	Jr.	P	Harmony, Pa./Seneca Valley
Drew Schreck	Jr.	P	Lodi, Ohio/Cloverleaf

 

Franciscan
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Josiah Bodie	Fr.	OF/P	Pawleys Island, S.C./Waccamaw
Peter Falconite	Sr.	2B	Lincroft, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy
Wade Stoehr	Jr.	3B/P	Lewisville, Ohio/Monroe Central

   

Geneva
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Kirk Bearjar	So.	1B	Summerville, Pa./Forest Hills
Ryan Conover	So.	P	Baden, Pa./Ambridge
Tim Hermansen	Sr.	OF	Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor
Zack Sackett	Jr.	C	Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
DJ Toruno	Sr.	2B	Menifee, Calif./Paloma Valley

 

Grove City
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Nick Guidas	Sr.	LHP	Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland
Josh Minnich	Jr.	OF	Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley
Nick Sampson	So.	OF	Venetia, Pa./Peters Township
Luke Vittone	Jr.	SS	Seven Fields, Pa./Eden Christian
Marcus Williams	Sr.	IF	Sewickley, Pa./Eden Christian

 

Saint Vincent
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
LJ Evans	Jr.	OF	New Brighton, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Derek Hald	Jr.	C	Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area
Michael Klingensmith	Grad.	RHP	Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional
Jeremy Kreuzwieser	Sr.	RHP	Canfield, Ohio/Ursuline
Billy Perroz	Jr.	1B	Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area

 

Thiel
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Calvin Cackowski	So.	C/3B	Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe
Nick Jacobs	Sr.	1B/3B	New Castle, Pa./Union
Seth Johnson	Grad.	Util.	Magnolia, Ohio/Tuscawaras Valley
Alec Katon	Sr.	P	Ashtabula, Ohio/Edgewood
Mike Sittig	Sr.	SS/2B	Monaca, Pa./Central Valley

 

W&J
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Dante DiMatteo	Jr.	P/OF	Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel
Drew Garth	Jr.	OF	Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills (Seton Hill)
Jacob LaDuca	Jr.	SS	Clarence, N.Y./Canisius
Nolan Lutz	Sr.	1B/OF	McDonald, Pa./South Fayette

 

Waynesburg
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Mike Bell	Sr.	3B	Herminie, Pa./Yough
Seth Burgdolt	Jr.	C	Taylorstown, Pa./McGuffey
Alec Engelmore	Jr.	OF/P	Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler
Ethan Erhard	So.	P	Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield
Dalton Lucey	So.	P	Waynesburg, Pa./West Greene

 

Westminster
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Kolton Banfi	Sr.	RHP	Harrisville, Pa./Franklin
Braeden Campbell	Jr.	IF	Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler
Carter Chinn	5th	Utility	Grove City, Pa./Grove City
Logan Murgenovich	Sr.	IF	Aliquippa, Pa./Central Valley
Jake Vitale	Jr.	LHP	New Castle, Pa./Union