Coming off of a season in which Azusa Pacific baseball captured the first-ever PacWest Baseball Tournament Championship, the Cougars have been picked to finish first in the conference this season, according to the preseason coaches' poll. The Cougars narrowly hold the top spot in the poll with 76 points and four first-place votes, while last year's regular season champion Point Loma was picked second with 75 points and five first-place votes. 

The Cougars finished with a 35-19 record last season, including a 22-10 conference mark. The Cougars earned the second-seed to the inaugural PacWest Baseball Tournament, where the Cougars opened with a 6-4 win over host Fresno Pacific, before claiming the tournament crown with back-to-back wins over top-seed Point Loma. Azusa Pacific would then advance to its sixth-consecutive NCAA Tournament, where the Cougars beat Western Oregon in their first game before being knocked out by Cal State San Bernardino, who advance to the national semifinals. 

The PacWest coaches also announced their preseason team this afternoon, which included four Cougars. Spencer Rasmussen (1B), Isaac Mendez (SP), Jake Vargas (RP), and Omar Lopez (Utility) landed preseason recognition.

Lopez was named to the All-PacWest First Team last season, after he led the conference in doubles (16), and was third in RBI (49) and fifth in home runs (12). Defensively, Lopez tallied the fourth most assists in the conference with 110.

Mendez was a Second Team All-PacWest selection last season. He was fourth in the conference in ERA (4.12) and strikeouts (64), while also holding opponents to a batting average of .263, which was ninth-best in the PacWest. Mendez pitched 63.1 innings over 13 appearances, which were all starts.

Vargas was a Third Team All-PacWest selection last year, as he emerged as the Cougars' closer in his first year with the program. Vargas racked up 10 saves, which was the third-most in the PacWest. Over 26.2 innings pitched (17 appearances), he posted an ERA of 3.37 and had a record of 3-1. 

Rasmussen is coming off of a junior season in which he hit  for a .287 batting average and a .561 slugging percentage, finishing with 40 RBI, 10 homers, 13 doubles, and 40 runs scored. He was top-10 in the conference for RBI, runs scored, doubles and home runs and walks (31).  

The 2024 season is set to start next week, when the Cougars visit Cal State Monterey Bay for a four-game series. The series starts on Thursday, February 1.