There is no sense of quiet optimism surrounding BYU baseball this season. No, Cougar coach Vance Law is flat-out excited about his team and their prospects as a member of the West Coast Conference.
"I am looking forward to this season as much as any season ever," said Law, entering his 13th season as BYU’s head coach.
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About the Cougars
» BYU is a preseason pick to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference. San Diego and Gonzaga were selected one and two, respectively.
» Last season, BYU outfielder Jaycob Brugman and Cougars pitchers Desmond Poulson and Marc Oslund were named as freshmen All-Americans.
» The Cougars have 22 letter winners back from last season’s 31-27 team. BYU finished 11-12 in Mountain West Conference play.
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Utah Valley
The Wolverines, who finished 34-22 in 2011, were nearly unbeatable in conference, winning 22 of 24 games. Utah Valley opens its season Friday at Seattle. Leading the way are pitchers Jeremy Gendlek, the conference Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2011, and Blake Krahenbuhl. They combined to go 14-5 last year. Gendlek set a program record with a 1.71 ERA.
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Law has every reason to believe that 13 can be a lucky number. And it all stems from a successful preseason trip to the Dominican Republic, where the Cougars were undefeated.
Meanwhile, Utah Valley looks to continue its dominance of the Great West Conference and Southern Utah will play its final season of baseball before dropping the program.
Before Brigham Young, 31-27 in 2011, opens its WCC season, it will begin a three-game series at UC Riverside on Friday, starting at 4 p.m. (MT).
The Cougars were picked to finish 7th in the WCC.
"The way we played in the Dominican gives optimism for the upcoming season," Law said about BYU’s 4-0 mark there. "There was enthusiasm, execution and evidence of an overall ‘buy in’ to what we have been trying to do all fall. That is refreshing to see the team play with such hustle, confidence and determination."
Much of Law’s enthusiasm centers on his pitching, which is experienced and deep. Desmond Poulson and Marc Oslund earned freshmen All-American honors, while team captain Chris Capper and Mark Anderson showed promise during fall camp.
Outfielder Jaycob Brugman, the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2011 and a freshman All-American, leads the offense.
"We are excited for the season to begin," Law said. "We shoot for improvement in our players’ skill since the first day of school. Our players have developed and bought into the team concept."
Twitter:@tribmarty
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Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds, picked to finish fifth in the 2012 Summit League Preseason Baseball Poll, opens their season Friday with a three-game series at Saint Mary’s. SUU returns its entire starting lineup from a team that was two wins away from earning a spot in the Summit League Tournament. Bo Cuthbertson, .432, and Mitchel Kauweloa, .370, led the T-Bird offense. But this is it for the Thunderbirds. With Southern Utah entering the Big Sky Conference next season, baseball will be dropped in favor of men’s tennis.
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