New Named WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Among Early Awards
2/10/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
ARLINGTON, TX--- The Western Athletic Conference announced the 2026 preseason baseball awards on Tuesday morning, citing California Baptist to finish third in the coaches poll and naming Cody New as the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. This is the third season that Head Coach Gary Adcock's squad has had a preseason award winner.
New enters his junior season behind an impressive sophomore campaign, where the lefty finished with a 3.50 ERA and a .217 opposing batting average against himself. The High-Desert Native fired 98 strikeouts from the mound with a 6-3 record across 80 innings of action. New was also named the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year by DI Baseball, in addition to being ranked 35th among the top 200 Division I Pitchers.
Joining New on the All-WAC Preseason Team is none other than Chris Ramirez. The 2025 Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year had a stunning college debut, hitting .350 with 71 hits and 30 RBI as the starting shortstop for the Lancers. Ramirez is set to return to the six-hole and will be a key factor in CBU's success this year.
The first-place finisher for the conference season, determined by the coaches' poll for 2026, was Abilene Christian, which returns right-handed gem Brett Lanman to the mound. Utah Valley was selected to finish second, followed by CBU, and Sacramento State was dubbed the fourth-place squad. Tarelton State, Utah Tech, and UT Arlington followed in subsequent order. Despite being picked to finish third, California Baptist was selected by DI Baseball to finish at the top of the WAC during preseason awards.
CBU will open the 2026 season on Friday, February 13th, at Cal State Fullerton before returning home on Saturday, February 14th, to open its home schedule.
2026 WAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Rank |
Team (1st-Place Votes) |
Points |
|
1. |
Abilene Christian (3) |
33 |
|
2. |
Utah Valley (1) |
29 |
|
3. |
California Baptist (1) |
27 |
|
4. |
Sacramento State (2) |
22 |
|
5. |
Tarleton State |
15 |
|
6. |
Utah Tech |
11 |
|
7. |
UT Arlington |
10 |
2026 WAC Preseason Player of the Year
Ryan Kroepel, Jr., 3B/RHP, Utah Tech
2026 WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Cody New, Jr., LHP, California Baptist
2026 Preseason All-WAC Team
C – Sergio Guerra, Sr., Tarleton State
1B – Grant Watkins, Sr., Abilene Christian
2B – Slade McCloud, Sr., Tarleton State
3B – Ryan Kroepel, Jr., Utah Tech
SS – Chris Ramirez, So., California Baptist
OF – Braden Regala, So., Abilene Christian
OF – Rayner Heinrich, So., Tarleton State
OF – Xander McAfee, Sr., UT Arlington
DH – Diego Cardenas, Sr., Abilene Christian
SP – Cody New, Jr., LHP, California Baptist
SP – Caylon Dygert, Jr., RHP, UT Arlington
RP – Ryan Kroepel, Jr., Utah Tech
