Baseball | 2/10/2026 12:55:00 PM

Utah Tech was picked to finish sixth in the Western Athletic Conference as the league office announced its 2026 preseason coaches poll on Tuesday. 

Four of the seven teams in the poll received at least one first place vote, led by Abilene Christian, which received three first-place votes and 33 points to top the 2026 preseason coaches poll. Utah Valley garnered one first place nod to finish second with 29 points, while California Baptist collected one first place vote and 27 points to claim the third spot.
 
Meanwhile Sacramento State picked up the final two first place votes to finish fourth with 22 points, followed by Tarleton State (15 pts) in fifth, Utah Tech (11 pts) in sixth, and UT Arlington (10 pts) in seventh.  

Utah Tech also landed one of the two major preseason awards, with junior third baseman and closer Ryan Kroepel being tabbed as the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year. Kroepel was also named to the preseason all-conference team at both third base and at reliever.
 
Kroepel (6-0, 185/Poway, Calif./Poway HS/Arizona State), who enters the 2026 season ranked as the 18^th-rated third baseman by D1Baseball.com and listed on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year preseason watch list, earned First Team all-WAC honors after a stellar debut season in 2025, both at the plate and on the mound.

The junior finished t-third in the WAC in batting at .367 batting average, including a conference-best .467 clip in conference games, and hit safely in 43 of his 55 starts with a team-high 25 multi-hit games. He wound up ranked in the WAC's top-14 in hits (76; 6^th), slugging percentage (.546; 12^th), on-base percentage (.442; 11^th), and doubles (15; 13^th).
 
In addition to his dominance at the plate, Kroepel was one of the top closers in the country. He posted a 4-2 record and eight saves, which ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, on Utah Tech's single season and career lists. Kroepel appeared in 18 games in relief and finished with a 3.09 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.  
 
Utah Tech returns six starting position players and three primary starting pitchers, along with 21 total letter winners, from a 2025 Trailblazer club that finished with a 24-31 overall record. The Trailblazers also played to a 9-15 conference mark to finish in eighth place in the WAC standings, and went 1-2 at the 2025 WAC Tournament.  

Two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year Chris Pfatenhauer (351-305-1 at Utah Tech/403-364-1 career) begins his 14th season as head coach of the Utah Tech Baseball program. Pfatenhauer, who won his 350^th game as Trailblazer head coach in the 2025 regular season finale at Sacramento State (6-5; 5/17/25), led the Trailblazers to consecutive Pacific West Conference titles in 2014 and 2015, and to five-straight trips to the NCAA Division II West Regionals from 2013-17, including serving as the host institution in 2013.

Utah Tech Baseball 2026 single game general admission tickets on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets for all 27 home Trailblazer baseball games for just $5 per ticket, or $7 day of game. Single game tickets are also available for purchase online at utahtech.evenue.net/events/ALL.
 
Utah Tech opens the 2026 season this weekend with a four-game road series at UC Riverside. 

2026 WAC Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll
Rank  Team (FPV)                    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 Preseason Baseball Coaches' All-WAC Team
Preseason Player of the Year: Ryan Kroepel, Jr., 3B/RHP, Utah Tech
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