COLLEGIATE BASEBALL TOP 40

MALIBU, Calif. - The Collegiate Baseball Top 40 Preseason Poll was released recently and the Pepperdine baseball team was ranked No. 30 heading into the 2016 season.

The Waves, who went 32-29 last year and finished runner-up in the Fullerton NCAA Regional, are the highest ranked West Coast Conference team in the poll.

Pepperdine is coming off its second-straight WCC Tournament title and returns the bulk of its starting lineup from last year, losing just Hutton Moyer and Jackson McClelland to the MLB Draft and Kolten Yamaguchi to graduation.

Two of the team's three weekend starters, A.J. Puckett (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) and Ryan Wilson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS), will be back for the Waves this year, along with the backend of the team's bullpen, Chandler Blanchard (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) and Max Gamboa (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais HS), and seven regular starters in the order. Pepperdine brings back first-team All-WCC honoree Brandon Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS), All-WCC honorable mentions Aaron Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS) and Matt Gelalich (La Verne, Calif./Bonita HS), and WCC All-Freshmen honorees Jordan Qsar (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla HS) and Wilson.

Pepperdine has made the postseason each of the last two seasons and three of the last four years coming into 2016. The Waves made a run into the NCAA Super Regional in 2014 and were a couple wins away from a second Super Regional last season. The Waves open the season on Feb. 19 at home against Oakland. Pepperdine hosts Oakland for a three-game series to start the year and will play seven-straight in Malibu to begin the season.