WCC RELEASE

MALIBU, Calif. - The West Coast Conference Preseason Baseball Poll and All-Conference team was released today and Pepperdine was tabbed second. In addition, the Waves' Aaron Barnett, Brandon Caruso and Ryan Wilson were named to the preseason all-conference team.

Pepperdine picked up three first-place votes in the coaches poll and tallied a total of 72 points to finish four behind San Diego (six first-place votes). LMU rounded out the top three, also receiving one first-place vote and tallying 56 points.

Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS) is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he was named All-WCC honorable mention. The junior catcher hit .303 last year, driving in 27 runs, with 10 doubles and a homer. Always solid behind the plate, Barnett committed just five errors last year. He also earned Fullerton All-Regional honors in 2015 and was named a Freshman All-American in 2014.

Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS) is coming off his best season to-date, leading the Waves last season with a .309 batting average and 19 doubles. The junior outfielder earned All-WCC first team honors as a sophomore and was named to the conference's All-Freshman team in 2014. Caruso had 67 hits and 26 RBI last year, and also posted three triples and two home runs.

Wilson (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) is coming off a phenomenal freshman campaign for the Waves in which he was second in the WCC with eight victories and posted a 3.78 ERA as the team's Sunday starter. The sophomore lefty had 69 strikeouts while walking just 42 batters and giving up just 47 runs to earn him WCC All-Freshman team honors. Wilson was also named to the WCC All-Tournament team after leading Pepperdine to a win over San Diego with a solid 8.0-inning performance.

Pepperdine ended last year 32-29, finishing second in the WCC regular-season standings before going on to win a second straight conference tournament title. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Regional final after eliminating both Arizona State and Clemson, but eventually fell to host Cal State Fullerton.

The Waves open the 2016 season on February 19 at home, when they play the first contest of a three-game series with Oakland. Pepperdine starts the year with seven straight home games.