COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The San Diego State baseball team was pegged for a third-place finish in the 2022 Mountain West preseason poll, as selected by the league's seven head coaches. In addition, right-handed pitcher Troy Melton earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team.
The Aztecs garnered a total of 25 points, trailing preseason favorite Nevada (36 pts), which received six first-place votes, and second-place UNLV (29 pts), which netted the remaining first-place vote. Fresno State landed in the fourth spot just behind SDSU with 23 points, while Air Force (15 pts) was a distant fifth, followed by New Mexico (11 pts) and San José State (7 pts).
During the 2021 season, Melton posted a 4-5 record with a 6.14 ERA and a team-high 83 strikeouts, topping the Aztec staff with 15 starts while ranking second with 73.1 innings pitched.
A native of Anaheim, California, Melton finished among the Mountain West leaders in several categories last year, including strikeouts (2nd), innings pitched (4th), opposing batting average (8th – .291), wins (T-10th) and ERA (11th). The Aztec junior also issued one walk or less in eight of his appearances.
In addition, Melton received MW Pitcher of the Week recognition after recording his first career shutout vs. Fresno State on March 7, 2021. Against the Bulldogs, he matched his collegiate best with nine strikeouts, allowing just four hits and one walk in the complete-game victory, as SDSU rolled to a 17-0 rout at home.
Prior to the 2021 campaign, Melton was named to the USA Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and was ranked 79th on D1Baseball.com's Top 100 college draft prospects.
In 2020, Melton collected all-Mountain West accolades in a stellar season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, logging a 3-1 record with a 3.22 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He shared the conference lead with three victories, which was tied for 23rd nationally, while his strikeouts and opposing batting average (.192) ranked second and third in the MW, respectively.
The Aztecs return 16 letterwinners from last year's squad that notched a 30-16 record, compiling at least 30 victories for the sixth time in the last seven fully completed seasons. SDSU was the lone team in the Mountain West to reach the 30-win plateau, claiming series victories in 12 of 15 weeks.
Along with Melton, the Aztecs welcome back second baseman Caden Miller (.345) and designated hitter Brian Leonhardt (.305), both of whom contributed to a prolific SDSU offense that finished second nationally in 2021 with a .335 team batting average and ranked third with 9.1 runs per game.
Leonhardt tied for third in the conference with 47 RBIs last year, while Miller ranked eighth with a .464 on-base percentage and ninth with 43 runs scored.
The Aztecs' 2022 roster also features 15 newcomers, including 10 true freshmen, three Division I transfers, and two junior college transfers.
San Diego State's season opener vs. TCU at the MLB4 Tournament on Friday, Feb. 18 will be televised nationally on MLB Network, starting at 5 p.m. MT/4 p.m. PT.
2022 MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| Rank | Institution (1st Place Votes) | Pts. |
| 1. | Nevada (6) | 36 |
| 2. | UNLV (1) | 29 |
| 3. | San Diego State | 25 |
| 4. | Fresno State | 23 |
| 5 | Air Force | 16 |
| 6. | New Mexico | 11 |
| 7. | San José State | 9 |
2022 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
| Name | Class | Position | Institution |
| Troy Melton | Jr. | RHP | San Diego State |
| Paul Skenes | So. | C/RHP | Air Force |
| Andrew Kachel | Jr. | IF | Fresno State |
| Zach Morgan | Jr. | C | Fresno State |
| Tyler Bosetti | Sr. | IF | Nevada |
| Dario Gomez | Jr. | OF | Nevada |
| Cam Walty | So. | RHP | Nevada |
| Joshua Zamora | Sr. | IF | Nevada |
| Tristan Lively | Jr. | RHP | New Mexico |
| Justin Armbruester | Sr. | RHP | New Mexico |
| Diego Alarcon | Sr. | IF | UNLV |
| Eric Bigani | Sr. | C | UNLV |
| Edarian Williams | Jr. | IF | UNLV |