Serrano, Bates Receive Preseason All-Mountain West Recognition
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State pitcher Omar Serrano (Downey, Calif.) and infielder Finley Bates (Castle Rock, Colo.) earned preseason all-Mountain West honors, while the Aztecs were picked to finish in a tie for fourth place in the league’s preseason poll released Wednesday by the conference office.
In a vote of the league’s eight head coaches, SDSU garnered 27 points, along with New Mexico and UNLV, while trailing defending MW tournament champion Fresno State (43 pts, 6 first-place votes), Nevada (35 pts) and Washington State (30 pts, 1 first-place vote), the latter of which has joined the conference as an affiliate baseball member the next two seasons.
Following the Aztecs, Lobos and Rebels (1 first-place vote), Air Force (19 pts) landed in the seventh spot, while San José State (16 pts) rounded out the poll.
Individually, Serrano returns as the ace of the SDSU pitching staff after receiving first-team all-Mountain West recognition as a junior in 2024. The Aztec right-hander posted a 5-5 record with a league-leading 3.06 ERA against conference opponents last season.
In addition, Serrano ranked third in the MW with 60 strikeouts and occupied the fourth position with a .263 opposing batting average vs. league foes. The Downey, California, product also allowed one earned run or less on six occasions in conference play, fanning at least five batters in each of those contests.
Overall, Serrano tied for the Mountain West lead with 14 starts in 2024, ranking third in overall ERA (4.02) and fourth in both strikeouts (77) and innings pitched (80.2). In a home clash with then-No. 15/17 UC Irvine, he tied his career high with nine strikeouts.
Not to be outdone, Serrano named conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career after allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts in seven-plus innings vs. eventual MW tournament champion Fresno State on May 4, 2024.
Meanwhile, Bates will be looking to build on an impressive debut in 2024 when he garnered MW Freshman of the Year accolades.
Against league foes last season, Bates paced the Aztecs in batting average (.375), hits (48), total bases (67) and on-base percentage (.438) while ranking second in runs scored (23), slugging percentage (.523) and walks (13).
Among conference leaders in Mountain West games, Bates tied for the top position in hits and was slotted fourth in batting average.
In addition, Bates ranked second on the squad with multiple hits in 18 games, matching his season best with four hits at Fresno State (3-1-24) and Nevada (5-18-24). He reached base safely in 11 straight starts from April 12-28 after recording a season-long eight-game hitting streak from March 28-April 7.
For the season, Bates started 52 of 53 games, earning 28 starts at shortstop and 24 at second while appearing as a late-inning defensive replacement in SDSU's 7-1 victory over Portland on Feb. 18, 2024. He hit a collective .292 with three homers, 11 RBIs and 35 runs score, tying for the top spot on the team with 14 doubles.
San Diego State returns 18 letterwinners and five starters from last year’s squad, including outfielder Jake Jackson (San Diego, Calif.) and infielder Tino Bethancourt (El Dorado Hills, Calif.).
Jackson made an immediate impact during his rookie campaign in 2024, collecting three MW Freshman of the Week awards. The Madison High alumnus posted a slash line of .276/.328/.399 with two home runs and 35 RBIs, earning 42 starts in 47 appearances.
Among team leaders, Jackson ranked second in RBIs (35), third in batting average (.276), fourth in hits (45) and runs scored (30), and fifth in on-base percentage (.328).
Additionally, Jackson finished second on the squad with two or more RBIs in eight games and compiled multiple hits in 13 starts, which ranked fourth.
Meanwhile, Bethancourt is preparing for his final season on The Mesa after emerging as a key offensive contributor in 2024 when he slashed .275//.356/.451 with six homers and a team-high 40 RBIs. The Aztec senior went hitless in consecutive games just four times last year, leading the team with multiple RBIs in nine starts while recording two or more hits on 14 occasions, which ranked third.
Bethancourt also logged the SDSU’s third-longest hitting streak of the year at seven games from March 17-29, batting .417 in that stretch (10-24) with eight RBIs.
Elsewhere, the Aztecs enter the upcoming season with 21 newcomers, including 17 true freshman and four transfers.
Under the direction of second-year head coach Shaun Cole, San Diego State opens its 2025 campaign at the Desert Invitational, Feb. 14-16, at split venues in the greater Phoenix area. The Aztecs will square off against Seton Hall in Scottsdale (Feb. 14), followed by clashes with Grand Canyon (Feb. 15) and Nebraska (Feb. 16) in Mesa. All three contests will be streamed live on MLB.com.
2025 MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank, Institution (1st Place Votes), Pts.
1. Fresno State (6), 43
2. Nevada, 35
3. Washington State (1), 30
4T. San Diego State, 27
4T. New Mexico, 27
4T. UNLV (1), 27
7. Air Force, 19
8. San José State, 16
2025 MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Name, Class, Position, Institution
Omar Serrano, Sr., RHP, San Diego State
Finley Bates, So., IF, San Diego State
Chase Spencer, Sr., OF/RHP, Air Force
Jack Anker, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Murf Gray, Jr., IF, Fresno State
Eddie Saldivar, Sr., IF, Fresno State
Michael Ball, Sr., IF, Nevada
Taylor Holder, Sr., OF, Nevada
Ethan O’Neal, Sr., RHP, Nevada
Will Asby, Gr., OF, New Mexico
Khalil Walker, Jr., OF, New Mexico
Paul Myro IV, Jr., IF, UNLV
Max Hartman, Jr., OF, Washington State