Mountain West Reveals 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Mountain West released its 2026 preseason coaches poll on Wednesday, with San Diego State predicted to finish seventh in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.
SAN DIEGO – The Mountain West released its 2026 preseason coaches poll on Wednesday, with San Diego State predicted to finish seventh in a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.
Defending regular-season conference champion Nevada was pegged to repeat after receiving five first-place votes and 60 points overall, edging 2025 MW tournament winner Fresno State, which garnered three first-places and 55 points, while league newcomer Grand Canyon was slotted third with the one remaining first-place vote and 47 points.
A total of six points separated the next four teams, with New Mexico (36 pts) landing in the fourth position, followed by San Jose State (33 pts), UNLV (32 pts) and the Aztecs (30 pts), while Washington State (8th, 17 pts) and Air Force (9th, 14 pts) rounded out the poll.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Vance, the Aztecs have added 19 college transfers for the 2026 campaign, including 13 players who competed for Power 5 baseball programs a year ago.
Among those newcomers, SDSU inked five student-athletes who previously played at perennial powerhouse Oregon State, joining two from Arizona State and two from Arizona.
A three-year competitor at OSU, infielder Tyce Peterson brings the most experience from his tenure in the Pacific Northwest after starting 43 of 47 games in 2025. The Kirkland, Washington, native slashed .288/.388/.469 a year ago with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 39 runs scored, helping the Beavers reach the NCAA Men’s College World Series. Peterson garnered all-tournament accolades at the Corvallis Regional when he hit .471 (8-17) with two homers, six RBIS and six runs scored in four games.
Fellow infielder Jabin Trosky combined for 40 starts in 64 games at OSU in 2022 and 2024, sandwiched around a redshirt season in 2023. The Carmel, California, native compiled a slash line of .287/.362/.357 with one homer, 20 RBIs and 22 runs scored during the 2024 campaign, helping the Beavers win the Corvallis Regional and advanced to the NCAA Lexington Super Regional.
The Aztecs will also benefit from the veteran presence of infielder Adam Magpoc, a Torrance native who returns to his Southern California roots after starting 97 of 104 games across two seasons at Boston College in 2024-25. The Loyola High alumnus finished second on the Eagles with 29 stolen bases in 2025, which ranked seventh in the ACC. Magpoc later excelled in summer ball, earning team MVP honors for the Brewster (Mass.) Whitecaps after leading the Cape Cod Baseball League with 26 stolen bases.
On the mound, SDSU has bolstered its pitching staff with the additions of Drew Talavs, another OSU transfer, along with former Arizona State hurlers Rohan Lettow and Alec Belardes.
A native of West Linn, Oregon, Talavs looks to bounce back after making just two relief appearances in 2025 due to injury. The right-hander pitched 11 games in 2024, posting a 4.63 ERA without a decision, fanning 11 batters in 11.2 innings. An all-state and all-conference prep pitcher, Talavs led West Linn High to a state championship in 2023, earning MVP honors in the title game.
A two-year competitor at ASU, Lettow enjoyed a stellar summer stint with the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks of the New England College Baseball League in 2025, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.72 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. He pitched in six games with two starts across two seasons for the Sun Devils in 2024 and 2025, fanning eight batters in 10.1 innings. Lettow was an all-state honoree as a prep in Arizona, where he earned a complete-game victory in the state championship final as a senior in 2023.
Prior to making two relief appearances for ASU last season, Belardes fashioned an impressive summer stint of his own in 2024, when he posted a 2-0 record with a 2.13 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 25.1 innings, helping the Healdsburg Prune Packers capture the Pacific Empire League. The San Jose, California, native also starred a prep, compiling a 15-4 record with a 2.27 ERA and 139 during his career at Valley Christian High, where he propelled his squad to a conference title and regional runner-up finish as a senior.
Not to be outdone, the Aztecs welcome back two home-grown talents in junior outfielders Zane Kelly and Jake Jackson, both of whom made 55 starts in 2025, helping the Scarlet and Black secure a spot in the MW Championship.
Kelly posted a slash line of .285/.352/.395 with 23 RBIs, tying for second on the team with 16 doubles, while ranking fourth in runs scored (36) and fifth in hits (57). He also finished with multiple hits in 15 games and drove in two or more runs on six occasions.
Likewise, Jackson enters his third season at SDSU after slashing .249/.326/.421 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 2025. The San Diego native ranked second on the team in home runs (4) and tied for the second spot in walks (21) and doubles (16). He was also slotted third on the squad in stolen bases (6) and fourth in slugging percentage (.421), finishing with multiple hits in 11 games while totaling two or more RBIs on six occasions.
Elsewhere, senior pitcher Aidan Russell looks to build on a solid junior campaign when he posted a 2-1 record with a 5.40 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 15 appearances after missing the first six weeks of the 2025 campaign with an injury. The SDSU right-hander made four starts last season, including an impressive effort in the Scarlet and Black’s 9-3 triumph at San José State on April 18, 2025, when he earned his second collegiate victory and first of the year after allowing two runs on three hits and four walks with four strikeouts in a career-long six-plus innings.
The Aztecs are set to open their 2026 campaign on Friday, Feb. 13 vs. LIU, in the first game of a weekend series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
On July 1, 2026, San Diego State officially becomes a member of the new Pac-12 Conference, joining Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Texas State and Dallas Baptist University in baseball competition.
Season and single-game tickets for the SDSU baseball program are available for purchase through the links at the top of the page.