SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- With the 2022 college baseball season beginning this weekend, the West Coast Conference released its preseason poll and all-conference preseason selections based on voting from the league's head coaches. The San Francisco Dons baseball team was picked to finish fourth this season following a third place finish last season with a 16-11 conference record.

Sophomore infielder Luke Keaschall was picked to the conference's All-Preseason team as a position player for the Dons' lone representative heading into the season. 

The Dons return a strong young core that was bolstered with graduate transfer additions as they look forward to competing against some of the best competition in the country here in the Western United States. 

Keaschall broke out in a big way during his freshman season on the Hilltop, leading his team in numerous offensive categories including: batting average, hits, triples and hit by pitches while finishing second on the Dons in runs scored and on-base percentage.

Other returning pieces for the Dons include senior outfielder Darius Foster who led the WCC in stolen bases last year as well as fellow senior outfielder/designated hitter Jordan Vujovich who finished the 2021 season with an outstanding .894 OPS to lead the team as he displayed a tremendous ability to get on base and hit for power.

Defending conference champion Gonzaga was picked to finish to win the conference again followed by BYU and San Diego. All three programs will visit Benedetti Diamond later this season, and tickers for all Dons Baseball games this season can be purchased here.

USF opens the 2022 season this weekend at home with a three game series with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos starting Friday Feb. 18i. Other notable matchups this season includes a four game weekend visit to Phoenix to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils from Mar. 11-13 and they will travel to take on Oregon Mar. 29-30 and Cal April 19 as well as welcoming the Stanford Cardinal to the Hilltop on May 10. 

The full 2022 WCC Baseball Preseason Poll and All-WCC Baseball Preseason Team can be viewed below:

Place Team           First Place   Points
1. Gonzaga                    (9)           81
2. BYU                           (1)           69
3. San Diego                                 63
4. San Francisco                         54
5. Pepperdine                               48
6. Portland                                    42
7. LMU                                          34
8. Saint Mary's                              31
9. Santa Clara                              16
10. Pacific                                    12

All-WCC Preseason Baseball Team -- Position Players
Sam Brown, Portland
Christopher Campos, Saint Mary's
Jack Costello, San Diego
Cole Gambill, BYU
Thomas Gavello, Pacific
Cody Jefferis, San Diego
Luke Keaschall, San Francisco
Stephen Lund, Gonzaga
John Peck, Pepperdine
Andrew Pintar, BYU

All-WCC Preseason Baseball Team -- Pitchers
Sam Bower, Saint Mary's
Gabriel Hughes, Gonzaga
William Kempner, Gonzaga
Eli Morse, Portland
Trystan Vrieling, Gonzaga

For updates and more information on the USF baseball program, be sure to follow @SFDonsBaseball on Twitter, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.