Feb. 1, 2011

WAC Release

DENVER - The Louisiana Tech baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Western Athletic Conference in a vote by the league's seven head coaches as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning. Fresno State was tabbed as the preseason favorite.

Fresno State received 32 points and four first place votes after a 38-25 season last year. The Bulldogs have won the WAC regular season title four out of the past five seasons. Hawai`i, last year's WAC Tournament champion, ranked second with 30 points and two first place votes. UH was followed by Nevada with 25, San Jose State with 24, New Mexico State with 16 points, Louisiana Tech with 14, and Sacramento State with six.

The coaches also voted on a preseason all-WAC team with Fresno State leading the way as it placed seven players on the team. Hawai`i junior second baseman Kolten Wong was named the preseason player of the year, while San Jose State senior Blake McFarland was picked the preseason pitcher of the year.

Wong was picked as the preseason player of the year after hitting .357 last year with 89 hits, 57 runs, 40 RBI and 15 doubles. McFarland was selected the preseason pitcher of the year after posting a 7-4 record with 71 strikeouts and a 3.62 ERA last season.

Tech opens the 2011 season on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. as the Bulldogs host Southern Illinois as part of the Louisiana Tech Baseball Classic. For information on season tickets, visit www.LATechSports.com

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com and follow sports information contact, Austin Staton, on Twitter for the latest and most current news.