LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University baseball team came in ranked No. 5 in the 2024 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the conference office Thursday afternoon. It's the highest preseason ranking for the Golden Bears since the 2015 season, where they were also ranked fifth.

KU entered last season ranked seventh in the division before head coach Eric Folmar led a 15-win turnaround, winning 26 games, the most since the 2014 season. The Golden Bears finished tied for fourth in the PSAC East, but just missed out on the conference tournament for the first time since 2014 due to a tie breaker. 

Having only graduated three players, the Golden Bears return the majority of their roster, including All-PSAC second teamers Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) and Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford). The starting rotation from last season of Skrocki, Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford), and Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) also remains intact. The roster is also bolstered by an influx of freshmen talent, with seven new players joining in 2024.

Last year's PSAC East No. 1 seed Millersville are ranked No. 1 again with seven first place votes following a 46-10 campaign and a trip to the NCAA Baseball Championship in 2023. West Chester and East Stroudsburg are second and third with a first place vote each.  Shippensburg came in fourth, with Bloomsburg behind KU in sixth. Shepherd, Mansfield, and Lock Haven rounded out the poll.

In the west, 2023 PSAC Champions Seton Hill came in at No. 1, followed by Mercyhurst at No. 2. No. 8 Clarion and No. 7 Pitt-Johnstown are the only two PSAC West teams KU are set to face in the regular season. 

The Golden Bears kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Feb. 17 with a doubleheader against Mount Olive down in North Carolina. The first game is set to start at noon.

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