SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University baseball team is No. 1 in the PSAC West.

Longtime coach Jeff Messer only hopes it looks that way in May.

The Rock is picked to win the West by the PSAC preseason coaches poll released Friday. SRU received two first-place votes, runner-up Mercyhurst one, third-place California and fourth-plasce Indiana two each.

"That just shows how balanced our division is expected to be," Messer said.

Lock Haven, Clarion and Gannon round out the preseason division standings. Kutztown is picked to edge out West Chester in the East.

SRU is coming off a 36-15 season and lost catcher-first baseman Matt Adams — the leading hitter in all of Division II at .495 last season — to the major league draft. Adams was chosen in the 23rd round by the St. Louis Cardinals and was promoted from rookie ball to Class A Batavia late last summer.

Still, The Rock returns five of nine players who batted over .300 last spring.

"We've got a solid corps coming back, but I think we were picked first this year because of our pitching," Messer said. "Three of our top four projected pitchers last year missed the season with injuries.

"Now they're back and we've got plenty of depth on the mound."

The three injured arms were right-hander Don Pugliese, left-handers Jason Steen and Zach Jeney.

"Pugliese may have been drafted if he stayed healthy, but he suffered a detached tendon in his wrist," Messer said. "It was eventually repaired by the Cincinnati Reds doctors.

"Don's close to 100 percent, but we'll start him out in the bullpen. Steen and Jeney should be good to go."

The Rock also brings back two solid starters from last season in right-handers Vince Lloyd (8-1) and George Hebert.

"We won 36 games without those three key pitchers," Messer said. "If they're healthy, we probably win 40 or more and get a berth in the regional tournament."

Messer enters his 25th season at The Rock this year needing 40 victories to reach 800 for his career. He has only 432 losses.

Messer has 15 PSAC West titles, 10 PSAC Coach of the Year awards and four regional championships during his SRU career.

"We should be in the hunt again," he said.

Top hitters returning include Matt Kosik (.4430, Adam Jury (.395), Derek Diruscia (.379), Jacob Oswalt (.379) and Slippery Rock High graduate Billy Messer (.344).

Two key additions to the lineup are center fielder Matt Howard and third baseman Jamison Walck. Howard is a transfer from Frederick Community College and played for the Slippery Rock Sliders last summer.

"He'll be the fastest player in the conference, by far," Messer said. "Walck is replacing a four-year starter in Bully Herman at third base and could become a four-year starter himself."

First baseman Nick Caito, also a transfer from Frederick CC, is a Golden Glove winner at the junior college level.

SRU opens the season Feb. 20 against Tiffin in Chillicothe, Ohio. The team then plays a weekend set against West Virginia State Feb. 27-28 in Institute, W.Va., before heading to Lakeland, Fla.

The Rock's home opener is a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Washington Adventist University March 16 at Critchfield Park.