Preseason predictions don’t mean a thing; just ask the Mesa men’s baseball team.

It’s been 14 years since the team last won a conference title, but next season in won’t have been 15. With an 18-7 conference record, the Olympians walked away from the diamond Pacific Coast Conference champions.

“It was just an outstanding season,” said head coach Kevin Hazlett. “We were originally predicted to finish fourth in conference before the season began. We were just a very new, young team.”

After the successful regular season, the Olympians opened up regional play with a seventh seed and a home series verses Golden West College. Unfortunately a state championship was not meant to be. The Olympians dropped the first of the three game series 4-3 in 12 innings. Their year came to a close the next day when they lost 11-2.

“Winning league was the goal for us this year,” said Hazlett. “It would have been nice to win a few regional games, but we accomplished what we set out to do at the beginning of the season and that is what’s important.”

Most coaches will tell you that the key to winning is great pitching, and Mesa’s starting pitchers were no slouches. Three out of the four Olympians named to the PCC All League team were pitchers. They included sophomores Bryan Paukovits and Noel Avison as well as freshman Max Peterson.

As a starter, Paukovits went 5-4 in league play with a 1.72 ERA in 62.2 innings pitched. He allowed just 39 hits while striking out 50. As a freshman Paukovits was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and at this years end, he signed a contract and will soon enter their Single A farm system.

Peterson, Mesa’s second starter, carried a 5-1 record this year with one save in 56.2 innings pitched. He allowed only 43 hits and struck out 55 of the batters he faced.

As Mesa’s relief man, Avison pitched 41 innings, allowed 33 hits and stuck out 29.

If the offense can’t put runs on the board, then there really isn’t a chance for the pitcher to earn a win. Fortunately, Mesa had third baseman Dylan Cohen. Cohen finished conference play batting .440. He scored 23 runs and drove in 20 with 8 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 home runs. With those stats, he was the fourth Olympian member voted to the PCC All League team.

Freshmen infielders Eli Tupuola and Ross Epperson, freshman outfielder Jordan Davis, freshman catcher Griff Erickson, and sophomore first baseman Sal Ferrara all ended the year earning honorable mention PCC All League honors.

“The fact that seven starters and five pitchers are returning next year, the expectations for next season are really high,” said Hazlett.

So will it be 14 more years before another baseball conference title plaque finds its way into Mesa’s trophy cabinet? The Olympians will undoubtedly be the favorites going into next seasons conference play. Hopefully those predictions will be a little more accurate.