TCU baseball unanimous pick to repeat; five Frogs tabbed All-MWC

TCU was unanimously picked to win its seventh consecutive Mountain West Conference title and five Horned Frog players were named to the league’s preseason all-conference team Friday.
The Horned Frogs, which open the season with a three-game series against Mississippi beginning Feb. 17 at Lupton Stadium, return 13 players from a 43-19 team last year.
TCU received all five fist-place votes from league coaches. UNLV was picked to finish second.Catcher Josh Elander, third baseman and Arlington Martin ex Jantzen Witte, outfielders Jason Coats and Brance Rivera, and pitcher Andrew Mitchell were all named to the preseason All-MWC team.

Here's the preseason poll and all-conference team, released by the Mountain West today:

2012 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON POLL

Rk.       Team (1^st-place votes)              Points
1.         TCU (5)                                           25
2.         UNLV                                             16
3.         New Mexico                                    15
4.         San Diego State                             12
5.         Air Force                                          7

2012 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Position - Name, Class              Institution
C – Josh Elander, Jr.                  TCU
1B – D.J. Peterson, So.              New Mexico
2B – Scott Dysinger, Sr.             UNLV
3B – Jantzen Witte, Jr.                TCU
SS – Alex Albritton, Jr.                New Mexico
OF – Jason Coats, Sr.                TCU
OF – Brance Rivera, Sr.               TCU
OF – Cody Smith, So.                 San Diego State
UT/DH – Brandon Bayardi, Sr.     UNLV
P – Andrew Mitchell, So.             TCU
P – Cole Swanson, So.               San Diego State

-- Stefan Stevenson
@FollowtheFrogs