TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona Baseball outfielder Chase Davis, infielder Nik McClaughry, and right-handed pitchers Trevor Long and TJ Nichols all earned spots on the first-ever Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team, the league announced this afternoon.

The Preseason All-Conference team, in its first year in existence, is voted on by the conference's head coaches. The Wildcats four players honored is tied for the third most in the conference — Stanford leads the way with seven players on the team, followed by UCLA with six, while Arizona and Oregon are next with four each.

Davis, a consensus Preseason All-American heading into the year, earns a spot on the Preseason All-Conference team after hitting .289 with 56 runs, 13 doubles, 18 home runs, and 54 RBI as a sophomore last season. His 18 home runs were the third most in the Pac-12 in 2022 and were tied for sixth most in a single season in program history. Davis posted an astounding .346 batting average with four extra-base hits and six RBI across eight postseason games last year. His defense in left field was crucial to the Wildcats success as well, notching a .979 fielding percentage with two outfield assists.

Long took over as the Wildcats primary closer during the 2022 campaign and finished with the best numbers of his career, going 6-3 with seven saves and a 3.68 ERA. His seven saves led the team, ranked fifth in the Pac-12, and were tied for 11th most in a single season in Arizona history. Long's impressive performance last year earned him a spot on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.

McClaughry, Arizona's primary shortstop for the vast majority of the last two seasons, has been an integral part of the Wildcats success during that stretch. Last season he posted a .265 batting average with 57 runs, 21 extra-base hits, and 24 RBI at the plate while contributing stellar defense up the middle of the infield. McClaughry's 189 defensive assists led the Pac-12 and he played a part in 40 of the Wildcats conference-best 57 double plays.

Nichols, entering his junior year, has shown off his electric arm from the Arizona starting rotation ever since arriving on campus. As a sophomore in 2022 he went 6-4 with a 5.50 ERA and led the team with 84 strikeouts, a mark that finished top 10 in the conference. He finished his strong year by earning the win in an elimination game against Canisius in the NCAA Coral Gables Regional.

The Pac-12 also released their annual Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday, where the Wildcats were selected to finish fourth in the conference standings. The top five ranked teams in the 2023 poll all competed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
 

Rank	Team (1st place votes)	Points
1	Stanford (9)	99
2	UCLA (2)	90
3	Oregon State	77
4	Arizona	74
5	Oregon	68
6	Arizona State	45
7	Washington	43
8	California	40
9	Washington State	29
10	USC	24
11	Utah	16

The Wildcats kick off their season next Friday, Feb. 17 against No. 2 ranked Tennessee at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale. Arizona returns to Tucson for their 2023 Home Opener on Friday, Feb. 24 against West Virginia.
 

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