IRVINE, Calif. – Armed with a deep senior class and new additions both in the clubhouse and in their renovated home ballpark, the Concordia University Irvine Eagles are eager to embark on the upcoming 2020 baseball season.

After finishing just a half-game out of third place a season ago, CUI was picked by coaches in the PacWest Conference to finish third on Wednesday in the league's preseason poll. CUI also received two first-place votes. Three-time defending champion Azusa Pacific was voted to repeat and received all the other first-place votes while Point Loma was projected to be second. Biola and Hawaii Hilo are expected to contend and ranked fourth and fifth in the voting.

To see the entire PacWest baseball preseason poll, click here.

The Eagles are loaded with experience and boast a whopping 17 seniors on the diamond. Among the veteran returners are shortstop Haloa Dudoit, designated hitter Cooper Moore, and redshirt junior Jair Donovan. All three Eagles were named to the Preseason All-PacWest Team.

Dudoit is coming off a junior campaign in which he led the Eagles in hits out of the leadoff spot, made First Team All-Conference and was recognized for his glove as the 2019 PacWest Defensive Player of the Year.

Moore earned Second-Team All-Region accolades in 2019 from three different entities (ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA) after a superb year at the plate.  The Huntington Beach, Calif. native started all 47 games for the Eagles at either DH or first base while hitting .340 at the plate and led CUI with 12 doubles, 37 RBI and 24 walks.

Joining Moore in the heart of the lineup again is Donovan, who led the Eagles with 10 homers last season. He started all but one game last season in right field and was second on the squad with 35 RBI.

"Those guys have been steady college players and we're going to count on them to continue to be those steady contributors," said CUI head coach Joe Turgeon, when asked about that talented trio. "Nothing is ever guaranteed in our sport but they have worked extremely hard ever since they've been here."

"I think we've got other quality players that people know about in our league as well," continued Turgeon. "Matt Lautz in centerfield and Bailey Collins our first baseman - who were recognized last year by the conference - and Tony Garcia III who has caught a ton of games for us behind the plate who hasn't been recognized by the league but is a really good player. They (the entire group of seniors) are older but they are also hungrier and that's exciting."

Lautz led the Eagles with an eye-popping .374 batting average and .446 on-base percentage a year ago, and also was first on the team with 49 runs scored and 18 steals. Meanwhile, Collins enters this season poised to climb the CUI record books as he already ranks top five in career homers and top ten in total bases and games started.

"Different moments come up in every game and it helps when you have experience," said Turgeon. "We are really experienced position player-wise and we do have some guys coming back on the mound but we've added a lot of pieces to that so I'm really comfortable with what we have on the mound even if we're not as experienced there."

The Eagles added a handful of pitchers including three former Division I student-athletes. Ryan Johnston is a former draft pick of the Colorado Rockies who earned his undergraduate degree at UC Irvine and has the versatility to play in the outfield as well as pitch. Jimmy Endersby is a transfer from Cal State Fullerton where he posted a 1.35 ERA last season and recorded 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work during his two seasons with the Titans. Left-handed pitcher Chase Lyford also joins the Green and Gold after spending some time at UC Davis.

Brett Vansant and Alex Zalasky started the lion's share of games last year and both will look to build off what they accomplished. CUI lost closer Morgan Brannock to graduation but has multiple familiar faces in the bullpen including lefty senior Ren Martin and right-handers Cade Temple and Carpenter Pagett as options late in games.

Freshman Derek Delgado has a chance to earn playing time early on as well and joins Shane Hersh and Chris Martin II as versatile infielders that can create different looks for opposing pitchers throughout the year.

Concordia opens the regular season this Friday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Eagles and Toros will play three times in three days before CUI plays its home opener in its refurbished stadium next Friday, Feb. 7 against Regis University at 2 p.m.

For the full CUI baseball schedule, click here.