PORTLAND, Ore. - The Great Northwest Athletic Conference released the preseason coaches poll for baseball this afternoon, with Northwest Nazarene taking the top spot out of the five teams.

A year removed from claiming the 2021 GNAC Championship, the Nighthawks received four of the five first-place votes and 24 total points. Western Oregon received 19 points, followed by Central Washington with 15 points and the only other first-place vote.

All five teams were picked to finish in the same order as last season, with Montana State Billings and Saint Martin's rounding out the poll in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Northwest Nazarene is coming off of the best season in school history and arguably in GNAC history in 2021. The Nighthawks went 21-3 in the conference season and swept through the GNAC Championships. After losing their first game at the regionals to Western Oregon, the Nighthawks reeled off three straight wins to become the first GNAC team ever to advance to the Division II National Championships in Cary, North Carolina. They were eliminated by two-time defending national champion Tampa but finished in the top six and with a final overall record of 35-10.

While the Nighthawks lose some pieces, like third basemen Shawn Grandmont and 2021 GNAC home run king John Gonzalez, the core of that team is primarily intact for 2022. Former Boise State transfer Grant Kerry returns after winning the GNAC Newcomer of the Year award and earning First Team All-GNAC and All-West Region status and NCBWA Honorable Mention All-American honors in his first season with the Nighthawks. The outfielder hit .361 in 45 games with 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI. His home runs and RBI are the most of any returning GNAC player. The rest of the Nighthawks outfield will be equally dangerous. Senior Ryan Dearing earned Second Team All-GNAC and ABCA All-West Region honors after hitting .331 with 51 runs scored and a .464 on-base percentage. Dearing led the conference with 39 walks and 24 stolen bases in 2021. Senior Haden Keller hit .358 with 25 RBI and a .560 slugging percentage. Brothers Colton Moore, a senior, and Walker Moore, a sophomore, will also shine for NNU. Colton was named First Team All-GNAC and Second Team All-West Region after hitting .263 with 43 runs and 42 RBI, while Walker hit .304 in 33 games with five doubles and seven stolen bases.

Northwest Nazarene should be loaded on the mound as well. They return a pair of First Team All-GNAC and All-Region pitchers in sophomore Kyle Ethridge, who compiled a 3.36 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched with 94 strikeouts against 17 walks, and senior Max Holtzclaw, who struck out 41 in 23.2 innings out of the bullpen. Senior Blake McFadden, who twirled a 1.99 ERA in 31.2 relief innings, gives the Nighthawks another powerhouse arm

The Nighthawks' season opens with a pair of four-game road series against top West Region squads, traveling to Azusa Pacific from Feb. 4-7 and Point Loma from Feb. 10-12. NNU will then play a home-and-home series with College of Idaho, visiting the Yotes on Feb. 17 and 18 before a home-opening doubleheader on Feb. 19. Non-conference action concludes with a road series at South Central region powerhouse Colorado Mesa from Feb. 24-26.

NNU opens GNAC play in Ellensburg the first week of March before returning home for back-to-back weekends against Saint Martin's (3/11-3/12) and Western Oregon (3/18-3/19). The Nighthawks will play a four game series both home and away against the other four GNAC programs, concluding with a home set against Montana State Billings on April 29 and 30. The GNAC Championships are scheduled for May 11-13 at Western Oregon.