HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team has been picked to finish fifth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association's North Division in 2016, according to a preseason poll of the conference's 12 head coaches.

Click here to view the full CCAA preseason release.

With the addition of Cal State San Marcos this season, the league has split into two divisions comprised of six teams each. In the North, Chico State edged Cal State Monterey Bay and Sonoma State for the top spot with 52 points. The Otters and Seawolves each garnered 47 points, with Cal State Monterey Bay picking up one overall first-place vote. 

Stanislaus State was predicted to take fourth place with 27 points, just ahead of the Pioneers in fifth place with 26 points. San Francisco State rounded out the North Division voting with 17 points in sixth.

In the South, defending CCAA champion and national semifinalist Cal Poly Pomona was picked to repeat its first place finish. The Broncos racked up 61 points and received 11 of the 12 overall first-place votes. UC San Diego was tabbed for second place with 51 points, followed by Cal State L.A. in third (35 points), Cal State Dominguez Hills in fourth (30 points), Cal State San Marcos in fifth (23 points), and Cal State San Bernardino in sixth (16 points).

Under the new format, all CCAA teams will now play a four-game series against squads within the same division and a three-game series against teams outside of the division. The conference's postseason tournament, which will return to Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton for the third time in four years, has also changed its format, expanding the field six teams. The top three teams in the each division at the end of the regular season will earn a playoff bid.

Cal State East Bay is coming off three straight top-six finishes in the CCAA under head coach Bob Ralston. In 2015, the team got off to a nightmarish start with a 7-23 record. But the Pioneers caught fire in the latter half of the season, winning 14 of their final 17 games to finish with a record of 21-26 overall and 18-22 in conference play.

The Pioneers carry a talented mix of returners and newcomers into 2016, hoping to out-perform the coaches' preseason predictions. Outfielder Rudy Navarro is back for his senior year after batting .315 with 11 doubles, four home runs, and 29 RBI last season, earning Second Team All-CCAA honors. The pitching staff is led by sophomore Alex Vesia, the 2015 CCAA Freshman of the Year. The southpaw led CSUEB with a 2.18 ERA, five wins, three complete games, and 74.1 innings as a rookie, allowing just six extra base hits all season.

East Bay kicks off the 2016 season this Friday, Jan. 30 with the annual Alumni Game at 12 p.m. on Pioneer Field. The squad opens the regular season on the road the following week with a non-conference series against Academy of Art, starting Friday evening, Feb. 5, at Laney College.

School  (first place votes)	Points
1. Cal Poly Pomona (11)	61
2. UC San Diego	51
3. Cal State L.A.	35
4. Cal State Dominguez Hills	30
5. Cal State San Marcos	23
6. Cal State San Bernardino	16