ARLINGTON – The Western Athletic Conference announced the 2024 Preseason awards and coaches poll this afternoon. Utah Valley sophomore Daniel Dickinson added to his preseason accolades this afternoon and was named Co-Preseason Player of the Year with California Baptist Third Baseman Mitchel Simon. The coaches picked the Wolverines second and picked up one first-place vote.
 
"This is another step in the excitement that surrounds Opening Day. Daniel and Matthew have both worked extremely hard and are the definitions of self-made players. This recognition is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the hard work they have put in. I know both players are eager to prove these preseason accolades on the field," said UVU head coach Eddie Smith.
 
This marks the first time that Dickinson has won the award selected by the WAC Coaches. In his first year in Orem, he hit .376 overall in 54 games played. He added nine homers, 42 RBIs, 82 hits, and 19 doubles that broke several UVU freshman records. In WAC games, he hit at a .410 clip with seven home runs; three of the seven came in one game last May against Stephen F. Austin at UCCU Ballpark.
 
Matthew Schwarz earned his first WAC preseason award and was voted the Preseason shortstop of the year. He finished 2023 with a .304 batting average and added six dingers while driving in 37 runs. The Greenacres, Wash., went 7-for-17 in last year's WAC Tournament to help UVU to the WAC Championship game. On the top defensive shortstops in the conference, he had a .981 fielding percentage a year ago in UVU's 28 conference games. Overall, Schwarz tallied 119 assists and helped turn 18 double plays for the Wolverines. 
 
The coaches picked Grand Canyon to win the conference after receiving 99 total votes and nine first-place votes. The Wolverines earned their highest Preseason nod since joining the WAC, receiving 75 total votes and one first-place vote. In their first year of WAC competition, Utah Valley received their highest placement in the preseason poll, which was fourth. California Baptist received the other first-place vote and 74 overall votes.
 
Abilene Christian finished in fourth (70), followed by UT Arlington (68), UTRGV (59), Sacramento State (54), Seattle U (39), Tarleton State (34), Stephen F. Austin (19), and Utah Tech (16).
 
2024 Preseason All-WAC Team
C – Michael Carpentier, Sr., California Baptist
1B – Zach Yorke, So., Grand Canyon
2B- Daniel Dickinson, So., Utah Valley
3B – Mitchel Simon, Sr., California Baptist
SS – Matthew Schwarz, Sr., Utah Valley
OF – Miller Laudusau, Sr., Abilene Christian
OF – Cade Verdusco, Sr., Grand Canyon
OF – Garrison Berkley, R-Jr., UT Arlington
DH – Cesar Valero, Sr., Sacramento State
SP – Daniel Avita, Jr., Grand Canyon
SP – Angelo Cabral, Sr. UTRGV
RP – Zach Poe., Sr. Tarleton State
 
Utah Valley will play its first eight games of the 2024 season on the road, starting with a three-game series at CSUN (Feb. 16-18). The trip continues to UC Riverside on Feb. 19 and will conclude with a four-game series at Saint Mary's in Moraga (Feb. 23-25).