WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – With preseason baseball rankings as varied as a few dice rolls, it's becoming clear that the Division II competition should be intense in 2012.

Last month, the Cal Poly Pomona baseball team earned the No. 16 national spot and No. 1 regional spot in the College Baseball Lineup Top 30 preseason poll. Around that same time, the Broncos were featured at No. 29 nationally and No. 2 regionally for the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings.

On Thursday after a vote of the leagues' coaches, CPP has been tabbed to finish fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). That would mark an identical finish to how the 2011 season played out.

Once the Broncos reached the CCAA Tournament last May, they outplayed their fourth-place regular season finish. CPP advanced to the tournament championship game and earned a spot into the NCAA postseason first time since 1993.

At the West Region Tournament, the Broncos battled back from a second-round loss to reach the title game against Sonoma State. Nine outs away from advancing to the College World Series, CPP ended up falling to the Seawolves, 8-5.

Conference officials announced Thursday that Chico State has been selected to capture the 2012 CCAA regular-season crown after the vote of the leagues' coaches.

The Wildcats totaled 97 points and garnered seven first-place votes to finish ahead of SSU in the balloting. The Seawolves collected 85 points and received three first-place votes. Three-time defending CCAA champion UC San Diego (78) was third in the balloting and the Broncos finished fourth in the poll after totaling 72 points and receiving one first-place vote.

Cal State L.A. (69) was fifth and followed by Cal State San Bernardino (55), Cal State Dominguez Hills (44), Cal State Stanislaus (39), Cal State Monterey Bay (35), Cal State East Bay (16) and San Francisco State (15).

CPP's 2012 campaign is set to open Feb. 3 with a four-game non-conference series against Saint Martin's at Scolinos Field.
 

2012 CCAA Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (First-Place Votes)	Points	2011 Record
1. Chico State (7)	97	30-20, 23-17
2. Sonoma State (3)	85	37-22, 24-16
3. UC San Diego	78	42-15, 29-11
4. Cal Poly Pomona (1)	72	36-23, 22-18
5. Cal State L.A.	69	27-23, 21-19
6. Cal State San Bernardino	55	23-23, 20-18
7. Cal State Dominguez Hills	44	24-25, 19-21
8. Cal State Stanislaus	39	26-21, 18-20
9. Cal State Monterey Bay	35	21-28, 18-22
10. Cal State East Bay	16	18-32, 13-27
11. San Francisco State	15	16-34, 11-29