By Leila Nikamal
BroncoAthletics.com

POMONA, Calif. - The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team will start its 2015 season on Friday in Utah against the Dixie State Red Storm in a three-day, four-game series.
 
The first pitch will be thrown Friday at 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) at Bruce Hurst Field in the city of St. George.  Saturday's schedule will feature a doubleheader with the first game at 10 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m.  The last of the four-game set will begin on Sunday at 10 a.m. Live stats will be available here.
 
Cal Poly Pomona was selected to be the second-place finisher by the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) 2015 Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Broncos were just edged out of the top spot by Chico State, who received six first-place votes to CPP's five.  The Broncos moved up three places from the 2014 preseason poll when CPP was ranked as a fifth-place finisher.  
 
Head coach Randy Betten led the Broncos to a memorable 2014 campaign as the team ended at a record of 32-17 for a winning percentage of .653, the highest mark in program history since 1983.
 
Dixie State, playing out of the PacWest Conference, is also ranked as a second-place finisher in that league's preseason poll. The Red Storm was ranked first in the PacWest Conference in 2014 with records of 26-6 in the conference and 36-17 overall. DSC head coach Chris Pfatenhauer is entering his third season with the program.
 
The Broncos have 16 new players and 17 returning.  Among the returning players are Austin Boyle from the All-CCAA Second Team along with Nick Cooksey, Max Bethell and Cody Ponce from the All-CCAA Third Team.
 
 CPP will look to replace the production of David Armendariz, a 2014 senior who was the CCAA Most Valuable Player and led the CCAA in homeruns (9), runs batted in (50) and slugging percentage.
 
This season comes on the heels of three CPP baseball stars being selected in the MLB draft: Steven Farnworth to the Miami Marlins, Armendariz to the Cleveland Indians and Chris Carlson to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 2015 Broncos will play their home opener on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a 12 p.m. first pitch at Scolinos Field against Azusa Pacific.