Official NWC Release

HILLSBORO, Ore. — The Northwest Conference office dropped its preseason coaches' poll for the sport of baseball on Wednesday morning with Pacific Lutheran University picked to finish seventh.

The Lutes racked up 23 points in the poll, securing seventh among the nine NWC schools, owning a two point lead on eighth ranked Willamette University (21 points) and lurking five points behind sixth-ranked Lewis & Clark College (28 points).

Reigning champion Whitworth University is the odds on favorite to repeat with seven of the nine first place votes and 63 total points. Pacific University is second with 54 points and one first place vote while crosstown rival University of Puget Sound is third with 45 points and the remaining first place endorsement.

Whitman College ranks fourth with 44 points followed by Linfield University in fifth with 35 points. George Fox University rounds out the poll in ninth with 11 points. 

The Lutes (0-3) opened the 2026 season in California last weekend and play three non-conference games in Oregon this weekend facing Lewis & Clark in a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game against Willamette on Sunday. PLU begins the NWC slate the following weekend, returning to Oregon for a three-game series with Lewis & Clark. The Lutes open their home slate on March 14, hosting George Fox.