US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 8. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com throughout January and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition that mails to US Lacrosse members Feb. 1 — opening day of the 2018 college lacrosse season.

No. 3 Denver

2017 Record: 13-4 (5-0 Big East)
Coach: Bill Tierney (9th year)

All-Time Record: 405-281-2
NCAA Appearances: 10
Final Fours: 5
Championships: 1

The day will come when Denver won’t have Trevor Baptiste to rely upon anymore, and it will come far sooner than coach Bill Tierney would like.

It’s not about the senior’s dominance on faceoffs, which has gifted the Pioneers with an overwhelming possession advantage for the last three years. It’s not about the comfort of fielding a three-time first-team All-American selection.

It’s because as good as Baptiste is on the field, Tierney says he’s even more impactful off it.

“I’ve been around a lot of teams and have been around a lot of people,” Tierney said. “This guy is among the top-five people I’ve ever met.”

Last year, the Tewaaraton committee pegged him as a finalist — one of the top five players in the country and the only faceoff specialist ever to make that list. He wasn’t named the nation’s best player, but there’s a strong case Baptiste was the MVP in Division I in 2017.

The same could be true this spring, particularly on a team that simultaneously has no obvious holes but arguably not the star power of past Denver teams. There’s no upperclassman on offense with the track record of a Wesley Berg, Connor Cannizzaro or Mark Matthews, though the group as a whole is talented and capable.

Meanwhile, the Pioneers’ defense gets overlooked in part because of Baptiste’s control of faceoffs reduces Denver’s workload at that end of the field. As a result, the Pioneers are rock-solid everywhere but best known for their one established star.

“It reminds me a lot of going into Scott Bacigalupo’s senior year or the [Jesse] Hubbard/[Jon] Hess/[Chris] Massey senior class,” said Tierney, invoking some of the great names of his Princeton teams from the 1990s. “Some of these guys just had such an impact, from the way they led that you thought, ‘Even though I still have a season to go, I want to make sure I cherish every moment with these guys.’”

Baptiste won nearly three-quarters of his faceoffs as a junior, and has withstood both the physical wear-and-tear that afflicts so many faceoff specialists and the adjustments others have tried to counteract him. He won at least half his draws in every game last season, including a 21-for-22 tour de force against Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Denver has enough without Baptiste to be a threat to reach Foxborough. With him? The Pioneers could bookend his career with a second national title in four seasons.

“We’re cognizant of the impact he’s had — and the impact his departure will have on us,” Tierney said. “The second one’s not so positive.”

There’s no reason to fret about it just yet. Denver — and fans of the college game —has another year to enjoy Baptiste’s brilliance.

The Case For Denver

The Pioneers already have a lot of answers, from Austin French and Ethan Walker on attack (“Honestly, I think I could play the third spot with those two guys,” Tierney joked) to Colton Jackson, Connor Donahue and Johns Hopkins transfer Drew Supinski in a deep midfield unit, to a defense that returns two starters and its top long pole. Goalie Alex Ready is also back.

Denver might not have the flashiest lineup, but it arguably has the fewest questions of any team in the country.

“I feel like we’re a but under the radar,” Tierney said. “People know who Denver is, but it feels like we have to prove ourselves, which is perfect for us. We’ll play anybody anywhere, and this year’s schedule still proves it.”

The Case Against Denver

Even without glaring issues at any unit, the Pioneers have some valuable pieces to replace in Cannizzaro, midfielder Tyler Pace and defenseman Christian Burgdorf.

“Christian was the quarterback of our defense,” Tierney said. “Connor, maybe more than his points, was just a guy we could rely on to do the right thing. The impact of the attack and defense [stepping up and replacing] Connor and Christian is going to be the determination that will let us know how good we’re going to be this year.”

Even with those concerns, Denver’s program enjoys plenty of depth. There might be an early wobble or two, but this is a team well positioned to thrive in May.

Path to the Playoffs

Denver might not be the best bet to win a conference title — it hasn’t won the Big East tournament in either of the last two years, and Albany is near-certain to dominate the America East — but the Pioneers look like the top team in their league. Even without an automatic bid, Bill Tierney’s bunch has marquee games against Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State crammed into a 30-day span. Pick up a couple victories against those teams, and the Pioneers will be well on their way to hosting a first round NCAA tournament game for the sixth year in a row.

Players To Watch

Trevor Baptiste, FO, Sr.
74.4 FO%, 178 GB

The career accolades are already hefty for Baptiste, who owns a national title ring and three first-team All-American selections and recently qualified for the U.S. national team as its only current collegian. Could he become the first faceoff specialist to win the Tewaaraton?

Dylan Gaines, D, Jr.
16 GB, 13 CT

With mainstay Christian Burgdorf’s graduation, Gaines figures to become one of the leaders of the defensive unit after starting of last season. Another option to keep an eye on is junior long pole Sean Mayle, who thrived last season before suffering a knee injury that cost him part of the postseason.

Ethan Walker, A, So.
40 G, 32 A

The Pioneers lose the talented Connor Cannizzaro to graduation, but Walker was their leader in total points last season as a freshman. He shot 43 percent in his first season, and while he’ll draw more attention this time around, there’s plenty of help around him — including attackman Austin French and midfielder Colton Jackson.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Faceoff
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

239

Faceoff wins needed for senior Trevor Baptiste to become the Division I career leader in the category. Baptiste enters the year 879 faceoff victories, third all-time behind Bryant’s Kevin Massa (1,117 from 2012-15) and Delaware’s Alex Smith (1,027 from 2004-07).

5-Year Trend
Shooting Percentage

Coach Confidential
Bill Tierney

“That’s the key. It’s the culture that’s been developed. If you have a great senior class, you have a chance. With 12 seniors, we feel like all but two of them will have a chance to really be players for us. We feel like that’s big.”

Enemy Lines
Rival Coaches

“Ride that Trevor Baptiste gravy train for one more season! Zach Miller leaves school last year, and he is barely missed. This year there will no longer be a Cannizzaro in a Pioneer uniform, nor Tyler Pace, but rookie standout Ethan Walker and a bunch of rising juniors in Austin French, Colton Jackson and Connor Donahue proved they could be offensive threats for Matt Brown.  Having the ball 70 percent of the game is too much for opponents to overcome. ... Goalie Alex Ready is prepared to step up his game and his sub-50 save percentage. ... They have the preeminent faceoff man, who gets you the ball, and when he has the ball, he can go to the goal. What a great kid. They play a style where they’re probably going to probe and going to be patient, and then when you show a weakness, it’s a dagger. Their style is unique and different and hard to prepare for in one week.”