ANNVILLE, Pa. The Middle Atlantic Conference is releasing the Commonwealth preseason polls for spring sports this week. See below for Messiah's selection in each poll as the week continues.

• Wolf Quest For Mac

The Aztecs kick off their quest for a third straight Mountain West title against an Air Force team they've beaten six straight times.

Note: The MAC Commonwealth conducts spring preseason polls for the six teams listed below. The number in parentheses represents the number of first-place votes. 29 - Baseball In 2017, Messiah finished 16-21 overall and tied for sixth in the conference, missing the MAC Commonwealth Tournament for the first time since 2013. However, the Falcons ended the season on a high note, winning their last six games including a 4-1 win over then-No.1 ranked Shenandoah University.

Messiah returns nearly the entire squad from last year, and will look to ride that year-ending momentum into 2018 when they open the season on Feb. 24 at Bridgewater College in a doubleheader set to begin at 12:00 p.m. 1 Alvernia 47 (5) 2 Arcadia 44 (2) 3 Widener 36 (1) 4 Messiah 29 t5 Lebanon Valley 20 t5 Stevenson 20 7 Hood 17 8 Albright 11 Tuesday, Jan. 30 - Softball Last season, the Falcons reached their seventh NCAA Tournament in the last nine years, finishing with an overall record of 35-10 and 14-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. After defeating Johnson & Wales in the NCAA opener, Messiah dropped two contests in a row and were eliminated.

Wolf Quest For Mac

The Falcons will begin the quest for their 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament when they visit Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. For a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. 1 Messiah 62 (6) 2 Widener 54 (2) 3 Lebanon Valley 48 4 Arcadia 46 (1) 5 Hood 32 6 Albright 28 7 Lycoming 23 8 Alvernia 16 9 Stevenson 15 Wednesday, Jan. 31 - Men's Lacrosse The 2017 campaign saw the Falcons post a 9-6 overall record but an impressive 7-1 record in the MAC Commonwealth to earn the 2-seed in the conference tournament. However, Messiah fell to 3-seed Albright in the MAC Commonwealth semifinal.

The Falcons figure to be near the top of the conference once again in 2018 as the season gets underway Feb. 18 on the road against Gettysburg College.

1 Stevenson 64 (8) 2 Messiah 53 3 Widener 50 4 Lebanon Valley 42 5 Albright 39 6 Lycoming 28 7 Arcadia 23 8 Hood 17 9 Alvernia 8 Thursday, Feb. 1 - Women's Lacrosse Last season, Messiah reached the NCAA Sectional Semifinals for the third time in program history, but fell to local rival York (Pa.) in an 8-7 thriller. After posting a 16-3 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the MAC Commonwealth in 2017, the Falcons will look a little different in 2018 due to graduating 10 seniors from a year ago, but still figure to be at the top of the MAC Commonwealth and pursue their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Messiah opens the 2018 slate on Feb. 21 when they host defending National Champion Gettysburg College. 1 Messiah 64 (8) 2 Stevenson 55 3 Albright 51 4 Lebanon Valley 41 5 Lycoming 37 t6 Alvernia 23 t6 Arcadia 23 8 Widener 22 9 Hood 8 Friday, Feb. 2 - Men's Tennis In 2017, the Falcons went 12-6 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference before winning their fourth-straight MAC Commonwealth title with a 5-1 decision over Lebanon Valley.

In the NCAA Tournament, Messiah was paired with perennial power Wilkes University and fell 5-0 to end the season. The Falcons begin their 2018 spring schedule during spring break in Hilton Head, S.C. 1 Messiah 48 (6) 2 Stevenson 39 (2) 3 Lebanon Valley 37 4 Arcadia 34 5 Alvernia 20 6 Lycoming 19 7 Hood 16 8 Albright 11 Friday, Feb.

2, 11:00 a.m. Women's Tennis In 2017, the Falcons finished 11-8 overall and went 6-1 in the conference before upsetting Lebanon Valley to win their second-straight MAC Commonwealth title with a 5-3 final score. In the NCAA Tournament, Messiah was paired with Carnegie Mellon University and fell 5-0 to end the year. The Falcons begin their 2018 spring schedule when they travel to Hilton Head, S.C.

For spring break competition. 1 Messiah 47 (5) 2 Lebanon Valley 42 (2) 3 Lycoming 35 4 Alvernia 32 (1) 5 Stevenson 24 6 Arcadia 22 7 Albright 13 8 Hood 9.