The American Rivers Conference head baseball coaches chose their picks to win the conference in the annual coaches poll this week, with Central picked to finish sixth and Simpson seventh. The 2020 season was abruptly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with most squads in the conference playing no more than ten games, none of which were in conference play. In an effort to maximize competitive opportunities for student-athletes who lost the chance to compete a season ago, the American Rivers Conference will employ a 32-game round-robin schedule instead of the typical 24-game slate. An all-comers conference tournament will take place at the conclusion of the regular season. It will be the first time all of the teams will be invited to the tournament, which usually has six participants, with the winner selected to go to the NCAA championships. Central begins their season next Saturday on the road at Monmouth, while Simpson begins this Saturday at Illinois College.