FROM NCBWA RELEASE
DALLAS – Florida is pre-competition No. 1 nationally for the first time in school history in the 2012 National Collegiate Baseball Writers 15th annual Division I preseason poll.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s crew was runnerup to fellow Southeastern Conference powerhouse South Carolina in the 2011 NCAA World Series and has a very solid nucleus returning. All-America catcher and 2011 SEC Player of the Year Mike Zunino (.371 average-19 homers-67 RBI) is one of the top returnees along with dual threat Brian Johnson (8-3 pitching record, .307-5-29) and All-America DH Preston Tucker for the Gators.
Two-time defending NCAA champ South Carolina is No. 2 in the opening survey while 2011 NCAA Division I World Series participants North Carolina (No. 3 this year), Texas A&M (No. 5), Texas (No. 7), Vanderbilt (No. 11), Virginia (No. 23), and California (No, 26) return after being ranked among the Top Eight in the final NCBWA poll last June. Last year’s preseason No. 1 TCU is No. 13 in the 2012 lidlifter.
The NCBWA continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 15th
year with its 2012 preseason predictions and weekly surveys. Weekly polls will resume from Feb. 21-June 28 with the finale following the 66th annual 2012 NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb., at two-year-old TD Ameritrade Park.
The poll voters come from 40 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. After a preseason Top 35 listing, the remainder of the polls will feature a national Top 30 beginning with the Feb. 21 NCBWA survey.
LSU held down the No. 1 slot in the 1998, 2001 and 2009 polls. Other NCBWA preseason No. 1 placers have been Southern California (1999), Miami (Fla.) (2000), Stanford (2002), Texas (2003, 06, 10), Rice (2004, 07), Cal State Fullerton (2005), Arizona State (2008), North Carolina (2009), and TCU (2011). South Carolina never had won a DI baseball crown before capturing the trophy in both 2010 and ’11.
Last season, five different teams were rated No, 1 – TCU, UCLA, Florida, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and the champion Gamecocks.
This preseason poll has representation by 10 different conferences and independent Dallas Baptist among the 291 baseball-playing schools in the 2012 NCAA Division I ranks. The polls of 2011 had teams from 16 different DI conferences rated at least one week. For more information or to join the NCBWA, please go to www.ncbwa.com.
Rank-School-2011 Record-Final ’11 Ranking
1 Florida Southeastern 53-19 2
2 South Carolina SEC 55-14 1
3 North Carolina Atlantic Coast 51-16 5
4 Stanford Pacific-12 35-22 13
5 Texas A&M Big 12 47-22 8
6 Arkansas SEC 40-22 20
7 Texas Big 12 49-19 7
8 Rice Conference USA 42-21 18
9 Georgia Tech ACC 42-21 23
10 Florida State ACC 46-19 10
11 Vanderbilt SEC 54-12 4
12 LSU SEC 36-20 NR
13 TCU Mountain West 43-19 16
14 Oklahoma Big 12 41-19 24
15 Arizona State Pac-12 43-18 9
16 Miami (Fla.) ACC 38-23 26
17 Clemson ACC 43-20 15
18 Arizona Pac-12 39-21 25
19 Cal State Fullerton Big West 41-17 17
20 UCLA Pac-12 35-24 22
21 Georgia SEC 33-32 NR
22 Oregon State Pac-12 41-19 12
23 Virginia ACC 56-12 3
24 UC Irvine Big West 43-18 11
25 Louisville Big East 32-29 NR
26 California Pac-12 38-23 6
27 St. John’s Big East 36-22 NR
28 UCF Conference USA 39-23 NR
29 Southern Miss Conference USA 39-19 30
30 Ole Miss SEC 30-25 NR
31 Stetson Atlantic Sun 43-20 NR
32 Baylor Big 12 31-28 NR
33 Dallas Baptist Independent 42-20 21
34 Mississippi State SEC 38-25 19
35 Coastal Carolina Big South 42-20 NR
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama (35-28), Auburn (29-29), Belmont (38-26), Bethune-Cookman (36-25), Cal State Bakersfield (33-22), Charlotte (43-16), College of Charleston (39-22), Connecticut (45-20-1), Creighton (45-16), East Carolina (41-21), Florida International (40-20-1), Fresno State (40-16), Georgia Southern (36-26), Georgia State (37-21), Gonzaga (32-19-1), Illinois (30-27), Jacksonville (37-24), James Madison (42-19), Kansas State (36-25), Kent State (45-17), Kentucky (25-30), Long Beach State (29-27), Maine (33-24), Michigan State (36-21), Missouri State (33-23), NC State (35-27), Nebraska (30-25), Oklahoma State (35-25), Old Dominion (30-26), Oral Roberts (39-22), Oregon (33-26-1), Sam Houston State (35-24), San Diego State (22-36), Seton Hall (34-25), Southern California (25-31), Stony Brook (42-12), Tennessee (25-29), Texas State (41-23), Texas Tech (33-25), Troy (43-19), Tulane (31-26), UNC Wilmington (31-28), West Virginia (28-27), Wichita State (39-26).
Dropped Out from final ’11 poll: Connecticut (14), Kent State (27), Fresno State (28), East Carolina (29).
By conference: SEC 8, Pacific-12 6, ACC 6, Big 12 4, C-USA 3, Big East 2, Big West 2, Atlantic Sun 1, Big South 1, Independents 1, MWC 1.
