FROM PRESS RELEASE
TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Texas is ranked No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 50 NCAA Division I pre-season baseball poll presented by Big League Chew bubble gum.
Last season the Longhorns finished third at the College World Series and return seven position player starters and a stable of incredible pitchers including four Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-Americans in LHP Pete Hansen (7-5, 2.45 ERA, 80 K, 23 BB), RHP Tristan Stevens (11-3, 3.31 ERA, 77 K, 23 BB), RHP Tanner Witt (5-0, 5 SV, 3.16 ERA, 28 AP, 73 K, 25 BB) and relief pitcher Aaron Nixon (9 SV, 4-3, 2.12 ERA, 27 AP, 35 K, 10 BB).
Texas features a number of other superb pitchers as well.
Last season the Longhorns led the nation with a team ERA of 2.93 and were fourth in hits allowed per nine innings by their staff (7.05).
The Longhorns also return a talented defense that had the 10th best fielding percentage in the nation at .980. Texas had the second most double plays of any NCAA Division I team in the nation with 57.
One of the top defensive catchers in the nation is back in Silas Ardoin. In 48 base stealing attempts last season, he threw out 20 runners.
Offensively, Texas is led by Collegiate Baseball pre-season All-Americans 1B Ivan Melendez (.319, 13 HR, 13 2B, 51 RBI), 2B Mitchell Daly (.316, 15 2B, 31 RBI) and SS Trey Faltine (.249, 5 HR, 18 2B, 37 RBI).
Texas led the nation in walks on offense with 379 and were hit by pitches 74 times which helped Longhorn hitters have an impressive on-base percentage of .394. The Longhorns were skilled at small ball with 51 sacrifice bunts which ranked sixth in the nation. Texas has the ability to score runs in multiple ways (6.7 runs per game last season).
The Longhorns also have a number of pro prospects on the team led by Hansen, Melendez, Faltine and Ardoin who could all be chosen in the top five rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft.
When you factor in a superb 18-man recruiting class that came in last fall, it is yet another reason Texas is the favorite to win it all in 2022. The class features 9 freshmen, 4 junior college transfers and five 4-year transfers.
Poll Note: The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with four teams in the top 10 and 10 teams in the top 50.
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1959 college baseball season.
| Rank | Team (2021 Final Record) | Points |
| 1. | Texas (50-17) | 498 |
| 2. | Vanderbilt (49-18) | 494 |
| 3. | Louisiana St. (38-25) | 491 |
| 4. | Texas Tech. (39-17) | 487 |
| 5. | Stanford (39-17) | 484 |
| 6. | Florida (38-22) | 481 |
| 7. | Oklahoma St. (36-19-1) | 480 |
| 8. | East Carolina (44-17) | 476 |
| 9. | Mississippi St. (50-18) | 474 |
| 10. | Notre Dame (34-13) | 473 |
| 11. | Georgia Tech. (31-25) | 470 |
| 12. | Florida St. (31-24) | 468 |
| 13. | Texas Christian (41-19) | 464 |
| 14. | U.C. Irvine (43-18) | 462 |
| 15. | Louisiana Tech. (42-20) | 461 |
| 16. | Central Michigan (42-18) | 458 |
| 17. | U.C. Santa Barbara (41-20) | 454 |
| 18. | UCLA (37-20) | 453 |
| 19. | Mississippi (45-22) | 451 |
| 20. | Arkansas (50-13) | 448 |
| 21. | Oregon (39-16) | 447 |
| 22. | Arizona (45-18) | 445 |
| 23. | Miami, Fla. (33-21) | 441 |
| 24. | Virginia (36-27) | 438 |
| 25. | North Carolina (28-27) | 435 |
| 26. | Louisville (28-22) | 433 |
| 27. | N.C. State (37-19) | 431 |
| 28. | Duke (33-22) | 430 |
| 29. | Campbell (37-18) | 429 |
| 30. | Michigan (27-19) | 426 |
| 31. | Nebraska (34-14) | 423 |
| 32. | Dallas Baptist (41-18) | 420 |
| 33. | Georgia (31-25) | 418 |
| 34. | Tennessee (50-18) | 415 |
| 35. | Gonzaga (34-19) | 413 |
| 36. | South Alabama (36-22) | 409 |
| 37. | Liberty (41-18) | 404 |
| 38. | Maryland (30-18) | 402 |
| 39. | Connecticut (34-19) | 399 |
| 40. | Alabama (32-26) | 397 |
| 41. | Fairfield (39-5) | 394 |
| 42. | Oregon St. (37-24) | 391 |
| 43. | Arizona St. (33-22) | 389 |
| 44. | South Carolina (34-23) | 386 |
| 45. | Oklahoma (27-28) | 382 |
| 46. | Long Beach St. (24-15) | 375 |
| 47. | Cal Poly (31-25) | 373 |
| 48. | Southern Miss. (40-21) | 370 |
| 49. | Old Dominion (44-16) | 367 |
| 50. | Nevada (25-20) | 364 |
Other Teams Receiving Votes: Clemson (25-27), Baylor (31-20), Washington St. (26-23), California (29-26), Grand Canyon (39-21-1), California Baptist (40-16), Brigham Young (23-27), Abilene Christian (36-21), Sam Houston St. (30-25), San Diego (33-12), Auburn (25-27), Texas A&M (29-27), Kentucky (29-23), Coastal Carolina (27-24), Georgia Southern (34-23), Louisiana-Lafayette (32-23), Creighton (24-15), Tulane (31-24), Wichita St. (31-23), San Diego St. (30-16), Nevada-Las Vegas (20-13), Fresno St. (20-25), Kent St. (30-26), Ball St. (38-18), Wright St. (35-13), Florida Atlantic (32-25), Iowa (26-18), Ohio St. (22-20), North Florida (22-23), Stetson (26-23), Central Florida (31-30), South Florida (31-30), Stony Brook (31-18), Northeastern (36-12), N.C. Wilmington (32-22), Charlotte (40-21), Indiana St. (31-21), Bradley (20-22), Samford (35-24), East Tennessee St. (24-25), Mercer (35-22), Wofford (36-21), Western Carolina (28-21), Southeastern Louisiana (32-24), Northwestern St. (27-26), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (25-29), Oral Roberts (31-23), North Dakota St. (42-19), Texas-Arlington (27-30), Louisiana-Monroe (26-26), Florida Gulf Coast (28-20), Southeast Missouri St. (30-22), Murray St. (33-25), Bryant (27-14-1), Monmouth (24-13), Rider (23-18), S.C. Upstate (37-16), Seton Hall (23-25), Virginia Commonwealth (38-16), Rhode Island (28-26-1).
