Baseball No. 11 in Preseason Coaches' Poll
1/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 13, 2004
WACO, Texas - Baylor baseball received a ranking of No. 11 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Preseason Coaches' Poll release Tuesday. The Bears finished the 2003 season ranked 13th in the coaches' poll after falling to LSU in three games at the NCAA Super Regional in Baton Rouge, La.
With three of four preseason polls now released, Baylor is ranked no lower than 13th nationally. The Bears are also listed 11th by Collegiate Baseball and 13th by Baseball America.
Defending national champion Rice topped the coaches' preseason poll; the Owls garnered 39 of 40 first-place votes. Second-ranked Miami, Fla., received the lone dissenting No. 1 nod. LSU, Stanford and Cal State Fullerton round out the top five, followed by Texas, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Long Beach State, Arizona State and Baylor.
Nebraska is the only other Big 12 team in the ranking, landing at No. 21. Texas A&M was the first team out of the Top 25. Along with Rice, Texas and Long Beach State, a fourth 2004 opponent for the Bears in Arizona made the poll at No. 19.
Baylor returns 20 letterwinners from its 2003 squad that went 45-23 and reached the NCAA Super Regionals for the second time in five years. The Bears welcome 11 newcomers for the 2004 campaign.
Senior reliever Zane Carlson, junior third baseman Michael Griffin and sophomore starter Mark McCormick, all three preseason all-America selections, lead the Bears in 2004. Griffin earned first-team honors from the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball and was named to the third team by Baseball America. Carlson earned third-team honors from the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball, while McCormick was named to the third team by Baseball America.
Baylor opens its 2004 season Feb. 13, hosting Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m. for the first game of a three-game weekend series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears play 35 home games this season.
2004 SPORTS WEEKLY/ESPN PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
2003 FINAL 2003 SCHOOL (No. 1 votes) RECORD POINTS RANKING1. Rice (39) 58-12 997 12. Miami (1) 45-17-1 917 53. Louisiana State 45-22-1 896 64. Stanford 51-18 846 25. Cal State Fullerton 50-16 818 36. Texas 50-20 805 47. Georgia Tech 44-18 765 168. South Carolina 45-22 634 79. Long Beach State 41-20 624 1010. Arizona State 54-14 555 911. Baylor 45-23 510 1312. Tulane 44-19 487 NR13. Clemson 39-22 481 NR14. Wichita State 49-27 427 NR15. Auburn 42-21 384 1716. North Carolina 42-23 353 2117. Notre Dame 45-18 339 NR18. Florida State 54-13-1 337 819. Arizona 35-23 264 NR20. Florida 37-21-1 234 NR21. Nebraska 47-18 227 1422. Southern California 28-28 183 NR23. Mississippi 35-27 153 NR24. Florida Atlantic 47-16 146 2525. North Carolina State 45-18 131 12
