Baseball America Preseason Poll Lists BU 13th
1/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 5, 2004
WACO, Texas - Baseball America ranked the Baylor baseball team 13th in the nation in the publication's 2004 preseason poll, released Monday.
In the only other preseason ranking released to date, Collegiate Baseball ranked Baylor 11th headed into 2004. The Bears finished the 2003 season ranked 11th by Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) and ranked 13th by Collegiate Baseball and USA Today Sports Weekly after losing to LSU in the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional.
Four Big 12 Conference schools were listed in Baseball America's Preseason Top 25: Texas (eighth), Baylor (13th), Texas A&M (21st) and Nebraska (24th). Three other opponents on the Bears' 2004 schedule made the rankings: defending national champion Rice (No. 1), Long Beach State (No. 9) and Arizona (No. 16).
Twenty Baylor letterwinners return from a year ago, when the Bears finished the season 45-23 and lost in the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional to LSU. Baylor also welcomes 11 newcomers to the team.
The 2004 squad is led by three preseason all-Americans in junior third baseman Michael Griffin, senior relief pitcher Zane Carlson and sophomore starter Mark McCormick. 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 begins its 2004 schedule Feb. 13 at home with a weekend series against Loyola Marymount.
