Jan. 4, 2007
WACO, Texas -- Baylor baseball was ranked 37th nationally in the Baseball America Preseason Top 50, released by the publication Thursday. The Bears are one of seven Big 12 teams in the preseason rankings.
Rice claimed the nation's top spot, followed by Miami, Clemson, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wichita State. Baylor was the fifth highest-ranked Big 12 team; Oklahoma State was 22nd, Oklahoma was 35th, Texas Tech was 41st and Texas A&M was 49th.
Eight non-Big 12 opponents on Baylor's 2007 schedule appeared in the rankings. Along with two games against top-ranked Rice, Baylor faces eighth-ranked Vanderbilt once, No. 23 Winthrop twice, No. 24 TCU twice, No. 32 San Francisco twice, No. 33 San Diego State once and No. 34 Oral Roberts three times.
Baylor returns 18 lettermen, including five starters and eight pitchers, from a squad that went 37-26 and reached the NCAA Houston Regional championship game last season. The Bears open the 2007 season Feb. 9-11 at the Astros Minute Maid Park College Classic in Houston, facing Houston, Rice and Vanderbilt.
Baseball America Preseason Top 50
2007 Baylor opponents in bold
Rank School ('06 Final Record)
1. Rice
2. Miami, Fla.
3. Clemson
4. Texas
5. North Carolina
6. South Carolina
7. Arkansas
8. Vanderbilt
9. Virginia
10. Wichita State
11. Tennessee
12. Georgia Tech
13. UCLA
14. Cal State Fullerton
15. Tulane
16. Oregon State
17. Nebraska
18. Florida State
19. Pepperdine
20. Arizona State
21. Evansville
22. Oklahoma State
23. Wintrhop
24. TCU
25. Mississippi
26. UC Riverside
27. Georgia
28. North Carolina State
29. Southern California
30. Kentucky
31. Stanford
32. San Francisco
33. San Diego State
34. Oral Roberts
35. Oklahoma
36. Auburn
37. BAYLOR
38. UC Irvine
39. Louisiana-Lafayette
40. Michigan
41. Texas Tech
42. Central Michigan
43. Delaware
44. Elon
45. Notre Dame
46. San Diego
47. Ohio State
48. Miami (Ohio)
49. Texas A&M
50. Louisiana State
