Dec. 22, 2008
TUCSON, Ariz.- Baylor was ranked 15th nationally in the 2009 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Top 40, released Monday by the publication. The Bears were the highest-ranked team that did not participate in last year's NCAA Tournament and one of only three teams ranked in the top 15 not ranked in Collegiate Baseball's final 2008 rankings.
LSU will open the 2009 season as Collegiate Baseball's top-ranked team, followed by North Carolina, Rice, Georgia, Stanford, Arizona State, Florida State and Louisville. Big 12 Conference teams Texas A&M and Texas rounded out the top 10. Defending national champion Fresno State was 16th.
In all, five Big 12 teams appeared in the rankings, including four in the top 15. Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas were joined by 14th-ranked Oklahoma State and 22nd-ranked Missouri.
Four of Baylor's 2009 non-conference opponents were in the preseason rankings: No. 3 Rice, No. 20 UC Irvine, No. 21 UCLA and No. 37 TCU.
Baylor's 2009 season opens Feb. 20-22 as the Bears host University of the Pacific for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears return 19 letterwinners, including eight position starters and six pitchers, from last year's squad.
For more Baylor baseball information, check out Straight from the Pen.
