Gators Ranked No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll
Tuesday, December 20, 2016 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida was ranked No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I Preseason Poll released on Tuesday.
It marks the ninth-straight season that head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club has been ranked during the preseason in the nation's oldest college baseball poll, which began in 1959. The Gators were No. 25 in 2009, No. 9 in 2010, No. 2 in 2011, No. 1 in 2012, No. 24 in 2013, No. 16 in 2014, No. 6 in 2015 and No. 1 last season.
Florida joins all 13 other Southeastern Conference programs in the poll, as every team is either ranked or receiving votes. The SEC East figures to be among the nation's best divisions with three teams ranked in the top six (Florida-3, South Carolina-4, Vanderbilt 6).
Six of the Gators 2017 opponents are ranked in the top 22 of the preseason poll, while 12 more received votes. In addition to its SEC East foes, Florida will face No. 2 LSU, No. 8 Miami and No. 9 Florida State three times apiece.
The Gators open the 2017 season on Feb. 17 against William and Mary at McKethan Stadium. Season tickets and Mini Plans for the 2017 Gator Baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Last season, UF went 52-16 and ranked seventh in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. After losing eight players to the 2016 MLB Draft, the Gators squad will be bolstered by 12 newcomers. UF's recruiting class was ranked No. 6 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's eighth consecutive time in the top eight classes in the country.
For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to FloridaGators.com or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB.
2017 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division I Preseason Poll
Other Teams Receiving Votes:
New Mexico (39-23), West Virginia (36-22), Utah (26-29), Southern Mississippi (41-20), Wake Forest (35-27), Fresno St. (36-22), U.C. Irvine (31-25), Maryland (30-27), Central Florida (26-33), Oklahoma (30-27-1), Cal. Poly (32-25), UCLA (25-31), Nevada (37-24), Nevada-Las Vegas (24-32), San Diego St. (21-38), Oregon (29-25), Southern California (28-28), California (32-21), Washington St. (19-35), Auburn (23-33), Mississippi St. (44-18-1), Kentucky (32-25), Georgia (27-30), Tennessee (29-28), South Alabama (42-22), Alabama (32-26), Arkansas (26-29), Missouri (26-30), Georgia Southern (36-24), Troy (32-26), Arkansas-Little Rock (26-28), Texas St. (31-28), Brigham Young (37-17), San Diego (27-29), Pepperdine (29-24), St. Mary's (33-25), San Francisco (22-34), New Mexico St. (34-23), Oral Roberts (38-21), Seattle (37-21), Grand Canyon (25-28-1), Michigan St. (36-20), Indiana (32-24), Minnesota (36-22), Ohio St. (44-20-1), Illinois (28-23), Iowa (30-26), Western Michigan (22-34), Central Michigan (24-37), Missouri St. (38-21), Southern Illinois (31-25-1), Ball St. (32-26), Louisiana Tech. (42-20), N.C. Wilmington (41-19), Morehead St. (32-27), Kennesaw St. (28-27), Florida Gulf Coast (27-32), North Florida (39-19), Lipscomb (31-27), Rhode Island (31-27), St. Joseph's (31-23), Virginia Commonwealth (38-19), Xavier (32-30), Creighton (38-17), Seton Hall (38-20), St. John's (28-26-1), Gardner-Webb (37-21), High Point (32-24), College of Charleston (31-26-1), William & Mary (31-31), Wright St. (46-17), Princeton (24-21), Dartmouth (18-25), Fairfield (32-27), Miami, Ohio (27-29), Florida A&M (31-21), Alabama St. (38-17), Indiana St. (35-21), Wichita St. (21-37), Bryant (47-12), Southeast Missouri St. (39-21), Austin Peay St. (30-23), Jacksonville St. (34-24), Tennessee Tech. (31-24), Navy (43-16-1), Lehigh (25-29), Mercer (38-23), N.C. Greensboro (38-21), Western Carolina (31-31), Lamar (35-19), McNeese St. (31-25).
Gators' 2017 opponents in Bold Italics
It marks the ninth-straight season that head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club has been ranked during the preseason in the nation's oldest college baseball poll, which began in 1959. The Gators were No. 25 in 2009, No. 9 in 2010, No. 2 in 2011, No. 1 in 2012, No. 24 in 2013, No. 16 in 2014, No. 6 in 2015 and No. 1 last season.
Florida joins all 13 other Southeastern Conference programs in the poll, as every team is either ranked or receiving votes. The SEC East figures to be among the nation's best divisions with three teams ranked in the top six (Florida-3, South Carolina-4, Vanderbilt 6).
Six of the Gators 2017 opponents are ranked in the top 22 of the preseason poll, while 12 more received votes. In addition to its SEC East foes, Florida will face No. 2 LSU, No. 8 Miami and No. 9 Florida State three times apiece.
The Gators open the 2017 season on Feb. 17 against William and Mary at McKethan Stadium. Season tickets and Mini Plans for the 2017 Gator Baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Last season, UF went 52-16 and ranked seventh in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. After losing eight players to the 2016 MLB Draft, the Gators squad will be bolstered by 12 newcomers. UF's recruiting class was ranked No. 6 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's eighth consecutive time in the top eight classes in the country.
For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to FloridaGators.com or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB.
2017 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division I Preseason Poll
| Rank | Team (2016 Record) | Points |
| 1. | Texas Christian (49-18) | 496 |
| 2. | LSU (45-21) | 494 |
| 3. | FLORIDA (52-16) | 491 |
| 4. | South Carolina (46-18) | 489 |
| 5. | Oregon St. (35-19) | 485 |
| 6. | Vanderbilt (43-19) | 482 |
| 7. | Arizona (49-24) | 480 |
| 8. | Miami, Fla. (50-14) | 478 |
| 9. | Florida St. (41-22) | 475 |
| 10. | Cal. St. Fullerton (36-23) | 472 |
| 11. | Louisville (50-14) | 470 |
| 12. | Clemson (44-20) | 469 |
| 13. | East Carolina (38-23-1) | 465 |
| 14. | Louisiana-Lafayette (43-21) | 463 |
| 15. | North Carolina (34-21) | 460 |
| 16. | Virginia (38-22) | 458 |
| 17. | Long Beach St. (38-22) | 456 |
| 18. | U.C. Santa Barbara (43-20-1) | 454 |
| 19. | Coastal Carolina (55-18) | 450 |
| 20. | Texas A&M (49-16) | 448 |
| 21. | Washington (33-23) | 445 |
| 22. | Ole Miss (43-19) | 443 |
| 23. | Sam Houston St. (42-22) | 440 |
| 24. | Stanford (31-23) | 438 |
| 25. | Arizona St. (36-23) | 435 |
| 26. | Dallas Baptist (44-19) | 432 |
| 27. | Rice (38-24) | 429 |
| 28. | Oklahoma St. (43-22) | 426 |
| 29. | Texas Tech. (47-20) | 424 |
| 30. | Texas (25-32) | 420 |
| 31. | N.C. State (38-22) | 417 |
| 32. | Michigan (36-21) | 415 |
| 33. | Nebraska (37-22) | 412 |
| 34. | Tulane (41-21) | 410 |
| 35. | Houston (36-23) | 407 |
| 36. | Southeastern La. (40-21) | 404 |
| 37. | Gonzaga (36-21) | 401 |
| 38. | Georgia Tech. (38-25) | 398 |
| 39. | Kent St. (44-14) | 394 |
| 40. | Florida Atlantic (39-19) | 390 |
New Mexico (39-23), West Virginia (36-22), Utah (26-29), Southern Mississippi (41-20), Wake Forest (35-27), Fresno St. (36-22), U.C. Irvine (31-25), Maryland (30-27), Central Florida (26-33), Oklahoma (30-27-1), Cal. Poly (32-25), UCLA (25-31), Nevada (37-24), Nevada-Las Vegas (24-32), San Diego St. (21-38), Oregon (29-25), Southern California (28-28), California (32-21), Washington St. (19-35), Auburn (23-33), Mississippi St. (44-18-1), Kentucky (32-25), Georgia (27-30), Tennessee (29-28), South Alabama (42-22), Alabama (32-26), Arkansas (26-29), Missouri (26-30), Georgia Southern (36-24), Troy (32-26), Arkansas-Little Rock (26-28), Texas St. (31-28), Brigham Young (37-17), San Diego (27-29), Pepperdine (29-24), St. Mary's (33-25), San Francisco (22-34), New Mexico St. (34-23), Oral Roberts (38-21), Seattle (37-21), Grand Canyon (25-28-1), Michigan St. (36-20), Indiana (32-24), Minnesota (36-22), Ohio St. (44-20-1), Illinois (28-23), Iowa (30-26), Western Michigan (22-34), Central Michigan (24-37), Missouri St. (38-21), Southern Illinois (31-25-1), Ball St. (32-26), Louisiana Tech. (42-20), N.C. Wilmington (41-19), Morehead St. (32-27), Kennesaw St. (28-27), Florida Gulf Coast (27-32), North Florida (39-19), Lipscomb (31-27), Rhode Island (31-27), St. Joseph's (31-23), Virginia Commonwealth (38-19), Xavier (32-30), Creighton (38-17), Seton Hall (38-20), St. John's (28-26-1), Gardner-Webb (37-21), High Point (32-24), College of Charleston (31-26-1), William & Mary (31-31), Wright St. (46-17), Princeton (24-21), Dartmouth (18-25), Fairfield (32-27), Miami, Ohio (27-29), Florida A&M (31-21), Alabama St. (38-17), Indiana St. (35-21), Wichita St. (21-37), Bryant (47-12), Southeast Missouri St. (39-21), Austin Peay St. (30-23), Jacksonville St. (34-24), Tennessee Tech. (31-24), Navy (43-16-1), Lehigh (25-29), Mercer (38-23), N.C. Greensboro (38-21), Western Carolina (31-31), Lamar (35-19), McNeese St. (31-25).
Gators' 2017 opponents in Bold Italics
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