UF Begins at No. 21 in NCBWA Preseason Poll
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 | Baseball
The Gator baseball team was listed 21st in the preseason rankings released by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday. Entering the 2005 campaign, Florida is a consensus top-25 pick by the four major polls: Baseball America (No. 15), Sports Weekly/ESPN (No. 17), the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball (No. 22). The results of the Southeastern Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll will be available next week.
Thirteen different conferences and top independents among the 284 baseball-playing schools on the Division I level comprise the NCBWA poll, now in its eighth year. Weekly polls after the preseason survey will continue from Feb. 7-June 28, 2005, following the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The University of Texas, 58-15 last season and No. 2 in the final NCBWA poll, is ranked number one heading into the season. The Longhorns beat out defending national champion Cal State Fullerton, which occupies the runner-up position.
The SEC has eight teams in the poll to lead all conferences nationally, while the Atlantic Coast Conference, boosted by the addition Miami (Fla.), boasts six. The Big 12 and Pac-10 each have four teams ranked.
Pat McMahon's squad will kick off its regular season on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m., when Charleston Southern arrives in town to begin a three-game series. The contest with the Buccaneers will begin a 21-game homestand at McKethan Stadium, where the Gators were 27-9 (.750) last year.
PRESEASON NCBWA TOP 35 POLL
| Rank | School | '04 Record | Final Rank |
| 1. | Texas | 58-15 | 2 |
| 2. | Cal State Fullerton | 47-22 | 1 |
| 3. | Tulane | 41-21 | 15 |
| 4. | Miami (Fla.) | 50-13 | 4 |
| 5. | Stanford | 46-14 | 12 |
| 6. | LSU | 46-19 | 7 |
| 7. | South Carolina | 53-17 | 3 |
| 8. | North Carolina | 43-21 | 32 |
| 9. | Arizona State | 41-18 | 28 |
| 10. | Georgia | 45-23 | 5 |
| 11. | Georgia Tech | 44-21 | 11 |
| 12. | Texas A&M | 42-22 | 18 |
| 13. | Rice | 46-14 | 13 |
| 14. | Arizona | 36-27-1 | 6 |
| 15. | Washington | 39-20-1 | 23 |
| 16. | Florida State | 45-23 | 17 |
| 17. | Ole Miss | 39-21 | 27 |
| 18. | Long Beach State | 40-21 | 9 |
| 19. | Mississippi State | 35-24 | NR |
| 20. | Notre Dame | 51-12 | 14 |
| 21. | FLORIDA | 43-22 | 16 |
| 22. | TCU | 39-26 | NR |
| 23. | Clemson | 39-26 | NR |
| 24. | Wichita State | 49-16 | 20 |
| 25. | UCF | 48-17 | 25 |
| 26. | Winthrop | 37-23 | NR |
| 27. | Oklahoma State | 38-24 | 34 |
| 28. | Florida Atlantic | 47-17 | 29 |
| 29. | Arkansas | 45-24 | 8 |
| 30. | East Carolina | 51-13 | 10 |
| 31. | Stetson | 36-23 | NR |
| 32. | Virginia | 44-15 | 22 |
| 33. | Baylor | 29-31 | NR |
| 34. | Vanderbilt | 45-19 | 19 |
| 35. | Oral Roberts | 50-11 | 21 |
Also Receiving Votes (alphabetically): Alabama, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Fresno State, George Mason, Hawai'i, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Rhode Island, Southern Miss, Tennessee, UC Irvine, UNLV, USF.
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