Gators Ranked No. 9 In Preseason Collegiate Baseball Poll
Sunday, December 20, 2009 | Baseball
The University of Florida has been ranked No. 9 in Collegiate Baseball newspaper's Fabulous 40 preseason NCAA Division I baseball poll released on Sunday. Third-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and the Gators will begin the 2010 campaign on Feb. 19 at McKethan Stadium, when No. 35 USF visits for the opener of a three-game series.
Florida was 42-22 overall last season and claimed the SEC's Eastern Division title for the first time since 2005, finishing one game behind LSU and Ole Miss for the league crown. UF reached the 40-win plateau for the 18th time in school history and the first time in four years. The Gators went 3-0 last spring to sweep the NCAA Gainesville Regional, edging Bethune-Cookman (8-7) and then overpowering Miami (Fla.) twice (8-2 and 16-5) to advance to the NCAA Super Regional for the third time in school history, all in the past six years.
The Orange and Blue returns 20 letterwinners, including 10 pitchers and five players who saw the majority of time at their position last season and boasts the nation's top incoming class. The Gators return a solid nucleus that includes two-time first-team All-SEC infielder Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.), two-time SEC All-Defensive Team member center fielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), 2009 SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and NCBWA Freshman Hitter of the Year first baseman Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.), SEC All-Tourney and NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tourney choice outfielder Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and the sophomore quartet of pitchers Anthony DeSclafani (Freehold, N.J.), Nick Maronde (Lexington, Ky.), Alex Panteliodis (Tampa, Fla.) and Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.).
The Gators join the rest of the Southeastern Conference in the poll, as all 12 teams are either ranked (LSU, 2nd; Ole Miss, 22nd; Arkansas, 23rd; South Carolina, 28th; Georgia, 31st; Vanderbilt, 32nd) or received votes (Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee).
The contest with the Bulls begins the 34-game home schedule at McKethan Stadium, where the Gators were 30-10 (.750) last year. Twenty-nine of UF's 56 games during the regular season will be against squads listed in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division I Pre-Season Poll
| Rank | School ('09 Final Record) | Points |
| 1. | Texas (50-16-1) | 496 |
| 2. | LSU (56-17) | 494 |
| 3. | Virginia (49-15-1) | 493 |
| 4. | Cal State Fullerton (47-16) | 492 |
| 5. | Arizona State (51-14) | 491 |
| 6. | Georgia Tech (38-19-1) | 486 |
| 7. | Florida State (45-18) | 483 |
| 8. | UC Irvine (45-15) | 482 |
| 9. | FLORIDA (42-22) | 479 |
| 10. | Oregon State (37-19) | 475 |
| 11. | Rice (43-18) | 473 |
| 12. | Miami (Fla.) (38-22) | 470 |
| 13. | North Carolina (48-18) | 469 |
| 14. | Ohio State (42-19) | 467 |
| 15. | TCU (40-18) | 464 |
| 16. | Clemson (44-22) | 462 |
| 17. | Coastal Carolina (47-16) | 459 |
| 18. | East Carolina (46-20) | 455 |
| 19. | Louisville (47-18) | 454 |
| 20. | UCLA (27-29) | 452 |
| 21. | Southern Miss (40-26) | 450 |
| 22. | Ole Miss (44-20) | 446 |
| 23. | Arkansas (41-24) | 443 |
| 24. | San Diego (29-25) | 441 |
| 25. | Oklahoma (43-20) | 439 |
| 26. | Stanford (30-25) | 435 |
| 27. | Wichita State (30-27) | 430 |
| 28. | South Carolina (40-23) | 428 |
| 29. | Texas A&M (37-24) | 427 |
| 30. | Minnesota (40-19) | 425 |
| 31. | Georgia (38-24) | 422 |
| 32. | Vanderbilt (37-27) | 419 |
| 33. | Fresno State (32-30) | 417 |
| 34. | Pepperdine (31-23) | 415 |
| 35. | USF (34-12) | 412 |
| 36. | Kansas (39-24) | 410 |
| 37. | Middle Tennessee (44-18) | 407 |
| 38. | Florida Gulf Coast (36-18) | 402 |
| 39. | Notre Dame (36-23) | 401 |
| 40. | Dallas Baptist (38-17) | 397 |
Other Teams Receiving Votes: Cal Poly, Arizona, Oregon, Long Beach State, California, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska, Baylor, Oklahoma State, UCF, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, James Madison, Tulane, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Mexico State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Hawaii, Houston, Kent State, Missouri State, Creighton, Western Kentucky, N.C. State, Boston College, Illinois, Jacksonville, Washington, Southern Cal., Washington State, Troy, San Diego State, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, St. John's, Wagner, New Mexico, Eastern Illinois, Kennesaw State, FIU, West Virginia, Elon, Texas State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stetson, Oral Roberts, Winthrop, N.C. Wilmington, Georgia State, Dartmouth, Wright State, Bethune-Cookman, Liberty, Dayton, Rhode Island, Southern.
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