JJ Schwarz (l.), Dalton Guthrie (m.) and Peter Alonso (r.) face a daunting schedule in 2016.
Gators Tabbed No. 1 in Baseball America Preseason Poll
Monday, January 25, 2016 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida was named No. 1 in Baseball America's Preseason Poll released on Monday. Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club had previously been tabbed No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. It marks the third time in school history that the Gators have been No. 1 in BA's poll, all under O'Sullivan (2011-12-16).
Florida headlines the top five, followed by Louisville, Texas A&M, Virginia and Oregon State. The Orange and Blue will begin the 2016 campaign on Feb. 19 at McKethan Stadium, when Florida Gulf Coast visits for the opener of a three-game series, and the squad opens practice this Friday, Jan. 29.
Last season, UF went 52-18 and ranked third in the final polls after becoming the only program in the country to earn a top-eight national seed for NCAA play for the sixth time in seven years. The Gators also swept through the Gainesville Regionals and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium. The incoming class has been ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's seventh consecutive time in the top eight classes in the country.
Florida joins six other SEC programs in the poll: Texas A&M, 3rd, Vanderbilt, 7th; LSU, 11th; Mississippi State, 20th, Ole Miss, 24th and Kentucky, 25th The Gators will host the Aggies (April 1-3), Commodores (May 13-15) and the Bulldogs (April 8-10), will visit the Wildcats (March 25-27) and will wrap up the regular season against the Tigers (May 19-21).
The contest with FGCU begins the 33-game home schedule at McKethan Stadium, where the Gators boast a 231-69 (.770) mark in O'Sullivan's tenure.
2016 Baseball America Preseason Poll
Gators' 2016 opponents in Bold Italics
Season tickets for the 2016 Gator Baseball season are on sale 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.
For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to FloridaGators.com or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB.
Florida headlines the top five, followed by Louisville, Texas A&M, Virginia and Oregon State. The Orange and Blue will begin the 2016 campaign on Feb. 19 at McKethan Stadium, when Florida Gulf Coast visits for the opener of a three-game series, and the squad opens practice this Friday, Jan. 29.
Last season, UF went 52-18 and ranked third in the final polls after becoming the only program in the country to earn a top-eight national seed for NCAA play for the sixth time in seven years. The Gators also swept through the Gainesville Regionals and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium. The incoming class has been ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's seventh consecutive time in the top eight classes in the country.
Florida joins six other SEC programs in the poll: Texas A&M, 3rd, Vanderbilt, 7th; LSU, 11th; Mississippi State, 20th, Ole Miss, 24th and Kentucky, 25th The Gators will host the Aggies (April 1-3), Commodores (May 13-15) and the Bulldogs (April 8-10), will visit the Wildcats (March 25-27) and will wrap up the regular season against the Tigers (May 19-21).
The contest with FGCU begins the 33-game home schedule at McKethan Stadium, where the Gators boast a 231-69 (.770) mark in O'Sullivan's tenure.
2016 Baseball America Preseason Poll
| Rank | School | 2015 Record | 2015 Final Rank |
| 1. | FLORIDA | 52-18 | 3 |
| 2. | Louisville | 47-18 | 10 |
| 3. | Texas A&M | 50-14 | 13 |
| 4. | Virginia | 44-24 | 1 |
| 5. | Oregon State | 39-19-1 | NR |
| 6. | Miami (FL) | 50-17 | 6 |
| 7. | Vanderbilt | 51-21 | 2 |
| 8. | California | 36-21 | 22 |
| 9. | Oklahoma State | 38-20 | 19 |
| 10. | UCLA | 45-16 | 7 |
| 11. | LSU | 54-12 | 5 |
| 12. | Houston | 43-20 | 18 |
| 13. | UL-Lafayette | 42-23 | 16 |
| 14. | Oregon | 38-25 | NR |
| 15. | Michigan | 39-25 | NR |
| 16. | Southern California | 39-21 | 20 |
| 17. | Florida State | 44-21 | 15 |
| 18. | TCU | 51-15 | 4 |
| 19. | NC State | 36-23 | NR |
| 20. | Mississippi State | 24-30 | NR |
| 21. | Oklahoma | 34-27 | NR |
| 22. | Cal State Fullerton | 39-25 | 9 |
| 23. | Coastal Carolina | 39-20 | NR |
| 24. | Ole Miss | 30-28 | NR |
| 25. | Kentucky | 30-25 | NR |
Gators' 2016 opponents in Bold Italics
Season tickets for the 2016 Gator Baseball season are on sale 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.
For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to FloridaGators.com or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB.
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