Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan with ESPN's Kyle Peterson at the CWS

With the start of the season rapidly approaching, here’s a look at some of the top teams in the country heading into the 2012 college baseball season.

Our rankings are based on a “composite formula” that combines not only the existing weekly preseason national polls, but also other factors like strength of schedule and preseason conference polls. Other criteria will continually be added throughout the season to our composite rankings.

Here is a look at the top 10 teams heading into the season.

( ) Stats in parenthesis are from the 2011 season.

* After a statistic denotes team leader in that statistical category.

Top 10 By Conference: SEC: 4, ACC: 2, Big 12: 2, Pac-12: 1, Conference USA: 1

CLICK HERE to see the entire CB360 2012 Preseason Composite National Rankings

1. Florida

2011 Record: 53-19

In 2010, Kevin O’Sullivan led Florida to its first College World Series since 2005’s national runner-up appearance, but the Gators were two and ‘que in Rosenblatt Stadium’s swan song. Last year, virtually the same team stormed all the way to the CWS Championship Series, only to fall to SEC Eastern Division rival South Carolina.

The question O’Sullivan has this year is – Can that same core of players take things one step farther?

While the two-time defending champion Gamecocks have considerable losses to deal with (see below), the Gators return almost everyone from last year’s 53 win team.

Starting pitchers Hudson Randall (11-3*, 2.17 ERA, 124 1/3 IP*, 2 CG*), Karsten Whitson (8-1, 2.40 ERA, 97 1/3 IP, 92 K*) and two-way player Brian Johnson (8-1, 2.40 ERA/.307 BA, 5 HR, 29 RBIs) combined to pitch nearly half of the team’s 644 innings last year. A slew of heavy duty arms will back them up in the bullpen.

The line-up is led by catcher Mike Zunino (.371*, 19 HR*, 23 Doubles*, 67 RBIs, 75 Runs*, 1.116 OPS*) and senior Preston Tucker (.308, 15 HR, 74 RBIs*, 23 Doubles*). Daniel Pigott (.331, 5 HR, 40 RBIs, 15 SB*), Nolan Fontana (.289, 5 HR, 49 RBIs), Austin Maddox (.280, 6 HR, 35 RBIs/0.67 ERA, 21 App., 5 SV*), Tyler Thompson (.264, 27 Starts), and Vickash Ramjit (.382, 19 Starts) all fortify the best top to bottom everyday lineup in the country heading into the season. Tucker told us anything short of a national championship this year would be a disappointment and it’s hard to disagree.

The Gators challenge themselves right away when they host a three-game series vs. Cal State Fullerton to open the season.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with Gator Preston Tucker.

2. South Carolina

2011 Record:  55-14

Ray Tanner’s Gamecocks won a second straight national title last year after returning a slew of talent from the 2010 championship squad. This year will be different though. South Carolina loses several key players from the back-to-back championship teams – including position players Jackie Bradley, Jr. (.247, 6 HR, 27 RBIs), Scott Wingo (.338, 4 HR, 31 RBIs), Brady Thomas (.316, 4 HR, 43 RBIs), Robert Beary (.289, 3 HR, 35 RBIs), Adrian Morales (.281, 3 HR, 40 RBIs), and relievers John Taylor (8-1, 1.14 ERA, 50 App., *) and Jose Mata (3-0, 1.76 ERA). The two pitchers combined to make 73 appearances (50 by Taylor) en-route to the team’s second crown last year.

While the losses are formidable, South Carolina does return arguably the most important pitcher in the country, Michael Roth (14-3*, 1.06 ERA, CG*, 145 IP*, 112 K*), over the last two seasons. Sophomore closer Matt Price (7-3, 1.83 ERA, 20 SV*, 59 IP, 70 K*), Forrest Koumas (6-1, 2.96 ERA) and Colby Holmes (7-3, 3.69 ERA) fortify a solid pitching staff.

Infield cornerstone Christian Walker (.358*, 10 HR*, 62 RBIs*, 21 Doubles*, 64 Runs*, .992 OPS*) and  Evan Marzilli (.291, 3 HR, 31 RBIs) are also back for a shot at another run at Omaha.

South Carolina is the only SEC team to reach the NCAA Tournament and also record 40 or more wins in each of the last 12 seasons. The Gamecocks have 577 overall wins, including 222 in SEC play (the most of any team in the conference) during that stretch.

3. Stanford

2011 Record: 35-22

You would be hard pressed to find a team that played a tougher schedule than Stanford last year. You would be even harder pressed to find a pitcher who had tougher head-to-head match-ups in 2011 than Cardinal ace Mark Appel (6-7, 3.02 ERA, 2 CG*, 110 1/3 IP*). Stanford opened its season with series at Rice, at Vanderbilt and at Texas, making the likes of Sonny Gray and Taylor Jungmann Appel’s counterparts on those nights. That’s not to mention match-ups with Sam Gaviglio, Gerrit Cole, Brady Rodgers, Kurt Heyer, and Erik Johnson in Pac-10 play.

The long and short of it is, while Appel won just six times for a 35 win Stanford team, both were battle tested when the NCAA Tournament rolled around as the Cardinal won the Fullerton Regional before falling to North Carolina in Super Regional play.

Appel leads a pitching staff that includes Dean McArdle (7-4*, 4.21 ERA), A.J. Vanegas (1-0, 3.35 ERA, 23 App.) and Brett Mooneyham, who missed all of last season due to injury. The lefty made 28 starts in his first two seasons in 2009 & ’10.

The everyday lineup is stocked with the likes of Stephen Piscotty (.364*, 3 HR, 40 RBIs, 13 Doubles), Brian Ragira (.329, 4 HR, 46 RBIs*, 5 Triples*), Tyler Gaffney (.327, 3 HR, 35 RBIs, 5 Triples*, 10 Doubles, 42 Runs*), Austin Wilson (.311, 5 HR*, 30 RBIs), Lonnie Kauppila (.298, 10 Doubles, 25 RBIs), Kenny Diekroeger (.293, 2 HR, 31 RBIs, 31 Runs), and Jake Stewart (.287, 19 RBIs, 15 Doubles*, 8 SB*, 32 Runs).

By the way, Texas, Rice and Vandy all visit Sunken Diamond this year.

4. North Carolina

2011 Record: 51-16

The good news for Mike Fox and his Tar Heels last year was, after being eliminated in the Regional round in 2010 (on the heels of four straight CWS appearances from 2006-2009), they got back to Omaha in 2011. The bad news was, it was one of their shortest CWS trips. North Carolina was just 1-2 at TD Ameritrade Park last year, with a win over Texas sandwiched between losses to Vanderbilt.

The good news for Fox this year is he returns the bulk of last year’s team. Colin Moran (.335*, 9*, 71 RBIs*, 20 Doubles*, .982 OPS*), Tommy Coyle (.311, 2 HR, 36 RBIs, 57 Runs*, 16 Doubles, 18 SB*), Jacob Stallings (.292, 4 HR, 43 RBIs), Chaz Frank (.278, 35 RBIs, 10 SB). Coyle and Stallings were two of just three Tar Heels to start all 67 games last year. The biggest blow to the lineup and infield is the loss of shortstop Levi Michael (.289, 5 HR, 48 RBIs).

The pitching staff loses ace Patrick Johnson (13-2*, 2.47 ERA, 113 IP*, 125 K*), but there are more than enough returning arms to pick-up the slack. Among them Kent Emanuel (9-1, 2.33 ERA*, 104 1/3 IP), Chris Munnelly (6-5, 4.09 ERA, 10 Starts, 1 SV), Tate Parrish (2.20 ERA, 32 App., 16 1/3 IP, 15 K), Andrew Smith (3-1, 2.77 ERA, 24 App., 26 IP, 27 K), Shane Taylor (2-3, 3.00 ERA, 36 IP, 38 K), R.C. Orlan (2-0, 3.79 ERA, 32 App., 19 IP, 24 K), and Michael Morlin (4-2, 4.64 ERA, 32 App., 6 Starts, 10 SV*, 64 IP, 66 K).

5. Texas A&M

2011 Record: 47-22

Like its arch rival, Texas, Texas A&M is coming-off a trip to the College World Series. It was the program’s first appearance under head coach Rob Childress and its first since 1999. Unlike Texas, this will be A&M’s last season in the Big 12, as the Aggies move to the SEC (along with Missouri) next season.

Kind of makes the April 27-29 series (first game in College Station with the second two in Austin) must see college baseball.

Regardless of next year’s conference address, Childress has the cupboard stocked with returning talent this year. Most notably, reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Tyler Naquin (.381*, 68 Runs*, 44 RBIs, 7 triples*, 23 doubles*, .987 OPS*). The Aggie leadoff man is joined by Jacob House (.301, 3 HR, 52 RBIs*), Matt Juengel (.308, 7 HR*, 50 RBIs), and 2011 Freshman All-American Krey Bratsen (.332, 36 RBIs, 19 sac bunts*, 31 SB*).

Childress has plenty of pitching back too, with Michael Wacha (9-4, 2.29 ERA, 2 CG, 129 2/3 IP*, 123 K*) and versatile Ross Stripling (14-2*, 2.29 ERA, 4 CG*, 4 SV, 125 2/3 IP) at the front of the weekend rotation. Those two combine to give the Aggies one of the top Friday-Saturday duos in the country.

6. Rice

2011 Record: 42-21

Time marches on as Ray Graham prepares for his 21^st season at the helm at Rice. The veteran has averaged an amazing 45 wins in his two decades at the helm. If he hits that number this year and next, he will move past 1,000 career victories.

Graham enters 2011 looking to replace, arguably, the best player in Rice history – Anthony Rendon (.327*, 6 HR, 20 Doubles*, 1.043 OPS*). The third baseman’s home runs dropped last year thanks to BBCOR, but he still hit 52 HR in his three seasons in an Owl uniform. He was the sixth overall pick and the first college position player selected in last year’s MLB Draft (Washington Nationals).

As good as Rendon is, the one thing Rice did not do while he was there is go to the College World Series. The Owls were the No. 8 national seed and hosted an NCAA Regional last year, but they went just 1-2 and saw Cinderella Cal advance all the way to the CWS out of their Regional.

Rice has both plenty of offense and pitching returning this year. Michael Ratterree (.327*, 6 HR*, 53 RBIs*, 20 Doubles*), Craig Manuel (.309, 35 RBIs, 26 Runs) and Shane  Hoelscher (.281, 3 HR, 37 RBIs, 13 Doubles, 30 Runs) are among the top position players back.

Austin Kubitza (6-5, 2.34 ERA*, 100 IP*, 102 K*) heads the weekend rotation, while Matthew Reckling (4-1, 3.10 ERA, 78 1/3 IP, 96 K), Tyler Duffey (8-2*, 2.52 ERA, 30 App., 60 2/3 IP, 76 K), and John Simms (3-2, 3.32 ERA, 62 1/3 IP, 63 K, 23 App.) all return as well. Reckling is the grandson of Rice alum T.R. Reckling, for whom Rice’s home stadium, Reckling Park, is named.

7. Texas

2011 Record: 49-19

After failing to advance to the College World Series from 2006-2008, Augie Garrido’s Longhorns have righted the ship with trips to Omaha two of the last three seasons. Last year’s Omaha appearance was historically short though. Texas was two-and-out for just the second time in its 25 CWS appearances since 1966 last year with losses to Florida and North Carolina.

Gone from last year’s team is first round draftee Taylor Jungmann (13-3, 1.60 ERA, 5 CG, 141 IP*, 126 K*), whose only three losses of the season came in consecutive weeks in NCAA play. Cole Green (8-4, 3.14 ERA, 106 IP, 104 K) is gone as well, leaving Garrido with nearly 250 innings pitched to replace. It’s Texas though, so arms won’t be a problem.  National Freshman of the Year Corey Knebel (3-2, 1.13 ERA, 19 SV*, 55 2/3 IP, 61 K), Sam Stafford (6-2, 1.77 ERA) and Hoby Milner (7-4, 2.45 ERA) are back along with a host of other options.

Erich Weiss (.348*, 4 HR, 7 triples*, 12 doubles, 45 RBIs*, 1.003 OPS*) was the Longhorns’ top bat as a freshman last year, but he’ll need others to step-up around him with the losses of veterans Brandon Loy (.342, 30 RBIs) and Tant Shepherd (.303, 5 HR*, 41 RBIs).

8. Arkansas

2011 Record:

If Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn knows nothing else about the 2012 season, he knows this – his Razorbacks will not have to go through Arizona State in Tempe in the NCAA Tournament. After both teams went to the 2009 College World Series, they squared-off in a 2010 Super Regional, with ASU again advancing to Omaha. Arkansas then bowed-out to the Sun Devils in Tempe in the Regional final last year. However, there is no way the two will meet in the postseason this year, because Arizona State is ineligible due to NCAA probation.

Freshman All-American Dominic Ficociello (.335*, 4 HR, 50 RBIs*, 15 Doubles) is back to lead a lineup that returns five position players from a team that won a tight race in the SEC Western Division. Only two games in the loss column separated first place from last place in the division. Bo Bigham (.291, 2 HR, 20 RBIs, 17 SB), Matt Reynolds (.243, 3 HR, 22 RBIs, 16 SB) and Tim Carver (.232, HR, 13 RBIs, 30 Runs, 24 SB*) are among those who will need to step-up to replace the power and production of James McCann (.306, 6 HR, 38 RBIs, 14 Doubles) and Kyle Robinson (.291, 10 HR*, 49 RBIs).

The Razorbacks will rely on a pitching staff whose 3.20 ERA in 2011 was the program’s best since 1982. All-SEC pitcher D.J. Baxendale (10-2*, 1.58 ERA*, CG, 3 SV, 81/3 IP*, 77 K*) is at the front of the weekend rotation and is among 10 returning Hog pitchers. Freshman All-Americans Barrett Astin (5-2, 2.72 ERA, 3 SV, 27 App.*) and Nolan Sanburn (2-4, 3.62 ERA, 8 SV) combined for 92 IP and 92 Ks last year.

9. Georgia Tech

2011 Record:

The Yellow Jackets hosted an NCAA Regional for the ninth time in 12 years in 2011, but failed to advance after being upset in the first round by Austin Peay and ultimately seeing Mississippi State advance to Super Regional play.

Danny Hall enters his 19^th season at Georgia Tech just 13 wins away from 1,000 in his career. He is also looking to take his team back to the College World Series for the first time since 2006.

Hall loses his top overall bat in Matt Skole (.348*, 10 HR, 58 RBIs*, .990 OPS*), but he has more than enough returning offense back in 2011 with Jake Davies (.347, 5 HR, 35 RBIs, 13 Doubles), Freshman All-American Kyle Wren (.340, 32 RBIs, 11 Doubles, 7 Triples*, 57 Runs*, 16 SB), Sam Dove (.310, 18 RBIs, 30 Runs), Brandon Thomas (.307, 3 HR, 29 RBIs, 29 Runs, 12 Doubles, 19 SB*), Daniel Palka (.297, 12 HR*, 52 RBIs, 18 Doubles, 41 Runs), Mott Hyde (.275, 4 HR, 47 RBIs, 39 Runs, 13 Doubles), and Zane Evans (.270, 5 HR, 46 RBIs, 34 Runs, 14 Doubles) all returning.

Mark Pope (11-4*, 1.74 ERA, 5 CG*, 113 2/3 IP*) is the biggest pitching loss, but the ’11 staff is still deep with Buck Farmer (11-3*, 2.91 ERA, 2 CG, 108 1/3 IP, 106 K*), Matthew Grimes (7-4, 4.15 ERA, 73 2/3 IP, 77 K), DeAndre Smelter (2-1, 0.52 ERA), Luke Bard (2-2, 2.72 ERA, 8 SV*, 25 App.*, 49 2/3 IP, 46 K), Dusty Isaacs (1-1, 2.72 ERA, 36 1/3 IP, 40 K, 25 App.*), and Devin Stanton (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 18 App.) all back looking for a deep NCAA run.

10. LSU

2011 Record: 36-20

Since winning the 2009 national championship, LSU was eliminated in NCAA Regional play in 2010 and just missed the NCAA field in 2011. Paul Mainieri’s young squad struggled to find consistency last year, but last year’s youngsters are all SEC-seasoned veterans now for a team that many considered a 2012 CWS favorite as soon as the 2011 season ended.

The biggest place where inexperience showed last year was in the weekend pitching rotation, where freshmen Kevin Gausman (5-6, 3.51 ERA, 89 2/3 IP*, 86 K*) and Kurt McCune (7-3*, 89 2/3 IP*, 3.31 ERA*) ate the bulk of the innings. Fellow Freshman Ryan Eades (4-1, 4.81 ERA, 6 starts, 18 App.) emerged and joined his classmates in the weekend rotation by season’s end, going 3-0 in his last three starts of the season. That included a win over eventual Super Regional team Mississippi State. Eades also went on to earn Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year honors last summer. Those three give Mainieri what he thinks is the best weekend rotation in the nation entering the season.

The Tigers must fill the void left by closer Matty Ott (1-3, 2.60 ERA, 6 SV*). Sophomore Nick Rumbelow (2-0, 4.85 ERA, 10 App.), All-American juco transfer Nick Goody and freshman Aaron Nola (the younger brother of Austin Nola) have been competing for that spot. The two who fall short in that battle will start the season as set-up men.

Mikie Mahtook (.383*, 61 Runs*, 12 doubles, 5 triples*, 14 HR*, 56 RBIs*), who hit 14 of the team’s 34 home runs last year, is gone. JaCoby Jones (.338, 4 HR, 32 RBIs, 11 Doubles, 12 SB) will take over for him in centerfield, while Raph Rhymes (.360, 3 HR, 42 RBIs, 43 Runs, 18 Doubles)), Mason Katz (.337, 4 HR, 53 RBIs, 40 Runs, 21 Doubles*), and Austin Nola (.296, 2 HR, 42 RBIs, 13 Doubles, 40 Runs) are all back in the everyday lineup.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with LSU head coach Paul Mainieri.

The formula for the current CB360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) includes five ingredients: preseason rankings by USA Today/ESPN (coaches), NCBWA (writers), Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball magazine, and College Baseball Lineup. Prior to opening day (Feb. 17), the CNR will be adjusted slightly after adding the Perfect Game preseason rankings and small bonus/penalty factors for projected strength-of-schedule and preseason conference polls (look for the final preseason CNR sometime next week, prior to opening day). This update also will serve to create a preseason projection of the 2012 NCAA field-of-64 (including automatic qualifiers that fall outside the CNR top-50).

Florida received 99.86 points on the CNR 100-point scale, after checking in at #1 in all five polls. The Gators received 17-of-31 first-place votes in the coaches poll (South Carolina had 12; Stanford and Texas A&M one each) while earning 497 out of 500 maximum points from Collegiate Baseball – thus accounting for Florida’s CNR point total being shy of 100.

Here’s a quick look at the current CB360 top-50 (information on the CNR formula is included at the bottom of this page):

CLICK HERE to see capsules for teams 1-10

College Baseball 360 Composite Top-50
(preliminary preseason Composite National Rankings, as of Feb. 10, 2012 … a final preseason top-50 will be released prior to Feb. 17 opening day and will include a projected NCAA field-of-64, based on the CNR) 

1. Florida … 99.86
2. South Carolina … 98.63
3. Stanford … 97.10
4. North Carolina … 95.36
5. Texas A&M … 95.15
6. Rice … 93.93
7. Texas … 92.95
8. Arkansas … 92.34
9. Georgia Tech … 90.36
10. LSU … 88.71
11. Vanderbilt … 87.36
12. TCU … 86.90
13. Florida State … 86.77
14. Arizona … 85.05
15. Miami … 84.11
16. Oklahoma … 82.18
17. UCLA … 81.76
18. Clemson … 80.85
19. Georgia … 79.44
20. Cal State Fullerton … 79.37
21. Arizona State … 74.96
22. California … 71.24
23. St. John’s … 70.18
24. Oregon State … 70.04
25. Louisville … 70.02
26. UC Irvine … 68.48
27. Virginia … 68.24
28. Stetson … 65.32
29. Central Florida … 61.07
30. Baylor … 57.39
31. Southern Mississippi … 56.92
32. Mississippi … 56.89
33. Dallas Baptist … 56.64
34. College of Charleston … 54.77
35. Oregon … 52.37
36. East Carolina … 51.55
37. Mississippi State … 50.55
38. Missouri State … 49.73
39. Georgia Southern … 49.53
40. Wichita State … 48.07
41. USC … 47.92
42. Charlotte … 47.3
43. Coastal Carolina … 47.18
44. Jacksonville … 46.35
45. Connecticut … 46.20
46. Texas State … 46.03
47. Florida International … 45.22
48. Fresno State … 45.02
48. Kent State … 45.02
50. Oklahoma State … 44.79

Teams receive points based on their standings in each poll/rating/projection (60 pts for #1; 59 for #2, etc.). For polls involving voting points (coaches and CB) and the various RPI-type ratings, the CNR adjusts to reward teams that have larger margins in the voting/point totals (whereas two teams with nearly the same voting-point total will be closer in the CNR allotment for that poll). Note that strength-of-schedule typically is factored into RPI formulations … thus the actual SOS numbers only are used early in the season (SOS are not used in the CNR when RPI already are in the mix). For the NCAA field projections, teams are awarded CNR points based on their respective seedings, “last in” and “last out,” etc.

The polls/ratings/projections are averaged, with 40 points typically then added to each total in order to yield the 100-point benchmark. Early in the season (projected SOS) and late in the season (final-10 games), a maximum bonus/penalty of 0.5 points is factored into the formula (in that case, 39.5, rather than 40, is added to the poll/rating/projection avg.).

Here are links to the five criteria currently used in the CNR, as of Feb. 10, 2012 (several more to be added prior to 2012 opening day):
• National Coaches Poll (USA Today/ESPN)
• National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll
• Baseball America poll
• Colllegiate Baseball magazine rankings
• College Baseball Lineup rankings

NEW ORLEANS – Defending Sun Belt Conference champion Troy and Florida International are co-favorites as the league’s top teams in the preseason coaches’ poll released by the Sun Belt office on Friday. Senior All-America Tyler Ray was named Preseason Pitcher of the Year and All-America senior shortstop Tyler Hannah was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.

The Trojans received four first-place votes and tied with FIU atop the preseason standings with 93 points. Troy made its third NCAA Tournament appearance in the past six years last season after posting a 43-19 regular season record and 21-9 mark in the league. Troy’s three NCAA appearances are the most by any school in the league since the Trojans joined the Sun Belt in 2006.

FIU is led by 2012 SBC Preseason Player of the Year and reigning SBC Co-Player of the Year, Pablo Bermudez, who led the SBC with a .373 average last season. Bermudez is joined by teammates Rudy Flores, Mike Martinez and Mason McVay on the Preseason All-Conference team.

Last season the Panthers earned their second consecutive NCAA Regional bid.

Troy won the 2011 SBC regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in the past six years. A large part of Troy’s success came from its 30-5 record at Riddle-Pace Field. The Trojans finished the 2011 season 43-19 but return two of the league’s better players in Tyler Hannah and Tyler Ray. Ray, last year’s Pitcher of the Year, was tabbed as the 2012 Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Last season Ray went 12-0 with a 2.39 earned run average.

Hannah has been named to a pair of preseason All-America teams this season after finishing second in the league in batting a year ago (.370).

The Trojans also received four first-place votes and finished with 93 points in the coaches poll.

Louisiana-Lafayette was picked third overall by the coaches with 74 points and one first-place vote. The Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team enters their 18th season under the direction of Tony Robichaux in 2012 who has compiled a career record of 608-409-1 while the head coach of the Cajuns.

This is the second consecutive year the Cajuns were picked to finish third in the league by the coaches. Louisiana-Lafayette finished third in the league in pitching with a staff ERA of 3.85.

Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky were picked to finish fourth as each team garnered 60 points. The Owls, last year’s preseason favorite, finished the 2011 season 32-25. Despite the starters lost from a season ago, the Owls return catcher Mike Albaladejo and outfielder Alex Hudak. In addition to the two position starters, the Owls return one of the best relievers in the country in Hugh Adams. Adams has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list after leading the SBC in saves with 10.

The Hilltopper baseball team enters the 2012 season under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Myers. Myers is in his fifth year overall with WKU after serving as an assistant coach the last four seasons. The 2012 Hilltoppers feature 16 returning letter winners, led by Preseason All-SBC selections outfielder Jared Andreoli and pitcher Tanner Perkins, as well as the reigning SBC Freshman of the Year Justin Hageman.

The Hilltoppers will look to make their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last five seasons.

South Alabama is the other team in the conference with a first-year head coach in Mark Calvi. The Jaguars, picked to finish sixth in 2012 by the coaches, finished the 2011 season with a 30-28 record as the team closed out the storied career of Steve Kittrell who retired following the season. Logan Kirkland represents the Jaguars on the Preseason All-Conference team at second base.

Arkansas State follows the Jaguars as the Red Wolves were picked to finish seventh in the league this season. Six starting position players return from the 2011 team that finished 27-31-1 and won two games at the SBC Tournament, including starting pitcher Jacob Lee, and outfielders Ryan Emery, Michael Faulkner and Logan Uxa. Lee was the preseason 2011 SBC Pitcher of the Year and finished the season with a team-low 3.25 ERA and a 5-4 record, while Emery finished second on the team with a .314 batting average.

Middle Tennessee and head coach Steve Peterson enter their 25th season together in 2012. The Blue Raiders failed to qualify for the tournament in 2011 and look to recapture the winning magic that saw the team win 44 games in 2009. MT returns six position starters and 20 letter winners to the squad led by senior Justin Guidry and sophomore Hank LaRue, both 2012 Preseason All-SBC selections.

Louisiana-Monroe and UALR were picked to finish ninth and tenth, respectively, by the league’s coaches. ULM will have 16 returning letter winners on the roster in 2012, among them 2011 All-Sun Belt Conference first team selection Joey Rapp (.318, 13 HR, 46 RBI) and 2011 Rawlings Gold Glove Team recipient and 2012 Preseason All-SBC Caleb Clowers (.996 FLD, no errors in conference play).

UALR became the first No. 8 seed to ever win the SBC tournament in 2011 and will look to build upon that postseason success from a season ago. The Trojans welcome 20 newcomers this year but return five position starters including utility man Myles Parma and shortstop Greg Garcia.

All ten SBC teams will begin the season on Feb. 17. Western Kentucky University, the Bowling Green Hot Rods and the BG Hot Rods facility, the Bowling Green Ballpark, will play host to the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championships set for May 23-27, 2012 in Bowling Green, Ky.

2012 Preseason All-Sun Belt Baseball Team

Tyler Ray (Troy, Senior, SP)

Justin Hageman (WKU, Sophomore, SP)

Tanner Perkins (WKU, Junior, SP)

Hugh Adams (Florida Atlantic, Senior, RP)

Mason McVay (FIU, RS-Junior, RP)

Mike Albaladejo (Florida Atlantic, Senior, Catcher)

Mike Martinez (FIU, Senior, 1B)

Caleb Clowers (ULM, Senior, 2B)

Logan Kirkland (South Alabama, Sophomore, 2B)

Tyler Hannah (Troy, Senior, SS)

Hank LaRue (Middle Tennessee, Sophomore, 3B)

Alex Hudak (Florida Atlantic, Senior, OF)

Pablo Bermudez (FIU, Senior, OF)

Justin Guidry (Middle Tennessee, Senior, OF)

Rudy Flores (FIU, Junior, DH)

2012 Preseason Player of the Year

Pablo Bermudez (FIU, Senior, OF)

2012 Preseason Pitcher of the Year

Tyler Ray (Troy, Senior, SP)

2012 SBC Coaches Predicted Order of Finish (first place votes)

1. Troy (4) – 93 pts

1. FIU (4) – 93 pts

3. Louisiana-Lafayette (1) – 74 pts

4. Florida Atlantic  – 60 pts

4. Western Kentucky  – 60 pts

6. South Alabama  – 56 pts

7. Arkansas State  – 36 pts

8. Middle Tennessee  – 31 pts

9. ULM (1) – 26 pts

10. UALR - 21 pts

(Release)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Six-time defending Mountain West Conference champion TCU is the unanimous favorite to win its seventh consecutive regular season MWC baseball title in 2012, according to a vote of the five MWC head coaches.  The Horned Frogs received all five first-place votes and 25 points overall.  UNLV edged out New Mexico for second place with 16 points, while the Lobos picked up 15 points in third place.  San Diego State was picked fourth (12 points), followed by Air Force in fifth (7 points).

TCU, under the direction of head coach Jim Schlossnagle, returns 13 letterwinners from a 2011 squad that was 43-19 overall, 20-3 in MW action and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive season.  The Horned Frogs are ranked in several preseason national polls, including No. 15 by Baseball America, No. 10 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 13 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).  The Horned Frogs are led by returning all-Mountain West performers Josh Elander (C, Jr.), Jantzen Witte (3B, Jr.), Jason Coats (OF, Sr.), Brance Rivera (OF, Sr.) and Freshman All-American pitcher Andrew Mitchell.  Elander has earned several preseason All-America honors in 2012. This season will be TCU’s last in the Mountain West Conference, as it moves to the Big 12 next year.

UNLV (33-25, 10-13 MW) returns 18 letterwinners, including nine pitchers.  Senior infielders Scott Dysinger and Brandon Bayardi are among the top starters returning for second-year head coach Tim Chambers.  The Rebels will host the 2012 MW Championship at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, May 24-27.

New Mexico (20-41, 10-14 MW) made its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011 by earning the MW Championship title and the league’s automatic bid.  Head coach Ray Birmingham returns 17 letterwinners, including MW Championship Most Valuable Player D.J. Peterson (1B, So.) and Alex Albritton (SS, Jr.).  Peterson has been named to the 2012 Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America Third Team.

San Diego State (22-36, 11-13 MW) returns all-Mountain West performers Cody Smith (OF, So.) and Cole Swanson (LHP, So.) among its 16 returning letterwinners.  Air Force (19-36, 4-20 MW) will be led in 2012 by all-MW selections Garrett Custons (C/OF, Jr.) and Sean Carley (RHP, Jr.).

The 2012 Mountain West baseball season begins Friday, Feb. 17 with all five MW teams in action.  Conference play will begin on Friday, March 16.  For more on the preseason poll and all-Conference team, as well as a look at each of the five MW squads, tune in to The Mtn.-MountainWest Sports Network (DirecTV 616) tonight for the 2012 MWC Baseball Preview, which airs at 7 p.m. MT.

2012 Mountain West PRESEASON POLL

Rk.       Team (1^st-place votes)              Points

1.         TCU (5)                                           25

2.         UNLV                                             16

3.         New Mexico                                    15

4.         San Diego State                             12

5.         Air Force                                          7

2012 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Position – Name, Class              Institution

C – Josh Elander, Jr.                  TCU

1B – D.J. Peterson, So.              New Mexico

2B – Scott Dysinger, Sr.             UNLV

3B – Jantzen Witte, Jr.                TCU

SS – Alex Albritton, Jr.                New Mexico

OF – Jason Coats, Sr.                TCU

OF – Brance Rivera, Sr.               TCU

OF – Cody Smith, So.                 San Diego State

UT/DH – Brandon Bayardi, Sr.     UNLV

P – Andrew Mitchell, So.             TCU

P – Cole Swanson, So.               San Diego State

(Release)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference has announced its official 2012 SEC Baseball television schedule, the third under the league’s 15-year agreement with ESPN. The entire package will include 66 broadcasts in 2012. In addition, all games from the 2012 SEC Tournament will continue to be televised, with the championship game airing again nationally on ESPN2.

“The success and popularity of baseball in our conference is at an all-time high,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “We are proud to be able to offer this amount of television coverage to both our teams and our fans.”

The television package is derived from broadcasts on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FSN, SportSouth and CSS. In addition, ESPN3 will also stream most broadcasts live online.

“This package continues to move our baseball exposure to new levels,” SEC Consultant for Television Larry Templeton stated. “Fans of SEC Baseball will be able to follow the season like never before.”

SEC schools maintain the rights to air additional games not included in the official SEC package with various television outlets, including official SEC television partners. More than 50-60 additional games are set to be broadcast, bringing the total number of SEC baseball games broadcast in 2012 to 120 games or more.

ESPNU’s previously announced Thursday Night SEC Baseball Game of the Week will begin Thursday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. ET and run eight weeks through May 17. The first Thursday night game will feature No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 South Carolina in a rematch of last season’s College World Series Finals. The weekly game will feature a live 30-minute pregame show from ESPNU studios at 7 p.m. ET each week, focusing on baseball news and updates from around the league.  ESPN networks will air 18 SEC baseball broadcasts this season.

All games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will be broadcast in high definition.

The 2012 SEC regular season begins Friday, February 17, with conference play set to begin Friday, March 16. The SEC Tournament will be played at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., May 22-27.

2012 SEC Baseball TV Schedule

All Times Eastern

FSSO – Includes FOX Sports South, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Houston

SPSO – Includes SportSouth, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports South in Kentucky

CSS – Includes Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast, CST (Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida), Brighthouse Sports Network (Florida), Time Warner Cable (Carolinas), Insight Cable (Kentucky)

Wildcard games to be selected in the weeks prior to event.

Regular season games on ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPNU, as well as all games from the SEC Tournament, available in high definition.

Most games will be streamed live on ESPN3

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference baseball coaches have selected College of Charleston as the preseason favorite to win the league championship in 2012 while the media representatives who cover the league have chosen Georgia Southern as the conference favorite.

The Cougars received six of the 11 possible first-place votes and 93 points in the coaches’ balloting, narrowly edging Georgia Southern by a single point. Charleston, which finished 39-22 last year and tied for third in the conference at 18-12, returns its entire starting pitching rotation along with all-conference outfielders Daniel Aldrich and Marty Gantt.

Georgia Southern was the clear preseason favorite of the league’s media, earning 20 of 25 first-place votes and 269 points overall. The 2011 SoCon Tournament champion Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons. All-America slugger Victor Roache leads the Eagles’ hitters while right-hander Chris Beck, last year’s tournament Most Outstanding Player, anchors the rotation.

The Cougars and Eagles swapped positions in the respective polls, with the coaches voting GSU second and the media tabbing CofC as league runners-up.

In the coaches’ poll, GSU grabbed 92 points and four first-place votes while Samford placed third with 83 points and the remaining first-place nod. Elon (76 points), the 2011 regular season champion, was selected to finish fourth, followed by Appalachian State (62), Western Carolina (51) and UNCG (50) in the fifth through seventh spots, respectively. The Citadel (33) edged Furman (32) for eighth spot while Wofford (18) and Davidson (15) concluded the rankings.

With 246 points and three first-place tallies, Charleston placed second in the media balloting, directly ahead of Elon (220) which recorded the final two first-place votes. Samford (198), UNCG (150), Appalachian State (149), Western Carolina (130), The Citadel (112), Furman (86), Wofford (55) and Davidson (35) rounded out the poll.

The 2012 Southern Conference baseball season begins on Friday, February 17 with all 11 league teams in action. The 2012 Southern Conference Baseball Championship will be held from May 23-27 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll

Place    School (First)                      Points

1.         College of Charleston (6)           93

2.         Georgia Southern (4)                 92

3.         Samford (1)                              83

4.         Elon                                         76

5.         Appalachian State                     62

6.         Western Carolina                       51

7.         UNCG                                      50

8.         The Citadel                               33

9.         Furman                                     32

10.        Wofford                                   18

11.        Davidson                                 15

2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason Media Poll

Place    School (First)                      Points

1.         Georgia Southern (20)             269

2.         College of Charleston (3)         246

3.         Elon (2)                                  220

4.         Samford                                 198

5.         UNCG                                     150

6.         Appalachian State                   149

7.         Western Carolina                     130

8.         The Citadel                             112

9.         Furman                                     86

10.        Wofford                                   55

11.        Davidson                                 35

(Release)

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — After winning the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships a year ago, Austin Peay has been tabbed the 2012 preseason favorite for the 10-team league in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches. In additional voting Southeast Missouri State All-American senior third baseman Trenton Moses was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year while Jacksonville State senior closer Todd Hornsby was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

The overall voting in the preseason poll was close as three different teams received first-place votes and just six points separated first and second place. Austin Peay claimed seven of the 10 first-place votes and garnered 79 total points to be picked as the favorites. Jacksonville State was second with one first-place vote and 73 points while Tennessee Tech picked up the other two first-place votes and 63 total points to be picked third. Southeast Missouri was picked fourth (52) and was followed by SIUE (48), Eastern Kentucky (45), Eastern Illinois (34), UT Martin (25), Murray State (21) and Morehead State (10).

In all, 13 players were selected to the Preseason All-OVC team. The 13 players represented six of the 10 teams who will compete for the OVC championship this season. Jacksonville State led the way with five selections while Austin Peay had four picks. Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and UT Martin had one selection apiece. Returning players who were first-team selections at the end of last season were automatic picks for this year’s team.

After not making the OVC Tournament field in either 2009 or 2010 and being picked seventh in last year’s preseason poll, Austin Peay proved everyone wrong by compiling a 17-6 OVC record on its way to its sixth OVC regular season crown since divisional play ended. The Governors then captured the OVC Tournament Championship on its way to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. APSU would top host Georgia Tech in the first game of the Regional, before losing its next two games. Despite losing OVC Pitcher of the Year Jeremy Dobbs to the MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Govs return eight positional starters and three starting pitchers from last year’s team. The only positional player not returning is John Hogan, last year’s All-OVC first-team first baseman, who will redshirt this year with an injury. Among the returning players are four preseason All-OVC selections in sophomore second baseman Jordan Hankins (.351, 15 doubles), junior shortstop Reed Harper (.329, 17 doubles, 43 RBI and named to the Atlanta All-Region Team), senior outfielder Michael Blanchard (.333, 4 runs, 29 stolen bases) and senior starting pitcher Zach Toney (19 games, 6-3 record, 2 saves, 73 strikeouts). Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure returns for his 25th season as head coach at his alma mater; McClure is only 64 victories away from becoming the OVC’s all-time leader in wins.

Jacksonville State advanced to the championship round of the OVC Tournament a year ago but could not get past Austin Peay, finishing as the event’s runner-up. The Gamecocks did finish the 2011 season with 36 victories, reaching the 30-win plateau for the ninth-straight season, tied for the longest stretch in school history. This year 11th year head coach Jim Case returns 25 of 30 letterwinners from a year ago including eight positional starters and five pitchers. Five of the Gamecocks returning players were named to the Preseason All-OVC team including senior closer Todd Hornsby who was named Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year. A season ago Hornsby saved 15 games, establishing a new OVC single-season record (breaking the old mark of 12). In just two seasons as the Jax State closer, Hornsby has saved 20 games, 11 off the OVC career record. Overall he appeared in 30 games a season ago, winning five games and compiling a 2.16 E.R.A. Joining Hornsby on the preseason All-OVC team are senior catcher Sam Eberle (.356, 88 hits, 54 RBI), senior first baseman Ben Waldrip (.344, 66 hits, 10 home runs, 46 RBI), senior outfielder Kyle Bluestein (.346, 55 hits, 7 home runs, 38 RBI) and senior starting pitcher Aaron Elias (15 games, 7-3, 3.78 E.R.A., 71 strikeouts).

After winning 25 games overall and finishing fourth in the OVC standings, Tennessee Tech returns 16 letterwinners and eight positional starters for the 2012 season. This year the Golden Eagles will look at sophomore first baseman Zach Stephens to once again provide offensive pop with his bat. In his rookie season Stephens hit .310 with 65 hits, 10 home runs and 49 RBI; the 10 home runs and 49 RBI each led the TTU team. Following the year Stephens was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. On the mound junior Tristan Archer returns after winning seven games a season ago and striking out 67 batters in 88.2 innings of work. Head coach Matt Bragga, now in his ninth year with the team, is looking to lead the team to another championship season after winning the 2009 OVC Tournament championship and the 2010 OVC regular season crown.

A year ago Southeast Missouri finished second in the Conference (14-8), appeared in its 17th-straight OVC Tournament and won 34 games overall, the third-most in program history. It marked the ninth time in 17 seasons under head coach Mark Hogan that the team had reached the 30-win plateau. The team’s potent offense ranked 10th nationally in batting (.316) and eighth in home runs (1.02/game). The Redhawks are led by third baseman Trenton Moses, who was named OVC Player of the Year at the end of the season and named Preseason OVC Player of the Year this season. Moses was named an All-American by each Louisville Slugger and College Baseball Lineup following his outstanding junior season. Moses hit .395 with 70 hits, 44 runs, 14 doubles, 11 home runs and 53 RBI. He hit .405 during the regular season, becoming the first Southeast Missouri player to do that since 2003. Including Moses the Redhawks return just 10 total players this season, after having a senior-laden team in 2011. Hogan needs just 12 victories during the season to reach 900 for his career (which includes 30 years overall, the past 17 at SEMO).

SIUE is the newcomer to the OVC schedule this year, playing its first full Conference slate of games since officially joining the Conference on July 1, 2008. The Cougars are in the final year of reclassification from Division II to Division I and are ineligible for OVC or NCAA postseason play, but the team can win the OVC regular season crown this season. They will be fully eligible for postseason play in 2013, when Belmont also joins the league to give the OVC 11 baseball-playing members. Last year SIUE played 19 games against OVC teams, compiling a 15-4 record, which would have placed them first in the OVC had they been eligible for the crown. Head coach Gary Collins enters his 34th season as head coach at his alma meter in 2012; he won his 1,000th career game last season. Among his 20 returning players this year is senior third baseman Zach Hawkins who led the team in hitting last year (.345), sophomore outfielder Devin Caldwell who was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after hitting .314 with 16 doubles and 53 RBI and sophomore pitcher Travis Felax who won five games and compiled a 2.62 E.R.A. in 13 appearances last season.

Eastern Kentucky has qualified for back-to-back OVC Tournaments under head coach Jason Stein, who is entering the fourth season at his alma mater in 2012; the Colonels appeared in its record 27th Championship a season ago. The team did lose its top pitcher from last season, first-team All-OVC pick Stephen Hefler, but the squad does return eight other pitchers and all nine positional starters this season. Among the returners is senior outfielder and preseason All-OVC selection Jacob Daniel (.330, 66 hits, 9 home runs, 44 RBI), senior shortstop Richie Rodriguez (.357, 82 hits, 44 runs, 14 doubles, 26 RBI, 19 stolen bases), who was a second-team All-OVC pick last year and has been a mainstay in the Colonel lineup the past three years, and sophomore third baseman Bryan Soloman (.310, 66 hits, 17 doubles, 9 home runs, 40 RBI) who was named the OVC Rookie of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American last season. The pitching staff will be bolstered by senior Matt Harris, who was 2-0 with one save and a 0.59 E.R.A. against OVC competition last season.

A season ago Eastern Illinois finished seventh in the league and missed out on the six-team OVC Tournament field by .007 percentage points. This season head coach Jim Schmitz, now in his 18th year with the program, has six positional starters and four starting pitchers returning to his program. Among the returning pitchers is senior Mike Hoekstra who won five games and struck out 50 in 82.2 innings of work a season ago. As a sophomore Hoekstra walked just five batters in 67 innings of work, setting a new OVC record for fewest walks in a season. Senior outfielder Ben Thoma is back for his final season in a Panther uniform; last season he had 11 home runs and 37 RBI, both of which were tops on the Eastern Illinois squad.

On the final day of last season UT Martin overcame a 5-0 deficit in the seventh inning to beat league champion Austin Peay and earn a spot in the six-team OVC Tournament field. It marked only the second OVC Tournament berth for the Skyhawks since joining the league in 1993 and first since the 1996 season. Among the team’s returning players this year is sophomore designated hitter Phil Sorensen, a preseason All-OVC selection this year after being a first-team All-OVC pick last year.  Sorensen hit .340 with 50 hits, 15 doubles and 33 RBI in his rookie season with the Skyhawks. Also returning is senior catcher Chase Okey (.307, 58 hits, 32 RBI) and senior outfielder Jordan Owen (26 career home runs, including 18 in 2010). The UT Martin pitching staff will include Dan Tobik (a team-high 91.0 innings last year), Alex Boshers (4 wins, 2 saves in 24 appearances) and Alec Mills (7 wins, 3 saves in 30 appearances). Head coach Bubba Cates enters his 14th season at UTM and 23rd year overall as a head coach in 2012.

Murray State finished with nine Conference victories last year, just missing the OVC Tournament field. This season head coach Rob McDonald, who in the ninth year at his alma mater, will look to get the Thoroughbreds back into title contention. The team returns its top two hitters from a season ago, junior infielder Brandon Elliott and junior outfielder Paul Ritzheimer. Elliott finished third in the OVC in batting (.384) last season, compiling 61 hits, 40 runs, 11 doubles and 22 RBI in 45 games. Ritzheimer, who won the prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award last year, hit .336 with 27 runs and 27 RBI as a sophomore.

Jay Sorg’s Morehead State team will look to replace the offensive firepower of catcher Taylor Davis, who ranked eighth nationally in batting (.414) and sixth in slugging (.736) before being signed by the Chicago Cubs in the offseason. The Eagles do return Preseason All-OVC pick Andrew Deeds to bolster the attack. The senior Deeds, who sees action as both a third baseman and outfielder, was 40th nationally in batting average (.380) last season and ranked eighth nationally in triples/game (0.14). Overall Deeds had 70 hits, 44 runs, 17 doubles, 5 home runs and 49 RBI in 49 games in 2011.  Also returning are the brother tandem of Eric and Luke Bainer who combined for 95 hits, 52 runs, 20 doubles, seven home runs and 50 RBI a season ago.

The 64th season of OVC baseball will get underway on Friday, Feb. 17 with the first weekend of league play being held March 23-25. This year marks the first of the OVC playing three-game Conference series over three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) as opposed to playing a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The season will culminate with the 2012 OVC Championship which will be held for the third year in a row at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn. Pringles Park is the home of the Jackson Generals, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The tournament runs May 23-27.

2012 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Austin Peay (7 first-place votes) – 79
2. Jacksonville State (1) – 73
3. Tennessee Tech (2) – 63
4. Southeast Missouri – 52
5. SIUE – 48
6. Eastern Kentucky – 45
7. Eastern Illinois – 34
8. UT Martin – 25
9. Murray State – 21
10. Morehead State – 10

2012 Preseason All-OVC Baseball Team
Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Trenton Moses (3B), Southeast Missouri
Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year: Todd Hornsby (RHP), Jacksonville State

C – Sam Eberle, Jacksonville State
1B – Ben Waldrip, Jacksonville State
2B – Jordan Hankins, Austin Peay
SS – Reed Harper, Austin Peay
3B – Trenton Moses, Southeast Missouri
OF – Jacob Daniel, Eastern Kentucky
OF – Kyle Bluestein, Jacksonville State
OF – Michael Blanchard, Austin Peay
DH – Phil Sorensen, UT Martin
UT – Andrew Deeds, Morehead State
SP – Zach Toney, Austin Peay
SP – Aaron Elias, Jacksonville State
RP – Todd Hornsby, Jacksonville State

(Release)

In his 35 years as a head baseball coach. Stanford’s Mark Marquess has seen and done a lot. Marquess enters his 36th season as head coach as his alma mater as the seventh-winningest coach in college baseball history with 1,422 wins and a .647 winning percentage.

Marquess has led the Cardinal to 27 NCAA Tournaments and 14 College World Series, with national championships in 1987 and 1988.

In this exclusive interview with College Baseball 360 editor Sean Stires, Marquess reveals how he has changed the most as a head coach since his first game in 1977, how the game of college baseball has changed in that time, what he would change about college baseball, marquee series with Texas, Vanderbilt and Rice this year, and more!

Click the “Play” button below to listen to the interview.

Marquess.mp3

Stanford Head Coach Mark Marquess -  Career record: 1422-741-7

Milestone Wins
1st Career Win (February 4, 1977 vs. USF, 6-1)
1000th Career Win (February 9, 2001 vs. Florida State, 6-2)
1100th Career Win (February 17, 2003 vs. Nevada 5-4)
1200th Career Win (March 5, 2005 vs. Cal 10-3)
1300th Career Win (April 6, 2008 vs. Arizona State 10-2)
100th Career Postseason Win (June 7, 2003 vs. Long Beach State 4-2)

• 2 NCAA Titles
• 14 CWS Appearances
• 7 Super Regional Appearances (6 Titles)
• 27 Regional Appearances (14 Titles)
• 12 Conference Titles

FRISCO, Texas – Texas State is favored to win its fourth consecutive Southland Conference regular-season baseball championship by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Thursday.

The Bobcats were the overwhelming favorites in both polls, receiving the maximum 11 first-place votes and 121 points in the coaches’ and SID polls. Texas State returns 20 letterwinners, six starters and 10 pitchers from a Bobcat squad that won its third consecutive regular-season title and first conference tournament title since 2000. Among the returning players are senior All-Americans Casey Kalenkosky and Tyler Sibley, senior all-conference selection Jeff McVaney and senior starting pitcher Mitchell Pitts. Texas State, which finished the 2011 season with a 41-23 overall record, went 24-9 in conference play, recording its fifth 20-win season in conference play in the last six years.

The second-, third- and fourth-place teams in both polls are separated by less than 10 points.

Stephen F. Austin was selected second in the SID poll, gathering the final first-place from the SIDs and 92 total points. The Lumberjacks, who fell to Texas State in the conference championship a year ago, finished third in the coaches’ poll with a total of 84 points.

Southeastern Louisiana was picked second in the coaches’ polls and third by the SIDs. The Lions received a total of 88 points in both polls. UTSA was tabbed fourth by both the coaches and SIDs. The Roadrunners received 82 points from the coaches and 83 points from the SIDs.

Sam Houston State grabbed the final first-place vote from the coaches to land in the fifth spot with 77 total points. The Bearkats were selected sixth in the SID poll with 74 points.

Lamar, which has won conference-best 10 regular season titles, was picked sixth by the coaches with 67 points and fifth by the SIDs with 79 points.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was tabbed seventh by both coaches and SIDs a year after finishing third in the regular season. The Islanders received 51 points in the coaches’ poll and 66 points from the SIDs.

UT Arlington was picked eighth in both the polls with 49 points from the coaches and 52 from the SIDs.

In the coaches’ poll, McNeese State was selected ninth followed by Northwestern State, Nicholls State and Central Arkansas to round out the poll. McNeese State and Nicholls State each collected 39 points to tie for ninth in the SID poll. Northwestern State and Central Arkansas were tabbed 11th and 12th, respectively, to fill out the SID poll.

Opening day of the Southland season is Feb. 17 with conference play beginning March 9. The Southland Conference tournament will be played May 23-26 at the Bobcat Baseball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.

2012 Preseason All-Southland Conference Baseball Teams

*Returning all-conference selection;

¹Preseason third-team All-America selection by Louisville Slugger

MACON, Ga. – Stetson and Jacksonville sit atop the 2012 Atlantic Sun Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll after landing a combined six student-athletes on the all-conference team. The Hatters’ Kurt Schluter earned the Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor, while the Dolphins’ Adam Brett Walker received Player of the Year recognition for the upcoming season.

A junior starting pitcher, Schluter netted eight wins against no losses in 10 starts last season with a 1.40 ERA. In league contests, he posted a 5-0 record with a 0.97 ERA and 37 strikeouts. Walker finished 2011 as the conference leader in batting average (.409), hits (99), total bases (165) and doubles (23), while ending second in slugging percentage (.682) and runs batted in (74). He added 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases.

Preseason Player of the Year: Adam Brett Walker, Jacksonville
Fan Voted Preseason Player of the Year: Dylan Craig, Belmont
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Kurt Schluter, Stetson
Fan Voted Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Derek Bushey, ETSU

Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Team
Pos. Name School Cl. Hometown Academic Major
C Ronnie Freeman Kennesaw State Jr. Snellville, Ga. Exercise & Health Science
1B* Adam Brett Walker Jacksonville Jr. Milwaukee, Wis. Sports Administration
2B Robert Crews Stetson Sr. Port Charlotte, Fla. Accounting
3B Ben Carhart Stetson Sr. Royal Palm Beach, Fla. Integrative Health Science
SS Mark Jones Stetson Sr. Brunnell, Fla. Elementary Education
OF* Dylan Craig Belmont Jr. Signal Mountain, Tenn. Chemistry
OF* Dan Gulbransen Jacksonville Jr. Appleton, Wis. Exercise Science
OF Aaron Dobbs Kennesaw State Sr. Warner Robins, Ga. Communications
DH* Dylan Pratt ETSU Sr. Johnson City, Tenn. Management
SP Kurt Schluter Stetson Jr. Jupiter, Fla. Finance
SP Matt Hamann Belmont Sr. Northbrook, Ill. Sport Administration
SP Brandon Love Mercer Sr. Augusta, Ga. Marketing
RP David Teasley Mercer Jr. Elberton, Ga. Criminal Justice
*- Unanimous Choice
Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll
Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Stetson (9) 99
2. Jacksonville 89
3. Kennesaw State 67
4. Belmont 64
5. Mercer 58
6. FGCU (1) 57
7. North Florida 42
8. ETSU 41
9. Lipscomb 18
10. USC Upstate 15

Three members of Schluter’s infield picked up preseason honors as Robert Crews, Mark Jones and Ben Carhart joined their starting pitcher. Jones and Crews both earned First Team All-Conference honors in 2011 after posting nearly identical batting averages, .333 and .332, respectively. The middle infielders contributed to Stetson’s .965 fielding percentage, which ranked third in the conference. A third baseman, Carhart ranked in the top four on Stetson for batting average (.323), slugging percentage (.462), hits (81), RBI (63), home runs (7) and total bases (116).

Outfielders Dan Gulbransen and Dylan Craig joined Walker and ETSU’s Dylan Pratt as the four unanimous choices to the preseason list. Kennesaw State’s Aaron Dobbs completed the Atlantic Sun outfield after finishing last season with seven triples and 21 stolen bases.

Mercer’s pitching duo of Brandon Love and David Teasley captured preseason nods. Love, a starting pitcher, capped 2011 with an 8-1 record and 66 strikeouts to go along with his 3.26 ERA. The Bears’ relief pitcher, Teasley made 32 appearances last season and struck out 42 batters in 45.1 innings of work.

Belmont’s Matt Hamann concluded the A-Sun pitching staff. He compiled a 9-2 record last season with a 2.81 ERA and posted two complete games. Kennesaw State’s Ronnie Freeman claimed the final spot on the all-conference team as the catcher. Freeman ranked third in the conference in batting average (.392), hits (85), on-base percentage (.487) and fourth in slugging (.622).

The Hatters earned nine of ten first-place votes from the coaches in the preseason poll after capturing last year’s regular-season crown with a 23-7 conference record. Stetson and Jacksonville earned at-large bids to the NCAA Baseball Tournament last season and joined Belmont to make the A-Sun a multiple-bid conference for first time since 2007. The trio of teams combined for five wins in regional play – the most victories by the conference since 2002.

Kennesaw State earned the third spot in the coaches poll just ahead of the Bruins. Mercer and FGCU took the next two spots with the Eagles earning the remaining first-place vote in the poll. ETSU’s Derek Bushey was voted the Preseason Pitcher of the Year on Facebook by Atlantic Sun fans, while Belmont was predicted to win the regular season and championship titles via the social media site.

The Hatters were picked by the league coaches to win the 2012 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship on May 23-26 at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla.

(Release)