League Coaches Pick Virginia To Repeat As Champion

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Virginia, which made its first ever College World Series appearance last June, has been picked as the 2010 preseason favorite in a vote of the league’s 12 head baseball coaches.

The Cavaliers, who return a strong cast that includes All-America outfielder Jarrett Parker, 2009 ACC Freshman of the Year Danny Hultzen and 2009 ACC Championship MVP Dan Grovatt, were projected as the ACC’s 2010 champion on eight head coaches’ ballots. Three coaches chose Florida State, and North Carolina received one vote.

Eleven of the league’s head coaches picked Virginia as the favorite to win the Coastal Division, with defending division champion North Carolina receiving one vote. Florida State was a favored to claim a fourth straight Atlantic Division championship on 10 ballots, while two coaches favored Clemson.

Georgia Tech placed second in the overall Coastal Division preseason coaches’ voting, followed by North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech and Duke.

Clemson was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division, followed by Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest and Maryland.

Teams were awarded six points for each first-place vote, five points for each second-place vote, etc.

Virginia, which won a school-record 49 games in 2009, was joined in the College World Series by North Carolina, which made its ACC-record fourth straight trip to Omaha. Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami also made the 2009 NCAA field, with Clemson and Florida State joining North Carolina and Virginia in the final 16.

ACC teams open their 2010 seasons Feb. 19 and conclude regular-season play May 22. The 2010 ACC Baseball Championship will be held May 26-30 at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.

Complete results of the 2010 ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll are listed below. First-place votes are in parenthesis:

ATLANTIC DIVISION

Team                                                   Points              2009 Record

Florida State (10)                                  70                    45-18. 19-9 ACC

Clemson (2)                                         62                    44-22, 19-11 ACC

Boston College                                     42                    34-26, 13-15 ACC

NC State                                               38                    25-31, 10-20 ACC

Wake Forest                                         21                    22-30, 6-24 ACC

Maryland                                              19                    27-27, 10-20 ACC

COASTAL DIVISION

Team                                                   Points              2009 Record

Virginia (11)                                         71                    49-15-1, 16-11-1 ACC

Georgia Tech                                        57                    38-19-1. 17-10-1 ACC

North Carolina (1)                                 44                    48-18, 19-10 ACC

Miami                                                   42                    38-22, 18-12 ACC

Virginia Tech                                        20                    32-21, 12-17 ACC

Duke                                                    18                    35-24, 15-15 ACC

Overall champion: Virginia (8)

Others receiving votes: Florida State (3), North Carolina (1)