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The CB360 Composite National Ranking (CNR) – a statistical formula created in 2009 and enhanced over the years by CollegeBaseball360 founder Pete LaFleur – are back for an eighth season in 2016, with plenty of familiar faces among the top teams but also some squads from across the country who are on the move upwards.

Outfielder Buddy Reed (23) and pitcher A.J. Puk (10) are among Florida’s talented returning core, as the top-ranked Gators are eyeing another appearance at the College World Series and an improvement on last season’s semifinal (bracket final) finish in Omaha. > photo courtesy Florida Athletics

(Scroll down for the full CNR preseason top-50, plus plenty of historical notes, some photos of 2016 teams/players and archived CNR preseason/final polls from 2011-15).

The Florida Gators – who have made three College World Series trips over the past five seasons (including 2011 runner-up and reaching the 2015 bracket finals/CWS semifinalist) – are the clear No. 1 in the 2016 preseason CNR, nearly reaching the maximum 100 points (99.64) to finish 2.55 points ahead of 2nd-place Vanderbilt (97.09), which reached the CWS title series in 2014 (beat Virginia) and again in 2015 (lost to UVa). The Commodores join the Gators and the Cavaliers as the teams with the most CWS trips (3) over the past three seasons, with Vandy and UVa both also reaching Omaha in 2011.

In a sampling of the 2011-16 CNR preseason top-50, it has been rare for two teams from the same conference to be among the top-3. All of the top-3 from the same conference? Didn’t happen at all from 2011-15 (will be checking the 2009 and ’10 seasons later) … but that’s the case in 2016, as Texas A&M checks in at No. 3, edging 4th-place Louisville (94.81 to 94.58) and, yet another SEC team, No. 5 LSU (94.44), with those three teams separated by only 0.37 of a point.

This marks the fourth time in the past five years that a Southeastern Conference team has sat atop the CB360 preseason CNR top-50: Florida in 2012, Arkansas in ’13, Vanderbilt in ’15 and now Florida again in ’16 (also Cal State Fullerton in 2014). Since 2011 (when UCLA held the top spot), Florida is the only repeat #1 in the CNR preseason top-50.

Spanning the previous five seasons, only twice were two of the top-3 teams in the CNR preseason top-50 from the same conference: 2012 (Florida and South Carolina) and 2013 (Arkansas and Vanderbilt). From 2011-16, Florida and Vanderbilt lead the way with being a CNR preseason top-3 in three different seasons (TCU and UVA have two top-3 preseason CNR rankings since 2011, plus one each for UCLA, South Crolina, Stanford, Arkansas, North Carolina, Fullerton, Oregon State and A&M).

> Here’s how the CNR preseason top-3 have shaken out over the past six seasons:
2011: [1] UCLA … [2] Florida … [3] TCU
2012: [1] Florida … [2] South Carolina … [3] Stanford
2013: [1] Arkansas … [2] North Carolina … [3] Vanderbilt
2014: [1] Cal State Fullerton … [2] Oregon State … [3] Virginia
2015: [1] Vanderbilt … [2] Oregon State … [3] Virginia
2016: [1] Florida … [2] Vanderbilt … [3] Texas A&M

The rest of the CNR preseason top-10 includes (6th-10th): Miami, Virginia, Oregon State, UCLA and Oklahoma State. The top-10 features the four SEC teams, plus three from the Atlantic Coast Conference, two Pac-12 and one Big 12.

Expanding out to top-16 (i.e. potential NCAA No. 1 seeds): there still are four SEC teams but also four from the SEC (add #13 Florida State) and four more from the Pac-12 (with #12 California and #14 Oregon), plus #11 TCU to give the Big 12 a pair within the top-16 (which also includes the Sun Belt’s Louisiana-Lafayette at #15 and the Big West’s CS Fullerton at #16).

CB360’s expanded CNR formula for the 2016 preseason includes the following 11 elements:
• National Coaches Poll (USA Today/ESPN; 59 total teams)
• National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll (77 total teams)
• DIBaseball.com preseason top-25, in conjunction with projected NCAA Tournament field (48 teams)
• Baseball America poll, in conjunction with projected NCAA Tournament field (48 teams)
• Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings (preseason top-40)
• Perfect Game preseason rankings (40 total teams)
• Massey preseason computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Moore preseason computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• DISportsNet computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Projected season strength of schedule (per Massey; bonus points, max. 1.0)
• Assorted Conference preseason coaches polls (bonus points, max. 1.0)
> SEC … ACC … Pac-12 … Big 12 … Big Ten … Big West …
AAC … MVC … Mt West … Sun Belt … Big South … Colonial … WCC

Note: scroll down near bottom of this page for complete 2016 preseason CB360 Top-50 – plus the final 2014 and 2015 CB360 Top-50 (mid-May, prior to postseason) and the preseason Top-50 for each of the previous five seasons (2011–15).

NEAR-UNANIMOUS #1 – Florida came up shy of the maximum 100 points in the 2015 preseason CNR, due mostly to not receiving all of the first-place votes in the ABCA preseason coaches poll (but still being No. 1). The Gators received 21 of the 31 first-place votes in the coaches poll, with the rest going to Vanderbilt (3), Virginia (3), Louisville (2) and one each for Texas A&M and LSU. Florida was No. 1 in seven of the eight other preseason national polls/rankings listed above (all but the Moore Power Rankings: #3 behind UVa and Vandy). The Gators also are #1 in the SEC Coaches Poll while coming in at #3 in projected season strength of schedule (these two elements play a smaller part in the CNR formula).

Oklahoma State juniors Ryan Sluder (8) and Dustin Williams (22) were freshman contributors on the 2014 team that nearly reached the College World Series, losing at home in the Super Regional round vs. UC Irvine. The #10 team in CB360’s 2016 preseason CNR, OK State could be primed to close the deal this time around and make the program’s first CWS appearance since 1999 (it would be the 20th all-time CWS trip for the Cowboys). >photo courtesy OK State

PROJECTING THE POSTSEASON ELITE – Based on the preseason CNR, the following eight teams project to be NCAA tournament seeds (and, if form holds, 2016 CWS participants): Florida, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Louisville, LSUm Miami, Virginia and Oregon State. The CNR projects those eight teams plus the following eight as 2016 NCAA Regional hosts: UCLA, Oklahoma State, TCU, California, Florida State, Oregon, Louisiana-Lafayette and Cal State Fullerton..
The eight projected NCAA seeds/CWS participants include four SEC teams, three ACC and one Pac-12. The 16 projected NCAA Regional hosts include four each from the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 (plus two Big 12, and one each from the Sun Belt and Big West).

> One year ago, the 2015 preseason CNR was incredibly accurate, as the preseason #1 and #2 (Vanderbilt and Virginia) both reached the CWS finals (won by UVa), while the CNR preseason #3 teams TCU and Florida both ended up reaching the CWS semifinals/bracket finales. The #5 team in the preseason CNR (LSU) also made it all the way to Omaha in 2015 … but the #6-#8 teams were knocked off in earlier rounds (UCLA, Oklahoma State and Houston).

Among the “second eight” (9th-16th) in the 2015 preseason CNR, Cal State Fullerton joined the #1-#5 teams at the 2016 CWS (as did Miami, #18 in the preseason CNR, and Arkansas, which opened the season all the way down at #36 in the CNR top-50).

… SURPRISE CHAMPIONS – In recent years, college baseball has been a volatile sport, both in the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. In fact, four of the past five teams that were preseason No. 1 in the CNR – UCLA (2011), Florida (’12), Arkansas (’13) and Cal State Fullerton (’14) – failed to even reach the CWS for that season … Vanderbilt was a 2015 CWS participant (runner-up), after being the CNR preseason #1.

Here’s where the past four CWS champions were ranked in the preseason CNR for that season (avg. rank of 8.0, essentially projecting on average right on the fringe for even making the CWS for that season) :
• (CNR preseason #9) South Carolina (2011)
• (14) Arizona (2012)
• (5) UCLA (2013)
• (10) Vanderbilt (2014)
• (2) Virginia (2015)

… And here are the teams that have been CWS runner-up during the past five seasons, preceded by where they ranked in the preseason CNR for that season (interesting to note that four of the five were among the top-3 in the preseason CNR):
• (CNR preseason #2) Florida (2011)
• (2) South Carloina (2012)
• (13) Mississippi State (2013)
• (3) Virginia (2014)
• (1) Vanderbilt (2015)

SET UP FOR OMAHA? – Preseason hype, more often than not, does not predict actual postseason glory … here’s a look at recent CNR Preseason Top-8 teams that have ended up in the CWS later that season (avg. of only 3.0 per year, including only one of the preseason top-8 in 2014 … but then all of the top-5 in 2015):

• 2011 – three teams: CNR preseason #2 Florida, (4) Vanderbilt & (6) Texas
(did not reach CWS: 1–UCLA, 3–TCU, 5–OU, 7–Clemson, 8–CSF)

• 2012 – three teams: (1) Florida, (2) South Carolina & (8) Arkansas
(did not reach CWS: 3–Stanford, 4–UNC, 5–A&M, 6–Rice, 7–Texas)

• 2013 – three teams: (2) North Carolina, (4) LSU & (5) UCLA
(did not reach CWS: 1–Arkansas, 3–Vandy, 6–Stanford, 7–SC, 8–Oregon)

• 2014 – only one team: (3) Virginia
(did not reach CWS: 1–CSF, 2–Oregon St, 4–Miss. St, 5–FSU, 6–LSU, 7–IU and 8–NC St … the ’Pack did not even reach the NCAAs)

• 2015 – five teams: (1) Vanderbilt, (2) Virginia, (3) TCU, (4) Florida and (5) LSU
(did not reach CWS: 6–UCLA, 7–Oklahoma State and 8–Houston)

Recent history has seen plenty of teams from outside the preseason top-10 (and several from outside the early-season top-50) make it to Omaha for the College World Series. The Cal Bears picked up steam in 2015, starting the year outside the CB360 top-50 (CNR) but rising to #26 by season’s end. Now, the Bears are starting the 2016 season at #12 in the CNR, taking aim at the program’s second College World Series trip this decade (also 2011). > photo courtesy Cal Athletics

PREDICTABLY UNPREDICTABLE – Spanning the 2012-14 seasons, five different teams – Kent State (’12), Stony Brook (’12), Indiana (’13), Texas Tech (’14) and UC Irvine (’14) – reached the College World Series after not even being in the CB360 preseason top-50.

• Teams outside the CNR preseason top-8 that ultimately reached the CWS later that season, during past five years (25 teams, from 2011–15):
(–) Kent State, in 2012
(–) Stony Brook, in 2012
(–) Indiana, in 2013
(–) Texas Tech, in 2014
(–) UC Irvine, in 2014
(CNR preseason #36) Arkansas, in 2015
(32) Ole Miss, in 2014
(30) North Carolina, in 2011
(24) California, in 2011
(23) Texas, in 2014
(22) TCU, in 2014
(18) Miami, in 2015
(16) UCLA, in 2012
(16) Louisville, in 2013
(16) Cal State Fullerton, in 2015
(15) Virginia, in 2011
(14) Texas A&M, in 2011
(14) Arizona, in 2012
(14) Louisville, in 2014
(13) Mississippi State, in 2013
(12) Florida State, in 2012
(10) North Carolina State, in 2013
(10) Vanderbilt, in 2014
(9) South Carolina, in 2011
(9) Oregon State, in 2013
> teams listed above, by year: 5 in 2011 … 5 in 2012 … 5 in 2013 … 7 in 2014 … 3 in 2015
(avg. 5.0 per year; 5+ every year from 2011-14)

The final CNR release during the 2015 season (mid-May, prior to postseason) included 38 teams that ultimately earned berths in the 2015 NCAA Tournament – all except for: (23) Nevada, (31) North Carolina, (32) North Florida, (33) Ohio State, (35) UC Irvine, (38) Georgia Tech, (42) Southeastern Louisiana, (43) Michigan State, (45) Southern Mississippi, (48) Nebraska, (49) South Alabama and (49) Missouri. … That number (38) was down from the 42 teams from the final CNR top-50 release during the 2014 season (mid-May, prior to postseason) that went on to earne berths in the 2014 NCAAs – all except for (26) Mercer, (31) West Virginia, (32) FIU, (37) USD, (38) UCF, (42) New Mexico, (44) UCSB and (47) Tennessee.

CONFERENCE CALL – All but three of the 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference are included in the 2016 CB360 preseason top-50 … here is the breakdown, by conference (35 of 50 from these five leagues: SEC, ACC, Pac-12, Big 12 and Big Ten):

• 11 SEC teams (3 top-4; 4 top-8; 4 top-16; 6 top-25) – (1) Florida, (2) Vanderbilt, (3) Texas A&M,
(5) LSU, (18) Arkansas, (22) Mississippi St, (29) SC, (31) Ole Miss, (32) Kentucky, (43) Mizzou & (47) Auburn

• 8 ACC teams (3 top-8; 4 top-16; 6 top-25 ) – (4) Louisville, (6) Miami, (7) Virginia, (13) Florida State, (19) North Carolina State, (23) North Carolina, (33) Notre Dame & (39) Georgia Tech

• 6 Pac-12 teams (1 top-8; 4 top-16; 5 top-25): – (8) Oregon State, (9) UCLA, (12) California,
(14) Oregon, (20) USC & (38) Arizona State

• 5 Big 12 teams (2 top-16; 3 top-25): –  (10) OK St., (11) TCU, (25) Texas, (34) Okla. & (35) TX Tech

• 5 Big Ten teams (1 top-25) – (24) Maryland, (27) Michigan, (36) Indiana, (42) Illinois & (48) Iowa

• 3 Big West teams (1 top-16; 1 top-25) – (16) Fullerton, (44) UC Irvine, (46) UCSB & (49) Long Beach St.

• 2 American Athletic Conf. teams (1 top-25) – (17) Houston & (40) Tulane

• 2 Conference USA teams (1 top-25) – (21) Rice & (46) Florida Atlantic

• 2 Missouri Valley teams – (26) Missouri State & (28) Dallas Baptist

• 2 Colonial Athletic Assoc. teams – (37) College of Charleston & (50) UNC Wilmington

• 1 each (4 teams) – Sun Belt (#15 Louisiana-Lafayette) … Big South (#30 Coastal Carolina) …
Colonial (#34 College of Charleston) … Mountain West (#41 San Diego State)

> One year earlier, in 2015, here’s how the preseason CNR top-50 broke down by conference:

2015 CNR PRESEASON CONFERENCE CALL – All but there of the 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference were included in the 2015 CB360 preseason top-50:

• 11 SEC teams (3 top-8; 4 top-16; 6 top-25) – (1) Vandy, (4) Florida, (5) LSU, (11) SC, (19) Miss. St., (24) Ole Miss, (30) TN, (33) A&M, (35) AL, (36) ARK and (49) Kentucky.

• 7 ACC teams (1 top-8; 4 top-16; 5 top-25 ) – (2) UVa, (10) Louisville, (12) UNC, (13) FSU, (18) Miami, (27) Clemson and (39) Ga. Tech

• 5 Pac-12 teams (1 top-8; 2 top-16; 4 top-25): – (6) UCLA, (15) ASU, (21) Oregon, (22) Stanford and (31) Oregon St.

• 4 Big 12 teams (2 top-8; 3 top-16; 4 top-25) – (3) TCU, (7) Oklahoma St., (9) Texas and (17) Texas Tech

• 4 Big West teams (1 top-16; 2 top-25) – (16) Fullerton, (25) UCSB, (28) Cal Poly and (41) Irvine

• 3 Big Ten teams (1 top-25 team) – (20) Maryland, (26) Nebraska and (37) Illinois

• 3 West Coast Conf. teams – (32) LMU, (45) Pepperdine and (48 ) San Diego

• 2 American Athletic Conf. teams (1 top-8) – (8) Houston and (38) UCF)

• 2 Mid-American ∫ Conf. teams – (42) Kent State and (46) Ball State

• 2 Missouri Valley teams – (43) Wichita State and (50) Dallas Baptist

• 1 each (7 teams) – Conf. USA (#14 Rice) … Atlantic Sun (#23 Kennesaw) … Big South (#29 Liberty) … Colonial (#34 Coll. Charleston) … BIG EAST (#40 St. John’s) … Southland (#44 La.-Lafayette) … Sun Belt (#47 Sam Houston)

_______________

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES – The following 17 teams find themselves in the CB360 2016 preseason top-50, after not being in the 2015 preseason top-50:

(12) California
(19) North Carolina State
(20) USC
(26) Missouri State
(27) Michigan
(30) Coastal Carolina
(33) Notre Dame
(34) Oklahoma
(36) Indiana
(40) Tulane
(41) San Diego State
(43) Missouri
(46) Florida Atlantic
(47) Auburn
(48) Iowa
(49) Long Beach State
(50) UNC Wilmington
> One year previously, these 14 teams cracked the 2015 CNR preseason top-50 after not being among the 2014 preseason top-50: (17) Texas Tech, (20) Maryland, (23) Kennesaw St., (30) Tenn., (32) LMU, (34) Charleston, (37) Illinois
(38), UCF, (40) St. John’s, (41) UC Irvine, (42) Kent St., (45) Pepperdine, (46) Ball St. & (50) Dallas Baptist.

… While these teams have jumped up 15 or more spots from the 2015 preseason top-50 to the 2016 preseason top-50:
Texas A&M (opened 2015 at #33 in the CNR; now starting 2016 at #3)
Louisiana-Lafayette (#44 to #15)
Oregon State (#31 to #8)
North Carolina State (#41 to #19)
Dallas Baptist (#50 to #28)
Arkansas (#36 to #18)
Kentucky (#49 to #32)
> Similarly, these six teams make big leaps from the 2014 preseason top-50 to the 2015 preseason top-50: Houston (#50 to #8), Stanford (#42 to #22), TCU (#22 to #3), Liberty (#45 to #29), Florida (#19 to #4) & OK St. (#20 to #7)

… And these teams have dropped the most from 2015 preseason to 2016 preseason (while remaining in the top-50 from one preseason to the next):
Arizona State (#15 in 2015 preseason CNR; now starting 2016 at #38)
UCSB (#25 to #45)
South Carolina (#11 to #29)
Texas Tech (#17 to #35)
Texas (#9 to #25)
> … The previous year, these teams had dropped 15-plus spots from the 2014 preseason top-50 to the 2015 preseason top-50: Oregon State (#2 to #31), La.-Lafayette (#24 to #44), Fullerton (#1 to #16), 
Mississippi State (#4 to #19) & San Diego (#33 to #48).

________________

SURGING, REFOCUSING & REBUIDLING – The following 13 teams were not in the final CNR top-50 release in 2015 (mid-May, prior to postseason) but are in the 2016 preseason top-50, with several very notable programs at the top of this list::

(14) Oregon
(15) Louisiana-Lafayette
(22) Mississippi State
(25) Texas
(27) Michigan
(29) South Carolina
(32) Kentucky
(34) Oklahoma
(35) Texas Tech
(36) Indiana
(41) San Diego State
(49) Long Beach State
(50) UNC Wilmington
> One year earlier, these 12 teams were in the 2015 preseason CNR after not being in the final 2014 CNR top-50: (6) UCLA, (12) UNC, (16) Fullerton, (20) Maryland, (23) Kennesaw St., (32) LMU, (34) Charleston, (37) Illinois, (40) St. John’s, (42) Kent St., (43) Wichita St. & (46) Ball St.

… And these teams have made the biggest jump while staying within the top-50, since late in the 2015 season to the 2016 preseason:
Virginia (#34 to #7)
North Carolina State (#41 to #19)
California (#26 to #12)
Oregon State (#21 to #8)
> 12 months earlier, these teams made big jumps within the CNR top-50 (from end of 2014 regulars season to 2015 preseason): Arizona St (#46 to #15)…Stanford (#42 to #22)…and UCSB (#44 to #25)

• On the flip side, the following 13 teams are not in the 2016 CB360 preseason top-50 but were in the final CNR top-50 during the 2015 season (mid-May, prior to postseason):
(23) Nevada
(24) Radford
(30) Oral Roberts
(32) North Florida
(33) Ohio State
(40) Bradley
(42) Southeastern Louisiana
(43) Michigan State
(44) East Carolina
(45) Southern Miss.
(46) South Florida
(48) Nebraska
(49) South Alabama
Note – Similarly one year earlier, 12 teams that were in the top-50 of the final 2014 CNR, at end of the regular season, were not in the 2015 preseason CNR top-50: (8) Indiana, (11) Washington, (26) Mercer, (28) Indiana St., (31) West Virginia, (32) FIU, (33) UNLV, (40) Kansas, (41) Bryant, (42) New Mexico, (45) San Diego State & (48) Old Dominion
… and going two years back, 15 teams that were in the top-50 of the final 2013 CNR, at end of the regular season, were not in the 2014 preseason CNR top-50: (17) So. Alabama, (19) Va. Tech, (23) Troy, (29) Pittsburgh, (30) Campbell, (37) So. Florida, (41) Seton Hall, (42) Gonzaga, (43) Michigan St., (44) Austin Peay, (45) Maryland, (46) UC Irvine, (47) Notre Dame, (48) Illinois & (50) Ohio St.

… And these teams have made quick falls (while staying within the top-50) from late in 2015 to the 2016 preseason top-50:
Illinois (#4 in final 2015 CNR all the way down to #42 in 2016 preseason)
UC Santa Barbara (#14 to #45)
Iowa (#18 to #48)
Florida Atlantic (#46 to #20)
College of Charleston (#15 to #37)
Dallas Baptist (#9 to #28)
Missouri State (#10 to #26)
Arizona State (#22 to #38)
> Again, looking at the previous year, these six teams had the biggest plunge while still staying in the top-50 (from late 2014 to 2015 preseason): Louisiana-Lafayette (#3 to #44), Oregon St. (#2 to #31), Cal Poly (#6 to #28), Pepperdine (#25 to #45), UC Irvine (#22 to #41) & Kentucky (#29 to #49).

… Finally, these 17 teams (one-third of the total) were in the 2015 CB360 preseason top-50 but are not in the 2016 preseason top-50 (all based on Composite National Rankings formula):

Stanford (2015 CB360 preseason #22)
Kennesaw State (23)
Nebraska (26)
Clemson (27)
Cal Poly (28)
Liberty (29)
Tennessee (30)
Loyola Marymount (32)
Alabama (35)
Central Florida (UCF) (38)
St. John’s (40)
Kent State (42)
Wichita State (43)
Pepperdine (45)
Ball State (46)
Sam Houston State (47)
San Diego (48)

> And there were 15 teams that were in the 2014 preseason top-50 but not in the 2015 preseason top-50: Indiana (2014 CB360 preseason #7), NC St. (8), Kansas St. (18), Arizona (28), E. Carolina (29), FAU (31), Oklahoma (34), UNC Wilmington (36), W. Carolina (38), New Mexico (40), Coastal Carolina (43), Mercer (t46), UNLV (t46), Washington St. (t46) & No. Florida (50) … 20 months removed from competing in the 2013 CWS, Indiana and NC State found themselves outside the CNR preseason top-50 in 2015.

________________________

COMPOSITE NATIONAL RANKINGS (CNR) CRITERIA:  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 preseason conference coaches polls) and late in the season (final-10 games), a maximum bonus/penalty of 2.0 (SOS & conf. poll) or 0.5 points (final-10) is factored into the formula (in that case, 38.0, or 39.5, rather than 40, is added to the poll/rating/projection avg.).

Here are links to the 11 criteria used in the 2016 preseason CNR:
• National Coaches Poll (USA Today/ESPN; 59 total teams)
• National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll (77 total teams)
• DIBaseball.com preseason top-25, in conjunction with projected NCAA Tournament field (48 teams)
• Baseball America poll, in conjunction with projected NCAA Tournament field (48 teams)
• Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings (preseason top-40)
• Perfect Game preseason rankings (40 total teams)
• Massey preseason computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Moore preseason computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• DISportsNet computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Projected season strength of schedule (per Massey; bonus points, max. 1.0)
• Assorted Conference preseason coaches polls (bonus points, max. 1.0)
> SEC (released to public 2/18) … ACC … Pac-12 … Big 12 … Big Ten … Big West …
AAC … MVC … Mt West … Sun Belt … Big South … Colonial … WCC

> CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2016

(rank) Team – voting pts  (final 2015 CNR, at end of reg. season)  [2015 preseason CNR]
1. Florida – 99.64  (#8 in final 2015 top-50/end reg.-season) [#4 in 2015 preseason top-50]
2. Vanderbilt – 97.09  (11) … [1]
3. Texas A&M – 94.81  (5) [33]
4. Louisville – 94.58  (6) [10]
5. LSU – 94.44  (1) [5]
6. Miami – 93.34  (7) [18]
7. Virginia – 92.55  (34) [2]
8. Oregon State – 91.42  (21) [31]
9. UCLA – 91.11  (2) [6]
10. Oklahoma State – 87.95  (13) [7]
11. TCU – 87.83  (3) [3]
12. California – 86.51  (26) [–]
13. Florida State – 84.84  (12) [13]
14. Oregon – 83.04  (–) [21]
15. Louisiana-Lafayette – 82.46 (–) [44]
16. Cal State Fullerton – 82.09  (28) [16]
17. Houston – 79.97  (16) [8]
18. Arkansas – 78.15  (25) [36]
19. North Carolina State – 76.12  (41) [–]
2o. USC – 75.60  (17) [–]
21. Rice – 75.07  (19) [14]
22. Mississippi State – 73.82  (–) [19]
23. North Carolina – 72.02  (31) [12]
24. Maryland – 70.14  (36) [20]
25. Texas – 69.00  (–) [9]
26. Missouri State – 67.86  (10) [–]
27. Michigan 66.99  (–) [–]
28. Dallas Baptist – 66.41  (9) [50]
29. South Carolina – 66.18  (–) [11]
30. Coastal Carolina – 65.61  (27) [–]
31. Mississippi – 64.87  (39) [24]
32. Kentucky – 62.63  (–) [49]
33. Notre Dame – 62.55  (29) [–]
34. Oklahoma – 59.74  (–) [–]
35. Texas Tech (21) – 59.45  (–) [17]
36. Indiana – 58.52  (–) [–]
37. College of Charleston – 58.02  (15) [34]
38. Arizona State – 57.22  (22) [15]
39. Georgia Tech – 57.15  (38) [39]
40. Tulane – 56.42  (47) [–]
41. San Diego State – 54.47  (–) [–]
42. Illinois – 52.18  (4) [37]
43. Missouri – 51.64  (49) [–]
44. UC Irvine – 51.57  (35) [41]
45. UC Santa Barbara – 51.15  (14) [25]
46. Florida Atlantic – 49.70  (20) [–]
47. Auburn – 49.46  (37) [–]
48. Iowa – 48.75  (18) [–]
49. Long Beach State – 47.39  (–) [–]
50. UNC Wilmington – 46.60  (–) [–]

next five: Pepperdine, San Diego, Southeastern Louisiana, Alabama & Winthrop

_____________________________

• CB360 Composite Top-50 Rankings – Final 2015 Regular-Season

(12 of these teams, noted below, did not make the 2015 NCAAs)
> CLICK HERE for full release page (2015 final regular-season CNR)
1. LSU
2. UCLA
3. TCU
4. Illinois
5. Texas A&M
6. Louisville
7. Miami
8. Florida
9. Dallas Baptist
10. Missouri State
11. Vanderbilt
12. Florida State
13. Oklahoma State
14. UC Santa Barbara
15. College of Charleston
16. Houston
17. USC
18. Iowa
19. Rice
20. Florida Atlantic
21. Oregon State
22. Arizona State
23. Nevada – did not make 2015 NCAAs
24. Radford
25. Arkansas
26. California
27. Coastal Carolina
28. Cal State Fullerton
29. Notre Dame
30. Oral Roberts
31. North Carolina – did not make 2015 NCAAs
32. North Florida – did not make 2015 NCAAs
33. Ohio State – did not make 2015 NCAAs
34. Virginia
35. UC Irvine – did not make 2015 NCAAs
36. Maryland
37. Auburn
38. Georgia Tech – did not make 2015 NCAAs
39. Mississippi
40. Bradley
41. North Carolina State
42. Southeastern Louisiana – did not make 2015 NCAAs
43. Michigan State – did not make 2015 NCAAs
44. East Carolina
45. Southern Mississippi – did not make 2015 NCAAs
46. South Florida
47. Tulane
48. Nebraska – did not make 2015 NCAAs
49. South Alabama – did not make 2015 NCAAs
49. Missouri – did not make 2015 NCAAs

Next Five: UNC Wilmington, Liberty, Indiana, Alabama and St. John’s

CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2015

(rank) Team – voting pts  (final 2014 CNR, at end of reg. season)  [2014 preseason CNR]
1. Vanderbilt – 99.11  (#14 in final ’14 top-50) [#10 in ’14 preseason top-50] … 2015 CWS Runner-Up
2. Virginia – 97.11  (1) [3] … 2015 CWS Champion
3. TCU – 96.50  (9) [22] … 2015 CWS Semifinalist (bracket final)
4. Florida – 94.53  (5) [19] … 2015 CWS Semifinalist (bracket final)
5. LSU – 93.48  (16) [6] … 2015 CWS Participant
6. UCLA – 92.53  (–) [11]
7. Oklahoma State – 91.66  (18) [20]
8. Houston – 91.65 (15) [t50]
9. Texas – 90.68  (19) [23]
10. Louisville – 89.13  (7) [14]
11. South Carolina – 87.91  (17) [12]
12. North Carolina – 85.21  (–) [13]
13. Florida State – 83.23  (4) [5]
14. Rice – 82.99  (12) [15]
15. Arizona State – 81.22  (46) [21]
16. Cal State Fullerton – 80.96  (–) [1] … 2015 CWS Participant
17. Texas Tech (21) – 80.17
18. Miami – 79.63  (13) [17] … 2015 CWS Participant
19. Mississippi State – 76.13  (27) [4]
20. Maryland – 75.90 (–)
21. Oregon – 75.77  (20) [9]
22. Stanford – 70.90  (49) [42]
23. Kennesaw State – 67.91 (–)
24. Mississippi – 66.58  (10) [32]
25. UC Santa Barbara – 66.28 (44) [37]
26. Nebraska – 65.66 (34) [39]
27. Clemson – 63.95  (35) [16]
28. Cal Poly – 63.73  (6) [27]
29. Liberty – 61.53 (23) [45]
30. Tennessee – 61.30 (47)
31. Oregon State – 61.03  (2) [2]
32. Loyola Marymount – 60.44 (–)
33. Texas A&M – 60.20  (30) [25]
34. College of Charleston – 59.97 (–)
35. Alabama – 58.48  (24) [26]
36. Arkansas – 56.66  (50) [30] … 2015 CWS Participant
37. Illinois – 53.84 (–)
38. Central Florida (UCF) – 52.86 (38)
39. Georgia Tech – 50.77  (43) [35]
40. St. John’s – 50.32 (–)
41. UC Irvine – 50.30 (22)
42. Kent State – 47.92 (–)
43. Wichita State – 47.65 (–) [41]
44. Louisiana-Lafayette – 47.43 (3) [24]
45. Pepperdine – 47.06 (25)
46. Ball State – 46.34 (–)
47. Sam Houston State – 45.14 (36) [46]
48. San Diego – 44.29  (37) [33]
49. Kentucky – 43.67 (29) [44]
50. Dallas Baptist – 43.36 (39)
– next five: Oklahoma, Indiana, New Mexico, USC and Ohio State.

_____________________________

• CB360 Composite Top-50 Rankings – Final 2014 Regular-Season

(all but eight teams, noted below, made the 2014 NCAAs)
(1) Virginia
(2) Oregon State
(3) Louisiana (Lafayette)
(4) Florida State
(5) Florida
(6) Cal Poly
(7) Louisville
(8) Indiana
(9) TCU
(10) Mississippi
(11) Washington
(12) Rice
(13) Miami
(14) Vanderbilt
(15) Houston
(16) LSU
(17) South Carolina
(18) Oklahoma State
(19) Texas
(20) Oregon
(21) Texas Tech
(22) UC Irvine
(23) Liberty
(24) Alabama
(25) Pepperdine
(26) Mercer – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(27) Mississippi State
(28) Indiana State
(29) Kentucky
(30) Texas A&M
(31) West Virginia – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(32) Florida International – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(33) UNLV
(34) Nebraska
(35) Clemson
(36) Sam Houston State
(37) San Diego – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(38) Central Florida (UCF) – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(39) Dallas Baptist
(40) Kansas
(41) Bryant
(42) New Mexico – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(43) Georgia Tech
(44) UC Santa Barbara – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(45) San Diego State
(46) Arizona State
(47) Tennessee – did not make 2014 NCAAs
(48) Old Dominion
(49) Stanford
(50) Arkansas

• CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2014

(rank) Team – voting pts  (final 2014 CNR, at end of reg. season)
1. Cal State Fullerton – 98.92  (4)
2. Oregon State – 97.54  (6)
3. Virginia – 96.03  (5) … 2014 CWS Runner-Up
4. Mississippi State – 95.75  (12)
5. Florida State – 95.48  (7)
6. LSU – 94.24  (3)
7. Indiana – 93.82  (13)
8. North Carolina State – 92.10  (8)
9. Oregon – 91.60  (9)
10. Vanderbilt – 90.88  (2) … 2014 CWS Champion
11. UCLA – 89.59  (10)
12. South Carolina – 89.54  (11)
13. North Carolina – 87.16  (1)
14. Louisville – 86.14  (14) … 2014 CWS Participant
15. Rice – 84.10  (22)
16. Clemson – 83.91  (16)
17. Miami – 83.28  (25)
18. Kansas State – 81.54  (21)
19. Florida – 80.82  (34)
20. Oklahoma State – 78.50  (31)
21. Arizona State – 78.30  (15)
22. TCU – 77.71  (–) … 2014 CWS Participant
23. Texas – 77.70  (–) … 2014 CWS Participant
24. Louisiana-Lafayette – 77.59  (32)
25. Texas A&M – 76.27  (–)
26. Alabama – 73.90  (39)
27. Cal Poly – 71.34  (28)
28. Arizona – 67.06  (–)
29. East Carolina – 67.02  (–)
30. Arkansas – 65.09  (20)
31. Florida Atlantic – 64.44  (–)
32. Mississippi – 61.37  (18) … 2014 CWS Participant
33. San Diego – 59.86  (–)
34. Oklahoma – 57.87  (27)
35. Georgia Tech – 57.52  (26)
36. UNC Wilmington – 57.46  (33)
37. UC Santa Barbara – 55.70 (–)
38. Western Carolina – 55.50 (–)
39. Nebraska – 55.13 (–)
40. New Mexico – 54.00  (35)
41. Wichita State –53.24 (–)
42. Stanford – 53.02  (38)
43. Coastal Carolina – 52.86  (40)
44. Kentucky – 51.80  (36)
45. Liberty – 50.31 (–)
46. Mercer –49.70  (24)
46. Sam Houston State – 49.70 (–)
46. UNLV – 49.70 (–)
46. Washington State – 49.70 (–)
50. Houston – 48.20 (–)
50. North Florida – 48.20  (49)
note: 2014 CWS participants Texas Tech and UC Irvine were not in 2014 preseason CNR top-50

_____________________________

• CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2013
1-Arkansas
2-North Carolina … 2013 CWS Participant
3-Vanderbilt
4-LSU … 2013 CWS Participant
5-UCLA … 2013 CWS Champion
6-Stanford
7-South Carolina
8-Oregon
9-Oregon State … 2013 CWS Participant
10-North Carolina State … 2013 CWS Participant
11-Kentucky
12-TCU
13-Mississippi State … 2013 CWS Runner-Up
14-Florida
15-Florida State
16-Louisville … 2013 CWS Participant
17-Oklahoma
18-Georgia Tech
19-Arizona
20-San Diego
21-Rice
22-Mississippi
23-Cal State Fullerton
24-Texas
25-Texas A&M
26-Miami
27-Arizona State
28-Clemson
29-Virginia
30-UC Irvine
31-Baylor
32-New Mexico
33-Southern Mississippi
34-Coastal Carolina
35-Missouri State
36-Kent State
37-Wichita State
38-East Carolina
39-Dallas Baptist
40-Tulane
41-Sam Houston State
42-Georgia
43-Florida Atlantic
44-St. John’s
45-Pepperdine
46-Virginia Tech
47-College of Charleston
48-Auburn
49-Elon
50-Notre Dame
Note: 2013 CWS participant Indiana was not in the CNR preseason top-50

_____________________________

• CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2012

(rank) Team – voting pts
1. Florida … 99.86 … 2012 CWS Participant
2. South Carolina … 98.41 … 2012 CWS Runner-Up
3. Stanford … 97.42
4. North Carolina … 95.27
5. Texas A&M … 94.83
6. Rice … 94.26
7. Texas … 92.64
8. Arkansas … 92.45 … 2012 CWS Participant
9. Georgia Tech … 90.71
10. LSU … 88.95
11. Vanderbilt … 87.57
12. Florida State … 86.87 … 2012 CWS Participant
13. TCU … 85.95
14. Arizona … 85.73 … 2012 CWS Champion
15. Miami … 84.33
16. UCLA … 81.79 … 2012 CWS Participant
17. Oklahoma … 81.01
18. Clemson … 79.79
19. Cal State Fullerton … 79.56
20. Georgia … 79.13
21. Arizona State … 76.93
22. California … 76.26
23. Virginia … 74.74
24. St. John’s … 74.10
25. UC Irvine … 74.02
26. Stetson … 73.72
27. Oregon State … 72.20
28. Louisville … 71.38
29. Baylor … 65.18
30. Central Florida … 62.93
31. East Carolina … 59.58
32. Mississippi State … 59.10
33. Mississippi … 58.35
34. Southern Mississippi … 57.80
35. Georgia Southern … 57.55
36. College of Charleston … 57.18
37. Dallas Baptist … 54.90
38. Florida International … 53.64
39. Jacksonville … 52.58
40. Oregon … 52.30
41. Coastal Carolina … 52.10
42. Missouri State … 51.48
43. Wichita State … 49.43
44. Troy … 49.24
45. Oklahoma State … 49.02
46. North Carolina State … 48.94
47. Texas State … 48.68
48. Purdue … 48.12
49. Fresno State … 46.71
50. USC … 46.60
Note: 2012 CWS participants Kent State and Stony Brook were not in CNR preseason top-50

_____________________________

• CB360 Preseason Composite Top-50 Rankings for 2011
1. UCLA
2. Florida … 2011 CWS Runner-Up
3. TCU
4. Vanderbilt … 2011 CWS Participant
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas … 2011 CWS Participant
7. Clemson
8. Cal State Fullerton
9. South Carolina … 2011 CWS Champion
10. Arizona State
11. Oregon
12. Florida State
13. Stanford
14. Texas A&M … 2011 CWS Participant
15. Virginia … 2011 CWS Participant
16. Connecticut
17. Rice
18. Rice
19. LSU
20. Miami
21. Coastal Carolina
22. Auburn
23.Georgia Tech
24. California … 2011 CWS Participant
25. Baylor
26. College of Charleston
27. Louisville
28. UC Irvine
29. Arkansas
30. North Carolina … 2011 CWS Participant
31. St. John’s
32. Fresno State
33. Wichita State
34. Washington State
35. Florida Atlantic
36. San Diego
37. Alabama
38. Tulane
39. Pittsburgh
40. Kansas State
41. Hawaii
42. Kent State
43. Mississippi
44. Oregon State
45. Virginia Tech
46. Southern Mississippi
47. Central Florida
48. Liberty
48. Minnesota
48. North Carolina State

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Gamecock Streak Ends, Gators Sent Packing…

CLICK HERE to see the complete CB360 CWS Scoreboard

Jason Bagoly (left) and Taylor Gushue (Photo by Pete LaFleur)

OMAHA, Neb. — That smell wafting through the air you may have smelled just after 8 pm Eastern Monday night was a barbeque in Omaha. As in two and ‘que…as in the Florida Gators at the College World Series.

The team that was the preseason number one and held that ranking for a great deal of the season came into its third CWS with the No. 1 national seed and a national championship in its sights.

Instead of hoisting a title trophy though head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s team is feeling the weight of a second 0-and-2 Omaha performance in the last three seasons after falling 5-4 to Kent State in the second elimination game at TD Ameritrade Park in as many days.

“The game was not decided by the umpires,” O’Sullivan said after being asked about a questionable strikeout in the ninth inning. “The game was decided by both teams playing.  We made a couple errors in the first and second, and they capitalized and got two runs there in the bottom of the second.  That was the difference in the ballgame.  Simple as that.  The umpires had nothing to do with it.”

The Gators left the bases loaded to end the game.

The downfall started when Florida starting pitcher Hudson Randall was tended to behind by O’Sullivan and the Gator training staff. Randall would get the final out, but he would not return to the hill for the second inning due to heat related illness. The heat index was above 100 during the game. It was the hottest start time temperature at the CWS since 2001.

Jonathon Crawford, two weeks removed from an NCAA Tournament no-hitter, pitched the next three innings, but Florida trailed 5-1 by the time he exited.

Kent State starter Ryan Bores earned the win after going six strong innings. He allowed two runs on six hits while withstanding the blistering Omaha heat to improve to 10-3.

“That’s the most important thing that we wanted as a team and as a program, and as a university was to make a statement that we belong here,” head coach Scott Stricklin said after the first CWS victory in program history. “We’re not a fluke.  We’re a really good baseball team. That is the biggest win in school history.”

The Golden Flashes played the game with heavy hearts. Designated hitter Jason Bagoly’s mother passed away just before the start of the CWS. He was on deck on Saturday when Kent State’s 8-1 loss to Arkansas ended.

“The last couple nights I’ve really been wrestling with the decision,” Stricklin said of Bagoly’s heart breaking situation and whether or not to play him. “I was really disappointed in myself that I didn’t get him in (on Saturday).  I should have had him bat in the second or third inning and I was disappointed he didn’t get that at‑bat.”

“We talked about it as a staff and we went back and forth. You think about the ramifications if he has a bad game. He gets out there and plays, and things go wrong. I think that shows you what kind of kid he is, and how tough he is. It gave our team a lift. It really did.”

Bagoly will return home on Tuesday for his mother, Cheryl McHenry’s, funeral. Kent State players have been wearing a “CM” logo on the bills of their hats in her honor.
Kent State starting pitcher Ryan Bores

Florida catcher & first round MLB Draft pick Mike Zunino

Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin

Arkansas defeats South Carolina 2-1…

The king is not quite dead, but an historic NCAA Tournament run has come to an end. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina fell 2-1 to SEC rival Arkansas on Monday in Omaha to see its NCAA postseason record 22-game winning streak come to a screeching halt.

The win moves the Razorbacks to 2-0 in the 2012 CWS, while the Gamecocks drop to 1-1 and facing elimination in Omaha for the first time in two years. Thy had won 12 straight games at the College World Series.

South Carolina’s last NCAA Tournament/CWS loss came on June 20, 2010 with a 4-3 setback to Oklahoma. They rattled off a total of six straight wins, including four elimination game victories, to claim the program’s first national championship.The Gamecocks won six Regional and four Super Regional victories over the next two seasons as well as five straight wins at the 2011 CWS en-route to their second straight national crown.

Arizona is the other 2-0 team at the 2012 CWS, marking the first time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams and the introduction of Super Regional play that two non-national seeds have gone 2-0 in Omaha.

South Carolina next faces Kent State in Wednesday’s elimination game. Head coach Ray Tanner has not decided who his starting pitcher will be.

Florida State and UCLA  meet in Tuesday’s elimination game at 8 pm ET in the other bracket’s elimination game.

South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner

Arkansas pitcher Ryne Stanek

Florida Senior Ready For Run At Title…

Preston Tucker at the plate during the 2011 College World Series

Florida has been to the College World Series in each of the past two seasons. Preston Tucker has been there for each of those trips and is back for a chance to win a national championship in 2012.

The senior was drafted in the 16th round by the Colorado Rockies last year, but opted to return to Gainesville instead of turning pro. His return means the Gators return almost everyone from a team that was the national runner-up in Omaha in 2011.

Despite the arrival of BBCOR bats to college baseball, Tucker still had a monster bat last year, batting .308 with 15 home runs, a team-high 74 RBIs, 23 doubles, and a .926 OPS.

In this exclusive interview with College Baseball 360 editor Sean Stires, Tucker discusses his decision to return for his final year at Florida, the reason for his personal success at the plate with the new bats, his teammates, coaches, his team’s chances to win a national championship and more.

Press the “Play” button below to listen to the podcast interview.

Tucker

35 Home Games On Tap For Gators…

Florida has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Gators play their first 22 games in the state of Florida, with 19 of those first 22 games at home.

Cal State Fullerton comes to Gainesville for a marquee three game series to open the season February 17-19.

After a total of five home games against Bethune-Cookman, Central Florida and William & Mary, the Gators hit the road March 2-4 for three games at Miami. The two programs have met in the NCAA postseason in each of the last two years.

Florida faces Florida State in Gainesville on March 13. The two teams meet in Jacksonville two weeks later and then face-off in Tallahassee on April 10.

The Gators open SEC play when they host fellow 2011 College World Series team Vanderbilt March 16-18. Other conference home series are against LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. They hit the road in SEC action to face defensing national champion South Carolina as well as Ole Miss, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Auburn.

The SEC Tournament is May 23-27 in Hoover, Ala.

The Dugout in Omaha is your one stop for the most officially licensed 2011 College World Series apparel.

The Dugout is located right across the street from the Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium, but if you left Omaha without that College World Series hat, shirt or memorabilia you were thinking about you can still get it at Dugouthats.com!  The Dugout also has fitted college and minor league caps – just like the ones the players where on the field.

The best part is, when you click on one of the red links to Dugouthats.com you will save 20% on your order when you enter the coupon code CB360!

Florida outfielder Bryson Smith discusses his 2-for-2 performance after the Gators’ Day-1 win over Texas at the 2011 College World Series.

A Look At The Teams Bound For Omaha…

CLICK HERE to see the daily schedule of games and TV assignments. The 2011 College World Series starts on Saturday, June 18.

If you can’t make it to Omaha, be sure to visit Dugouthats.com to find the biggest selection of 2011 CWS apparel. Enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order! If you are going to the CWS, the new Dugout is easy to find – it’s right across the street from TD Ameritrade Park’s home plate entrance!!

California Golden Bears

David Esquer

Head Coach:  David Esquer

Cal is probably the darling of all darlings to play in the College World Series. Esquer’s journey to Omaha with his Golden Bears was a movie script waiting to happen. From a program whose elimination was announced back on Sept. 28 to earning a CWS berth on June 12 … what more can be said?

The Golden Bears, a No. 3 regional seed in Houston (hosted by No. 8 national seed Rice) have won six straight postseason games to earn a trip to Omaha for the first time since 1992. The previous time Cal won six consecutive postseason games was 1957 – the year the program earned its second (and to this point last) national championship.

While Esquer is taking a team to the CWS for the first time, he is no stranger to Omaha. He played for now rival head coach Mark Marquess‘ 1987 Stanford national championship team. Esquer’s seven career postseason wins are tied for the second-most in Cal history. Hall of Fame coach Bob Milano tops that list with 20 victories.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Tony Renda – .335
RBIs: Chadd Krist – 43
HR: Chad Bunting – 7
Sac Bunts: Marcus Semien – 16
Slg%: Chad Bunting – .509
OBP: Vince Bruno – .394
Runs: Marcus Semien – 39
Wins: Justin Jones (9-6)
ERA: (Releiver) Kyle Porter – 1.59 … (Starter) Erik Johnson – 2.91
Saves: Matt Flemer – 5
Strikeouts: Erik Johnson – 100

Florida Gators

Kevin O'Sullivan

Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan

This is Florida’s second straight and seventh overall trip to the CWS. It marks the first time the Gators have ever gone to Omaha in consecutive seasons. Florida’s win over Mississippi State in game three of the Super Regional was the first-ever for the program in “if necessary” NCAA games. The Gators had lost their previous five such games.

Florida hit five home runs in its deciding game against MSU to give it 67 long balls this season. The Gators are the No. 2 national seed and face Texas in their 2011 CWS opener.

In addition to leading the Gators to back-to-back CWS appearances, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan was an assistant on Clemson’s 2000 and 2002 Omaha teams. Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin was an assistant for those two teams as well.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Mike Zunino –.376
RBIs: Preston Tucker – 68
HR: Mike Zunino – 18
Sac Bunts: Josh Adams – 11
Slg%: Mike Zunino – .686
OBP: Mike Zunino – .444
Runs: Mike Zunino – 72
Wins: Hudson Randall (10-3)
ERA: (Reliever) Keenan Kish – 0.63 (Starter) … Hudson Randall – 2.29
Saves: Austin Maddox – 5
Strikeouts: Karsten Whitson – 83

North Carolina Tar Heels

Mike Fox

Head Coach: Mike Fox

This is North Carolina’s ninth overall and fifth trip to Omaha in the past six seasons. After going to the CWS four straight times from 2006-2009, UNC bowed out of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in the regional round when they were eliminated by Omaha-bound Oklahoma (interestingly, Cal was at that regional as well).

Head coach Mike Fox also played for UNC’s 1978 College World Series team.

The Tar Heels’ two Super Regional wins over Stanford gives them 37 NCAA Tournament wins since 2006 – the most of any team in the country in that span. They also are 23-1 in NCAA home games in that stretch – including 16 straight such wins.

North Carolina has trailed in only four of 45 innings they have played so far in this year’s tournament. The No. 3 national seed has won five straight and 10 of its past 12 games overall, heading into the CWS.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Coin Moran – .335
RBIs: Colin Moran – 69
HR: Colin Moran – 9
Sac Bunts: Tommy Coyle & Ben Bunting – 6
Slg%: Colin Moran – .551
OBP: Levi Michael – .446
Runs: Tommy Coyle – 57
Wins: Patrick Johnson (13-1)
ERA: (Reliever) Tate Parrish – 2.35 … (Starter) Patrick Johnson – 2.27
Saves: Michael Morin – 10
Strikeouts: Patrick Johnson – 120

South Carolina Gamecocks

Ray Tanner

Head Coach: Ray Tanner

South Carolina is in the College World Series for the second straight year and the 10th time overall. Half of those CWS appearances have come under head coach Ray Tanner. The Gamecocks are the first defending national champion to get back to Omaha the next year since 2006 champion Oregon State returned (and won again) in 2007. The Gamecocks are 16-1 in their past 17 NCAA Tournament games. They have won 11 straight NCAA Tournament games, since falling to Oklahoma in their 2010 CWS opener.

The Gamecocks are flat-out dominant at home in NCAA Tournament games. They now are 8-0 all-time at Carolina Stadium, with 19 straight postseason home wins, which dates back to 2002. South Carolina is the No. 4 national seed.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Christian Walker – .359
RBIs: Christian Walker – 60
HR: Christian Walker – 10
Sac Bunts: Peter Mooney – 12
Slg%: Christian Walker – .560
OBP: Scott Wingo – .466
Runs: Christian Walker – 60
Wins: Michael Roth (13-2)
ERA: (Reliever) John Taylor – 1.27 … (Starter) Michael Roth – 1.02
Saves: Matt Price – 18
Strikeouts: Michael Roth – 95

Texas Longhorns

Augie Garrido

Head Coach: Augie Garrido

This marks the 34th trip to the College World Series for Texas. In fact, the Longhorns (current #7 national seed) have advanced to Omaha in eight consecutive decades. This is the fifth decade in which Augie Garrido has led a team to the CWS (70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and now 10s). He already is the only coach to win national championships in four different decades (1979, 1984, 1995, 2002, ’05).

Garrido’s connection to the College World Series dates back to his playing days on the 1959 Fresno State CWS squad. His 1975 Cal State Fullerton team reached Omaha in its first season as a DI team. He won three national titles with the Titans and has two under his belt on the Forty Acres.

Texas now is 149-62-1 all-time in NCAA Regional and Super Regional play, including 15-6 in eight Super Regional appearances.

Longhorn ace Taylor Jungmann‘s only two losses this season have come in the past two weeks against Kent State and Arizona State, in NCAA games.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Erich Weiss – .358
RBIs: Erich Weiss – 44
HR: Tant Sheppard – 5
Sac Bunts: Mark Payton – 19
Slg%: Erich Weiss – .532
OBP: Erich Weiis – .492
Runs: Tant Sheppard – 53
Wins: Taylor Jungmann (13-2)
ERA: Corey Knebel – 1.15
Saves: Corey Knebel – 19
Strikeouts: Taylor Jungmann – 123

Texas A&M Aggies

Rob Childress

Head Coach: Rob Childress

Texas A&M is in the College World Series for the fifth time in the 108-year history of the program and for the first time since 1999. While the Aggies had nott been to Omaha in more than a decade, their head coach is no stranger there. Sixth-year skipper Rob Childress was an assistant coach on Nebraska’s 2001, 2002 and ’05 CWS teams.

The Aggies missed out on a national seed despite winning their second straight Big 12 Tournament, but they upended No. 5 seed Florida State in Tallahassee to win their Super Regional. Last year’s closer-turned-starter John Stilson is out with a torn labrum, but part-time reliever/starter Ross Stripling (14-2, 4 CG, 4 SVs) has stepped up.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Tyler Naquin – .390
RBIs: Matt Juengel & Jacob House – 49
HR: Matt Juengel – 7
Sac Bunts: Krey Bratsen – 18
Slg%: Tyler Naquin – .556
OBP: Tyler Naquin – .460
Runs: Tyler Naquin – 65
Wins: Ross Stripling (14-2)
ERA: (Reliever) Nick Fleece – 1.48 (Starter) … John Stilson – 1.68 (injured)
Saves: Joaquin Hinojosa – 8
Strikeouts: Michael Wacha – 110

Vanderbilt Commodores

Tim Corbin

Head Coach: Tim Corbin

While the other seven teams in this year’s field have been to the College World Series previously, Vanderbilt is making the program’s first trip to Omaha. In fact, the Commodores hadn’t even been to the NCAA Tournament in 24 years prior to head coach Tim Corbin‘s arrvial in 2003. The program has totaled 10 NCAA Tourney berths all-time, including six straight under Corbin. This year marked Vandy’s third Super Regional appearance and the first time to host that round. As an assistant at Clemson, Corbin helped Jack Leggett‘s Tigers reach the CWS four times. He and Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan were on the staff together for Omaha trips in 2000 and ’02.

The Commodores have, arguably, the top 1-2 punch in this year’s CWS field when it comes to pitching rotation. Sonny Gray (12-3) was the 18th overall pick (Oakland) in in the 2011 MLB Draft, while Grayson Garvin (13-1) was selected 41 picks later to Tampa Bay.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: Jason Esposito – .357
RBIs: Jason Esposito – 59
HR: Aaron Westlake – 17
Sac Bunts: Riley Reynolds – 13
Slg%: Aaron Westlake – .651
OBP: Aaron Westlake – .474
Runs: Anthony Gomez – 61
Wins: Grayson Garvin (13-1)
ERA: (Reliever) Navery – 1.21 … (Starter) Sonny Gray – 1.97
Saves: Navery Moore – 11
Strikeouts: Sonny Gray – 119

Virginia Cavaliers

Brian O'Connor

Head Coach: Brian O’Connor

Virginia is back in the College World Series for the second time in school history. Both of those appearances have come in the past three years. While the Cavs’ history in Omaha is short, their head coach’s connection with the city and its biggest event is legendarily long. Brian O’Connor grew up just across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He and his father attended the CWS throughout his childhood and the younger O’Connor played in the 1991 CWS for hometown Creighton (he pitched vs. Wichita State, in what most consider to be one of the greatest CWS games ever). O’Connor was an assistant coach on Notre Dame’s 2002 CWS team and he now has led Virginia to Omaha in 2009 and this year. And, yes, his face is one of the players on the famouse Road To Omaha statue outside TD Ameritrade Stadium.

Virginia is the No. 1 national seed.

Team Leader Board

Batting Avg.: David Coleman – .366
RBIs: Steven Proscia – 58
HR: Steven Proscia – 8
Sac Bunts: Keith Werman – 24
Slg%: John Hicks – .510
OBP: David Coleman & Kenny Swab – .426
Runs: Chris Taylor – 60
Wins: Danny Hultzen (12-3)
ERA: (Reliever) Kyle Crockett – 1.73 … (Starter) Danny Hultzen – 1.49
Saves: Branden Kline – 17
Strikeouts: Danny Hultzen – 151

If you can’t make it to Omaha, be sure to visit Dugouthats.com to find the biggest selection of 2011 CWS apparel. Enter the coupon code CB360 to save 20% on your order!

Spanning the country once again for college baseball nuggets during the off-season…

• Some sad news to start the Notebook this week. San Diego State head coach and MLB Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn has been diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland. Gwynn’s cancer, which is located beneath his
  

  Tony Gwynn

  tongue, is said to have been diagnosed early. He will begin radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

• A much needed shot in the arm for college baseball  out of Lincoln, NE. The University of Nebraska announced it plans to spend $4.75 million to build an indoor baseball/softball practice facility that would be located at Haymarket Park, where the Cornhuskers play their home baseball games inside Hawks Field. The proposed 22,000 square foot facility would include indoor batting cages and pitchers mounds. It will also give Nebraska a big leg-up when it heads to the Big Ten. The news also comes just more than a week after Cal-Berkley announced it will eliminate baseball, which has been in existence since 1892, after the upcoming 2011 season. Cal is currently in the process of an estimated $321 million renovation of its football stadium. Nebraska also plans to renovated its football stadium. That proposed project will cost about $55.5 million. Both Nebraska projects are still subject to final approval by its Board of Regents.
  

  Future MLB great Steve Garvey played football & baseball at Michigan St. (courtesy MSU athletics).

• Former MLB great Steve Garvey was recently inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. Garvey was a football and baseball player at MSU from 1966-1968. In those days freshmen were not eligible to play, so Garvey served as head coach Duffy Daugherty’s scout team quarterback the week before the epic 10-10 tie with #1 Notre Dame. Garvey recorded 30 tackles on the gridiron the next fall as a defensive back and then earned All-American honors on the diamond in the spring of 1968 with a .376 average, nine home runs and 38 RBIs. He belted a grand slam in his first career at-bat at MSU. Garvey left Michigan State after the LA Dodgers took him with the 13th overall pick in the 1968 draft. He went on to play in five World Series and earned 1974 NL MVP honors.

• Speaking of two sport athletes, we released our second Two-Sport Report of the fall last week. Among the notable recent performances noted there is Jacksonville State quarterback Coty Blanchard. The freshman earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last week for his efforts in the Gamecock’s win over Murray State. Jacksonville St. is ranked 4th in the most recent FCS national rankings. Blanchard was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of high school this June and plans to play shortstop at JSU next spring. The Two-Sport Report also includes updates on the likes of Clemson’s Kyle Parker, NC State’s Russell Wilson, Taiwan Easterling of Florida State, and many others.

• South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner has received a contract extension. Tanner earned the extension after leading the Gamecocks to the program’s first national championship earlier this year. The new deal runs through 2015 and will pay him $510, 000 annually.

• We also recently released a list of former college baseball players who are on the rosters of MLB Playoff teams. San Franciso Giants rookie Buster Posey is among those on the list. Each of the eight playoff teams has at least 16 former college guys on their active roster. Would you believe Kent State is tied with two other schools for the most players on the list? Click Here to see the full rundown.

• Florida and Ole Miss each released their schedules last week. The Rebels don’t have any eye-popping non-conference games, but the Gators host three games with Miami and also play four games against Florida State. The series is split with single games in Gainesville, Talahassee, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Florida and Ole Miss will also each host defending national champion South Carolina in SEC action.
  

  Cody Regis, Trevor Brown and Aaron Weimer were among UCLA players honored at Dodger Stadium (UCLA photo).

• The UCLA baseball team was recently honored at Dodger Stadium for its runner-up finish at the College World Series. The Bruins finished the 2010 season with the best record in school history at 51-17 before falling to South Carolina in the best-of-three CWS Championship Series. The Dodgers also announced the 2011 Dodgertown Classic, which will take place March 11-13 at Dodger Stadium. UCLA, USC, Georgia, and St. Mary’s (CA) will all participate.

• LSU has long been one of the most popular college baseball teams in the country, and it’s showing as well in the world of social media. According to sportsfangraph.com, LSU baseball ranks 29th in baseball social media followers. The Tiger’s combined Facebook and Twitter numbers total roughly 109,00o. The #29 ranking is tops among college baseball programs and comes in ahead of three MLB teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. Sports Fan Graph tracks more than 84-million fans who follow teams on Facebook and more than 17-million who track teams on Twitter. The New York Yankees are the most followed baseball team with more than 4.5 million social media fans.

• Texas scrimmaged Texas State Sunday, and there were both old and new faces on the diamond for Augie Garrido’s Longhorns. Texas lost 9-0 in the 12-inning fall exhibition, but next season’s potential starting rotation pitched well. junior Taylor Jungmann, senior Cole Green and sophomore Hoby Miner combined to surrender just one hit and one walk over the first 6.0 innings. Jungmann fired two perfect innings, while Green gave-up the hit. Sophomore Keifer Nuncio and freshman Nathan Thornhill combined to give-up seven runs in the 10th and 11th innings. It is the fall, and the Longhorns had trouble trying to turn double plays in both of those innings that would have limited the Bobcat damage.

Top Performers Shine During Opening Weekend

Max Willett (NewMexico/CF)

CollegeBaseball360.com has recognized a group of players from throughout the nation for their “primetime performances” during the season’s opening weekend (Feb. 19-21). Leading the way are three top honorees – as New Mexico senior centerfielder Max Willett (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Oregon sophomore second baseman Danny Pulfer (Cypress, Calif.) share the inaugural honor as Co-Primetime Players of the Week while Ball State senior righthander Morgan Coombs (West Terre Haute, Ind.) is the first Primetime Pitcher of the Week. These three players headline the first Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll (listed below).

Willette batted 7-for-11 (RBI, 3R, 2B) in leading New Mexico to a series win at top-ranked Texas, while Pulfer hit .412 (7-for-17) and had a hand in nearly 40% of Oregon’s 32 runs (6 RBI, 6 R) during the Ducks’ breakout southern-California roadswing (highlighted by wins over #3 Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State). Coombs delivered in a pressure-packed situation at #15 Arkansas, closing Ball State’s 5-2 win with 5.0 strong innings (UER, 4H, 8K) despite 8,000-plus spirited Razorbacks fans cheering against him.

Danny Pulfer (Oregon/2B)

Similar to the weekly awards presented on sister site CollegeSoccer360.com, the CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria…not solely based on raw stats.

Primetime Performer Award Criteria

• Must have been playing for or against a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings)  or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification.

Morgan Coombs (Ball St./RHP)

• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, etc.

• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field.

• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).

Additional information and bio. data on the Primetime Performers, along with headshots and action photos, is being added to this release.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll include New Mexico senior 1B Justin Howard, two sophomores (LHP/1B Danny Hultzen and 3B Steven Proscia) from the Virginia team that took 2-of-3 at East Carolina en route to the #1 national ranking, and two players (so. RHP Jordan Pries, jr. SS Jake Schlander) from the Stanford team that swept Rice, along with the following clutch performers: Northwestern State so. OF/1B Colin Bear … Hawaii so. RF Collin Bennett … Georgia Tech so. LHP Jed Bradley … East Carolina so. LHP Kevin Brandt … Louisiana-Monroe jr. RHP Wil Browning … Pepperdine jr. LHP Matt Bywater … Florida sr. CF Matt den Dekker … TCU fr. RF/C Josh Elander … Gonzaga sr. CF Drew Heid … Kentucky so. RHP/1B Braden Kapteyn … Baylor sr. RHP Willie Kempf … and Fresno State jr. 1B Jordan Ribera.

The 20 honorees include nine pitchers (pair of 2-way players; 5 RHP/4 LHP), five first baseman (including both 2-way players, plus one who also played OF), three centerfielders, three corner outfielders (one also played 1B, one C), one second baseman, one shortstop, one third baseman and one catcher (also played OF). TCU’s Elander is the only freshman among the Primetime players, which also include a fifth-year senior, six seniors, three juniors and a big sophomore-class representation of nine honorees.

The group includes four Texas natives – Bear, Elander, Howard and Kempf – and four more from California (Bywater, Pries, Pulfer and Ribera), along with two Primetime players from Washington and one each from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York and North Carolina.

(from left) Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer, Ball State closer Morgan Coombs and New Mexico centerfielder Max Willett headline CB360’s first group of Primetime Performers (photos courtesy of each school).

WILLETT – batting from the #6 spot – combined with Howard to lead a Lobos offense that hit .284 with 10 extra-base hits in a three-game road series versus #1-ranked Texas and its vaunted pitching staff. UNM shocked the college baseball world by taking the series in Austin (2-6/6-5/3-1), with Willett batting 7-for-11 (.636, RBI, 3 R, 3B, 2B, HBP, SF) and playing error-free in center field.

After a solid showing in the opener (2-for-4, 2B), Willett went 3-for-4 in UNM’s game-2 upset. He led off the 6th by placing and opposite-field triple into the right-center gap and scored moments later for a 5-4 deficit. Three innings later, moments after Howard’s game-tying home run, Willett delivered in a situational plate appearance – flying out the left field for a sacrifice fly that plated Devon Conley as the eventual winning run.

Willett’s game-3 effort (2-for-3, 2R, 2B) helped produce another win over the Longhorns. He hit a 1-out single up the middle and scored the game’s first run in the 4th, later adding the game’s final run in the 8th (after a 2-out double down the leftfield line).

A second team all-Mountain West Conference selection in 2009 (.355, 46 RBI, 4 HR, 15 2B, 12-13 SB, 15 sac. bunts, 0 errors), Willett played sparingly in his first three seasons at UNM – totaling only 59 games played and 31 starts spanning the 2006-08 seasons. He batted only .229 as a sophomore in 2007 before seeing his junior season (12 GS) cut short by a hand injury. He is a product of Colorado’s Thunder Ridge High School, where he played on state-championship teams in both baseball and football.

Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll (Feb. 19-21)

“It’s not so much what you do, as it is when you do it.”

Player (Pos.) … School … Yr., Ht./Wt. … Hometown … Stats & Notes

Colin Bear (OF) … Northwestern St. … So., 6-3/210 … Houston, TX

Collin Bennett (RF) … Hawaii … So., 6-1 … Bellevue, WA

Jed Bradley (LHP) … Georgia Tech … So., 6-4/210 … Huntsville, AL

Kevin Brandt (LHP) … East Carolina … So., 6-2/190 … Fuquay Varina, NC

Wil Browning (RHP) … La. Monroe Jr., 6-3/200 … Kosciusko, MS

Matt Bywater (LHP) … Pepperdine … Jr., 6-2/195 … Thousand Oaks, CA

*Morgan Coombs (RHP) … Ball State … Sr., 6-1/190 … West Terre Haute, IN

Matt den Dekker (CF) … Florida … Sr., 6-1/210 … Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Josh Elander (RF/C) … TCU … Fr., 6-0/205 … Round Rock, TX

Drew Heid (CF) … Gonzaga … Sr., 5-10/175 … Touchet, WA

Justin Howard (1B) … New Mexico … Sr., 6-0/205 … Ennis, TX

Danny Hultzen (LHP/1B) … Virginia … So., 6-3/200 … Bethesda, MD

Braden Kapteyn (RHP/1B) …Kentucky … So., 6-4/220 … Lansing, IL

Willie Kempf (RHP) … Baylor … Sr., 6-0/195 … Castroville, TX

Jordan Pries (RHP) … Stanford … So., 6-0/190 … Alameda, CA

Steven Proscia (3B) … Virginia … So., 6-2/215 … Suffern, NY

*Danny Pulfer (2B) … Oregon … So., … 5-10/190 … Cypress, CA

Jordan Ribera (1B) … Fresno State … Jr., 6-0/220 … Fresno, CA

Jake Schlander (SS) … Stanford … Jr., 6-2/195 … Scottsdale, AZ

*Max Willett (CF) … New Mexico … Sr., 5-10/190 … Highlands Ranch, CO

* – Note: Pulfur and Willett shared the CB360 Primetime Player of the Week award, while Coombs was the inaugural Primetime Pitcher of the Week

Miami, Florida State, Florida & USF To Compete In Inaugural Event

TAMPA, FL – For the first time in history, four Florida universities will meet at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to compete in “The Florida Four” on March 2, 2010.

For this inaugural event, the University of South Florida (USF) and University of Miami (UM) will go head-to-head, while the University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU) will take on each other.

“We’ve been working with the Yankees for a few years now to bring another premier event to our community,” said Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission Rob Higgins. “We hope it serves as launching pad to Omaha for the four programs. This is a story that will start in March and we hope continues on to June. ”

“On behalf of the World Champion New York Yankees, it is with great pleasure and pride that we welcome The Florida Four Baseball Classic to George M. Steinbrenner Field. As a past collegiate coach, it is George Steinbrenner’s dream to create this event for Tampa”, said Felix Lopez, Senior Vice President, New York Yankees. “We welcome the great schools of Florida to our facility and look forward to continuing this event for years to come”

USF looks to make moves in the BIG EAST Conference after being predicted to finish second in the preseason polls. The Bulls, driven by back-to-back highly-regarded recruiting classes, are on the national radar again as they have received votes in preseason polls for the second consecutive season.

“It’s going to be a great night for college baseball in Tampa. It should be a College World Series atmosphere with four great teams,” said USF Head Baseball Coach Lelo Prado. “I hope it’s the beginning of a long tradition for college baseball here in the Tampa Bay Area.”

The University of Miami baseball team earned its fourth preseason ranking this preseason as the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll has the Hurricanes tabbed as the No. 14 team nationally in its first poll of the season. In total the 2009 `Canes feature 18 returning players, including 16 letter winners. In addition, there are 14 newcomers that include three junior college transfers and 11 true freshmen.

“The tournament should be very good for all the teams, as well as Tampa baseball, and we are very excited to be playing in this inaugural event,” said UM Head Baseball Coach Jim Morris. “Tampa is a great city for high school baseball and it will be great playing in front of them. The city has some of the greatest college baseball programs playing and it will be great for everyone.”

When Kevin O’Sullivan took over the University of Florida baseball program prior to the 2007-2008 school year, the Gators were in the midst of consecutive non-winning seasons for the first time in more than 30 years. O’Sullivan and his staff, consisting of Craig Bell, Brad Weitzel and Don Norris, directed the Gators to a runner-up finish in the South Eastern Conference’s Eastern Division and the team’s first NCAA Regional appearance since 2005 with a 34-24 performance.

“We are looking forward to participating in the Florida Four Tournament against top-notch competition. It should be a great opportunity for our fans to see two quality games in a professional stadium and the players will be excited to be part of a tremendous environment,” said UF Head Baseball Coach Kevin O’ Sullivan. “It should be a great night of baseball that showcases the state of Florida.”

Since the Atlantic Coast Conference’s inception of divisional play in 2006, the Seminoles have captured two Atlantic Division crowns, including back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. Florida State baseball will open the 2009 campaign ranked in the top 25 in five preseason polls, including four polls that position the Seminoles in the top 10. Highlighted by an appearance in the College World Series last year, the 2008 Seminoles Baseball team finished the season ranked as high as No. 7 in the country.

“This is a great plus for the Florida State baseball program to be involved with the New York Yankees in this capacity and certainly to play the University of Florida down in Tampa will create a lot of interest,” said FSU Head Baseball Coach Mike Martin. “I’m sure that the Seminole fans in the Tampa Bay area will be excited to see their Seminoles, and I’m sure the same will be true with the Gators. We could very well draw a capacity crowd because of the interest in baseball in this great state of Florida.”

(Release)

Southern Mississippi Sweeps Florida To Go To Omaha

Corky Palmer

Did I mention the fact that USM head coach Corky Palmer had announced his retirement just a month before that Regional title?    “This season we will keep working as hard as we can and to accomplish as much as we can,” Palmer said at the press conference to announce his impending retirement.  ” We’ve had two great wins against East Carolina and Ole Miss in the last two games, and we’ll continue to be competitive the rest of the year.”  What an understatement that turned out to be.

Southern Miss became one of three Conference USA teams to make a 2009 Super Regional (along with Rice and East Carolina).  Who could have predicted that Corky’s corps of relative unknowns would be the last C-USA team standing on college baseball’s biggest stage?

Here’s a look at how Southern Mississippi beat #8 National Seed Florida in the Gainesville Super Regional:

June 6: Game one started at 3:05 in the afternoon and Southern Miss. struck first.  Freshman B.A. Vollmuth, who was one of named the Atlata Regional’s Most Outstanding Player a week earlier, started the scoring in the top of the 2nd with his 4th postseason home run.  Corey Stevens gave USM another run in the 3rd on a sac fly.  Then the rain came.

A one hour delay was not good for Golden Eagles starting pitcher J.R. Ballinger, who was named to the Atlanta All- Regional team as well.  Ballinger gave up four runs (just one of them earned) in the bottom of the 3rd and exited with his team trailing 4-2.   The lead changed twice over the next two innings until Southern Miss. put a four spot on the

Collin Cargill

board in the top of the 6th inning to go up 9-6.

Jonathon Johnston gave-up just one hit in 3 2/3 scoreless innings to make sure his team would not give-up the lead again and then Collin Cargill earned his 12th save of the season (despite giving-up a 9th inning run) to finish-off the stunning 9-7 win.

Both teams managed 12 hits and one home run in the game.  It was the fourth time in five NCAA Tournament game that the Golden Eagles rapped-out at least 12 hits.

June 7: Southern Mississippi was the designated home team for game two, but it looked early on like it wasn’t going to be their day.  Florida jumped-out to a 6-1 lead through the first three innings.  USM ace Jeff McInnis was roughed-up for all 6 runs in 5 IP.

The Golden Eagles chipped at the lead by scoring two runs in the 4th and adding another in the 5th inning to make it a 6-4 game.   That was the score when USM batted in the bottom of the 8th.

Southern Miss. rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the inning.  USM had tied the score 6-6 and had runners at first and third with one out.  Adam Doleac scored on a ground ball hit by Tyler Koelling after Joey Archer was forced out at second base.  Koelling had to beat the relay throw to first to avoid an inning-ending double play.

Doleac was only in the game because he had entered the game in the clean-up spot after Corey Stevens was ejected from the game after a collision with Florida catcher Buddy Munroe.

B.A. Vollmuth

The bullpen came-up big again for Southern Miss.  Scott Copeland tossed 3 shutout innings and then Cargill induced a double play to end the game and send the Golden Eagles to the school’s first College World Series.  “Their bullpen again did a heck of a job,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said afterward. ” We had a solid game plan going against their starter, but once again their bullpen put up six-straight zeroes on the scoreboard.”

In the two Super Regional games the USM bullpen pitched gave-up just 3 runs on 8 hits in 10 innings of work.  Cargill saved both games to run his season total to 13.

“It’s been a great ride,” Palmer said after the Super Regional win.  “I don’t know what happened three weeks ago but those seniors bonded and we just grew up each week. We’ve earned everything that we have got. We had great relief pitching and Joey (Archer) got the big hit. This is quite an accomplishment for our school to go to Omaha. Seven-straight regionals are nothing to sneeze at but to take this step to Omaha will do wonders for our program.”

Palmer’s retirement would have to wait.

CLICK HERE to listen to a podcast interview with Southern Mississippi’s B.A. Vollmuth.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

5.  The Texas vs. Boston College 25-inning Game

6.  Andrew Darr Comes Off The Bench & Comes Up Big For Arkansas

7.  Virginia Beats Stephen Strasburg In Irvine Regional Opener

8.  Washington State And Gonzaga End Long NCAA Tournament Droughts

9.  Cal Poly Gets Its First NCAA Tournament Bid

10.  Kansas’ Field of Dreams: Kansas, Kansas State & Wichita State All Get NCAA Bids

11.  Stephen Strasburg Strikes out 17 in a no hitter

12.  Ohio State’s Alex Wimmers No-hits Michigan

13.  Kansas Sweeps #1 Texas

14.  Bryce Brentz Has An April To Remember

15.  Clemson’s Kyle Parker Does Double Duty

16.  #1 Arkansas Beats #1 Arizona State

17.  Rhode Island Beats Miami And Oklahoma State

18.  Kansas State’s A.J. Morris beats Arizona State’s Mike Leake

19.  North Carolina’s Mike Fox Wins His 1,000th Game

20.  Illinois Shocks #1 LSU In Baton Rouge

21.  Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball