Baseball Ranks Fifth in Latest Preseason Poll

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CLEMSON, SC - The Clemson baseball team has been ranked fifth in the

final preseason poll of the 2002 season. Baseball Weekly/ESPN voted

the Tigers fifth, meaning Clemson is not ranked lower than sixth in

any of the three preseason polls. Earlier this year, Clemson was

ranked second by Baseball America and sixth by Collegiate Baseball.

The Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top-25 Preseason College Coaches Poll was

selected by 41 Division I head baseball coaches representing the

American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

The Tigers finished 14th in the final 2001 USA Today/Baseball Weekly

coaches poll last June after making their third straight NCAA Super

Regional appearance. Clemson lost at the Coral Gables Super Regional

to Miami, which was the eventual national champion. The Tigers

finished with a 41-22 record and were playing in the NCAA Tournament

for the 15th consecutive season, the fifth longest streak in the

nation.

Clemson, which opens the 2002 season Feb. 22-24 with a three-game

series vs. Auburn at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, begins practice on

Saturday.

Baseball Weekly/ESPN Preseason Poll

Rank Votes Final 2001

(1st Place) Ranking

1. Stanford (51-17) 1,011 (33) 2

2. Miami (FL) (53-12) 925 (6) 1

3. Southern California (45-19) 885 (1) 4

4. Florida State (47-19) 856 (1) 10

5. CLEMSON (41-22) 834 14

6. Louisiana State (44-22-1) 809 9

7. Tulane (56-13) 794 6

8. Nebraska (50-16) 671 7

9. South Carolina (49-20) 617 13

10. Cal State-Fullerton (48-18) 543 3

11. Rice (47-20) 531 12

12. Texas (36-26) 481 NR

13. Notre Dame (49-13-1) 465 15

14. Oklahoma State (42-22) 388 NR

15. Wichita State (42-24) 363 NR

16. Baylor (37-24) 359 25

17. Arizona State (37-20-1) 342 22

18. Mississippi (39-23-1) 330 NR

19. Georgia Tech (41-20) 323 21

20. Mississippi State (39-24) 271 17

21. Wake Forest (44-18) 261 19

22. Fresno State (41-25) 258 NR

23. Florida (35-27) 139 NR

24. Rutgers (42-17) 121 NR

25. Tennessee (48-20) 105 5

Others receiving votes: North Carolina (77), Texas Tech (59), East

Carolina (54), Cal State Northridge (43), Ohio State (42), Georgia

(38), Texas A&M (31), Alabama (28), Nevada (27), UCLA (24), Ball

State (20), Stetson (19), Washington (18), California (18), Arizona

(18), Long Beach State (17), Winthrop (15), Houston (14), Purdue

(11), Central Florida (11), Oral Roberts (8), Pepperdine (7), San

Diego (6), Virginia Tech (6), South Alabama (5), Brigham Young (4),

Georgia Southern (4), San Diego State (4), Florida International (3),

South Florida (3), Campbell (3), New Orleans (1), Southwest Missouri

State (1), Illinois (1), Oklahoma (1), Coastal Carolina (1),

Louisiana-Lafayette (1).

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