Tigers Ranked No. 2 in Baseball America Preseason Poll

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DURHAM, NC - The Clemson Tigers have been ranked second in the

nation behind top-ranked Stanford in the 2002 Baseball America

preseason poll the magazine announced Thursday. The preseason ranking

is believed to be the highest for the Tigers, who finished the 2001

season ranked 17th by the magazine.

Clemson entered the 2001 season ranked as high as fifth and ended the

season with a 41-22 record after two losses to eventual national

champion Miami (FL) at the Coral Gables Super Regional last June. The

Tigers are one of just six teams to advance to the Super Regional

round in each of the first three years of the expanded format.

After the Cardinal and Tigers, Miami (FL), Southern California and

Notre Dame round out the top five in the poll. Clemson is scheduled

to meet five teams ranked in the Baseball America preseason top-25

poll, including a combined 16 games with sixth-ranked Florida State,

13th-ranked Georgia Tech, 14th-ranked South Carolina, 19th-ranked

North Carolina and 21st-ranked Wake Forest. Last month, Clemson was

ranked sixth in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll.

The 2002 Tigers will be guided by the return of seniors Steve Reba, a

righthander who led the ACC last year in victories with a 12-3

record, and Khalil Greene, who set a school record for best fielding

percentage by a shortstop, fielding .965 a year ago to break Bill

Spiers' 1987 record of .950. Reba, a 16th-round pick last June by

the Oakland A's, also led the conference in strikeouts with 103 and

had a conference-best 2.58 ERA. Greene, a 14th-round pick of the

Chicago Cubs, batted .303 in 241 at bats with a team-best 18 doubles

and two triples. The senior was one of four Tigers to hit

double-figure home runs last season, finishing with 12.

The Tigers open the 2002 campaign at home with a three-game series

against Auburn at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Feb. 22-24.

Baseball America Preseason Poll


No. Team	W-L	Final 2001 BA Ranking


1. Stanford	51-17	2


2. Clemson	41-22	17


3. Miami (FL)	53-12	1


4. So Calif	45-19	4


5. Notre Dame	49-13	15


6. Florida St	47-19	10


7. Louisiana St	44-22	9


8. Nebraska	50-16	6


9. Texas	36-26	NR


10. Tulane	56-13	5


11. Rice	47-20	13


12. Wichita St	42-24	NR


13. Geo Tech	41-20	NR


14. S Carolina	49-20	12


15. Cal St Full	48-18	3


16. Baylor	37-24	NR


17. Miss St	39-23	19


18. Arizona St	37-20	22


19. N Carolina	31-26	NR


20. Mississippi	39-23	NR


21. Wake Forest	44-18	18


22. Cal St Nor	34-22	NR


23. Oklahoma St	42-22	NR


24. Washington	29-23	NR


25. Rutgers	42-17	25

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