Pirate Baseball Ranked 36th in Preseason Poll
December 23, 2002 | Baseball
The Pirates, who went 43-20-1 last season and advanced to NCAA regional play for the fourth straight season, is ranked No. 36 in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 preseason poll.
In addition, sophomore infielder Darryl Lawhorn made the 2003 Louisville Slugger preseason All-America team, selected by Collegiate Baseball. Lawhorn, who was the publication's Co-National Freshman of the Year last season, is a third-team preseason All-America selection. He batted .416 with 19 home runs in 2002 en route to being named Conference USA Freshman of the Year and also earned first-team all-conference and C-USA Tournament MVP honors.
It is Lawhorn's second major preseason honor as he was named a first-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America last month. Lawhorn played primarily at first base as a rookie but is expected to make the transition to third base in the coming campaign.
The Pirates will begin their first season under new head coach Randy Mazey on Feb. 14. They finished ranked 24th by USA Today last season after an emotional run through the C-USA Tournament, claiming the school's first-ever C-USA title in any sport. Mazey's club returns 21 lettermen from last season, including 10 pitchers and four regular starting position players.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. I Preseason Poll
(As of Dec. 23, 2002)
- Texas (57-15)
- Florida St. (60-14)
- Southern California (37-24)
- Rice (52-14)
- Georgia Tech. (52-16)
- Louisiana St. (44-22)
- Cal. St. Fullerton (37-22)
- South Carolina (57-18)
- Stanford (47-18)
- Houston (48-17)
- Mississippi St. (34-24-1)
- Arizona St. (37-21)
- Long Beach St. (39-21)
- Miami, Fla. (34-29)
- Wake Forest (47-13-1)
- Richmond (53-13)
- Baylor (36-26)
- Clemson (54-18)
- Notre Dame (50-18)
- South Alabama (42-19)
- Florida Atlantic (46-21)
- Nebraska (47-21)
- Tulane (36-27)
- S.W. Missouri St. (43-21)
- California (29-27)
- Central Florida (41-22)
- Oklahoma (35-27)
- James Madison (44-16)
- Ohio St. (38-20-1)
- Wichita St. (47-17)
- Kent St. (37-22)
- Stetson (42-19)
- Georgia (32-29)
- North Carolina (43-21)
- Texas Tech. (42-20)
- East Carolina (43-20-1)
- Southern (45-10)
- Florida International (41-20)
- Oklahoma St. (37-21)
- Auburn (34-26)
