Pirate Baseball Tabbed Preseason No. 30 By NCBWA
January 27, 2005 | Baseball
DALLAS, Texas--The East Carolina baseball team received its second 2005 preseason ranking, standing 30th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll released Wednesday. The Pirates were also a No. 32 choice by Collegiate Baseball, in rankings released Dec. 22.
East Carolina, ranked as high as eighth in the final polls a year ago, returns 17 lettermen including all but two pitchers who lettered in 2004. Despite losing key players to the Major League Baseball first-year amateur draft and graduation, ECU returns a number of important pieces from last season's record-breaking team. Junior third baseman Mark Minicozzi has been named Preseason First-Team All Conference USA by the league's coaches as well as SEbaseball.com and has been tabbed the top defensive third baseman in C-USA by Baseball America. Starting pitchers Shane Mathews and Brody Taylor combined for a record of 15-1 in 2004 and return this season for head coach Randy Mazey's pitching staff.
Texas, who is also ranked No. 1 overall by Collegiate Baseball, tops the NCBWA preseason poll, followed by Cal State Fullerton, Tulane, Miami and Stanford to round out the top five. The Longhorns return five position player starters and nine pitchers off a team that finished second last season behind College World Series champion Cal State Fullerton.
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association will continue its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the eighth year with its 2005 weekly surveys. Weekly polls after the preseason survey will continue from Feb. 7-June 28, 2005, following the NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The initial poll of the 2005 season has representation by 13 different conferences and top independents among the 284 baseball-playing schools in the NCAA Division I ranks.
The Pirates will open their season on the road against College of Charleston Feb. 11, and will begin play at Clark-LeClair Stadium when they host the Second Annual Keith LeClair Classic March 4-6. Teams participating in the classic include ECU, Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio State.
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
NCAA Div. I Pre-Season Poll
Jan. 26, 2005
Rank School ('04 Final Record)
1. Texas (58-15)
2. Cal State Fullerton (47-22)
3. Tulane (41-21)
4. Miami (Fla.) (50-13)
5. Stanford (46-14)
6. LSU (46-19)
7. South Carolina (53-17)
8. North Carolina (43-21)
9. Arizona State (41-18)
10. Georgia (45-23)
11. Georgia Tech (44-21)
12. Texas A&M (42-22)
13. Rice (46-14)
14. Arizona (36-27)
15. Washington (39-20)
16. Florida State (45-23)
17. Mississippi (39-21)
18. Long Beach State (40-21)
19. Mississippi State (35-24)
20. Notre Dame (51-12)
21. Florida (43-22)
22. TCU (39-26)
23. Clemson (39-26)
24. Wichita State (49-16)
25. UCF (48-17)
26. Winthrop (37-23)
27. Oklahoma State (38-24)
28. Florida Atlantic (47-17)
29. Arkansas (45-24)
30. East Carolina (51-13)
31. Stetson (36-23)
32. Virginia (44-15)
33. Baylor (29-31)
34. Vanderbilt (45-19)
35. Oral Roberts (50-11)
