Baseball Tabbed No. 2 in Preseason Baseball America Rankings

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team is ranked No. 2 in the 2010 Preseason Baseball America Top 25, which was released today by the publication. It marks the Cavaliers’ highest ranking at any point in program history.

Virginia’s previous top ranking was No. 3, set in April 2007 and matched this past December in the preseason Collegiate Baseball rankings for 2010. Texas holds the top spot in the Baseball America preseason rankings, while LSU, Cal State Fullerton and Rice round out the top five.

Led by seventh-year head coach Brian O’Connor, Virginia returns 23 of its 29 letterwinners from the 2009 team, which went 49-15-1, won the ACC Championship and captured the NCAA Irvine Regional and Oxford Super Regional titles en route to the program’s first College World Series appearance.

Among the returning letterwinners is the entire 2009 starting lineup, including All-Americans Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) and Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) and fellow All-ACC performers Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) and Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.). The Cavaliers also have a top-10 recruiting class entering the fold, giving the team unprecedented depth.

The Cavaliers are one of six ACC teams in the preseason Baseball America poll. Georgia Tech (6), Florida State (9), Clemson (15), Miami (16) and North Carolina (20) also are among the top 25. The ACC and SEC lead all conferences with six teams apiece in the preseason rankings.

UVa opens the season Feb. 19 with a three-game series at East Carolina, which is ranked No. 18 in Baseball America’s preseason poll. The Cavaliers’ home opener is Feb. 24 against George Washington.

2010 Preseason Baseball America Top 25
1. Texas
2. VIRGINIA
3. Louisiana State
4. Cal State Fullerton
5. Rice
6. Georgia Tech
7. Florida
8. UC Irvine
9. Florida State
10. South Carolina
11. Texas Christian
12. Coastal Carolina
13. Louisville
14. Arizona State
15. Clemson
16. Miami
17. Arkansas
18. East Carolina
19. San Diego
20. North Carolina
21. Southern Mississippi
22. Georgia
23. UCLA
24. Mississippi
25. Oregon State

2010 Virginia opponents listed in bold