It's still a couple of months away -- mid to late February for most SEC,ACC and (I think) PAC-10 schools -- but I'm curious whether anyone else on the board follows college baseball.

I follow college baseball, although UGA is not a perennial powerhouse. I usually make it over to Athens for a few games.

I also follow college baseball. May not be much to follow this season outside the ACC, though. Once Miami joins the conference, it's TRULY gonna be the powerhouse baseball conference, with perennial top 10 teams Florida State, NC State, Ga Tech, and Clemson, now joined by Miami. The ACC could have five of the top 10 in the preseason polls.

You must be an ACC fan. NC State usually makes the postseason, but calling them a perennial Top 10 is a stretch. And hasn't North Carolina been the one to get a regional a couple of times in the last few years?

I might drive to Clemson when Auburn returns the favor for last year's visit. I missed both Auburn-Tech games last year, though.

And regarding "may not be much to follow this season outside the ACC, though," I know several SEC teams -- LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Miss. State, South Carolina, Florida and frequently Arkansas and Tennessee -- that usually make the postseason who would probably beg to differ.

[ December 11, 2003, 05:16 AM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

Amen Brutha!!!
The SEC will still be able to stand up to the ACC in head to head standings and I'm sure there are some schools in Texas and California that will do well too.
It looks like this is an Atlanta kind of subject. We need to get together at Woofs some day soon and get a group for college baseball fans going. I'll bring my "Cocks" hat to the table.

As they say about stocks and mutual funds, past success is no guarantee of future performance, but it would be tough to say the SEC wouldn't still be the conference to beat.

* SEC teams have won six of the last 12 national championships, with LSU winning five (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000) and Georgia claiming the 1990 title.

* The SEC has sent eight of its 12 schools to the College World Series since 1990: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

* The SEC has had an NCAA-high 10 different teams compete in the 55-year history of the College World Series. In those appearances, the conference has registered a 74-74 record, a 50.0 winning percentage.


I was pumped when I found out Rice won the national championship. (I was in Canada and missed it.) I'm sure they will be back, as well as Texas, Stanford and the other usual contenders from the West Coast and the Big 12.

[ December 11, 2003, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

Collegiate Baseball releases its preseason poll

I love college baseball. My beloved University of Texas Longhorns are usually right at the top of the game! Thing is, living out here in San Francisco I hardly ever am able to watch one of their games. My brother who lives in Austin lets me know when they play, but I can usually only follow a game on KVET-AM's website. frown

Considering they were ranked #6 in the country in last years final college baseball poll, I was surprised to see my South Carolina Gamecocks ranked 14th in this seasons preseason poll but, at least unlike college football, the true national champion in this great sport is determined on the field and not by a computer or some moronic pollsters....when I was at USC (the REAL one ) in the 80s I attended a TON of baseball games at Sarge Frye Field and always had a great time....especially when the sunny South Carolina weather arrived in the spring, there was no better way to spend a weekday afternoon after finishing class than strolling down to the Roost and catching the seemingly daily 3PM game -- and the fact that the tickets were free for us undergrads sure didn't hurt either.

Looking forward to catching more college baseball action in 2004 -- even though with today being the FIRST day of winter and three cold months of freezing temps ahead (at least here in the east) it does seem WAY too early to be talking about any college baseball games....not that there's EVER a bad time to talk about admiring some of those collegiate studs in uniform, of course (and posting pics, too, once the season gets underway -- hint, hint). wink

Well, my Aggies were picked at only #32. However, I am used to them getting knocked around in the pre-season poll. Nothing was expected from them last year, and they ended up #17.

Boys, I have been a college baseball freak since the age of 12. I saw the dedicated of Mark Light Stadium back in 1976 (or 77) when the Canes played the mighty men of Troy (i.e. USC Trojans). Also, I witnessed the largest crowd at Mark Light Stadium when the Canes played the Longhorns back in 1981. I personally saw the fire chief/marshall of City of Coral Gables yelling in the face of the Wizard of College Baseball, Ron Frazier, about the 8,100+ fans that he packed and squeezed into Mark Light on a hot & humid February night in Miami.

When I decided to attend FSU against my family wishes, I got my dream job (thank you GOD) when my College Work Study assignment was being an athletic tutor to the baseball team. Over my five years at Party Central USA (i.e. FSU), I saw Seminole Field transformed from a wooden bleachers pit into a first class facility that would be later renamed for Dick Howser. I was very fortunate to meet Howser and he was a first class guy.

In my 18 years as a college administrator, I have enjoyed college baseball at one university (Univ of Miami) while being a hard core advocate for improved facilities and resources for college baseball at the other two universities that I worked for in my life(Purdue and W&M.)

I am not surprised with Rice and Miami being voted #1 in the preseason poll. Rice has put the resources into their program while Miami is Miami with its great tradition. I am shocked with FSU being ranked so low in the polls with number 24 ranking. I do understand LSU being # 3 as Skip Bertman, now LSU's AD, built a great program at Alex Box Stadium.

Guys, Rice has the most hottest guys on the diamond .... the whole team looked like they walk off the pages of A&F catalog with their beads, guns (i.e arms), pecs (during pre game warmups in their undergear shirts), and thighs. WOOF!

The season is only about six weeks away for Auburn (and I would bet some PAC-10 schools, ACC schools and several other SEC schools), so it's not too early for those of us in the sun belt to start thinking about it.

Baseball America's new poll, updated Jan. 5

Baseball writers' pre-season poll

Baseball America poll, updated Feb. 9

Sports Weekly/ESPN coaches' poll, updated Feb. 9

Collegiate Baseball poll, updated Feb. 9

Eight SEC teams begin play this weekend

[ February 11, 2004, 08:05 AM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

My Bulldogs get no respect in baseball either. 29th in one poll, not even in the others. And 5th preseason in the SEC West. Ron Polk and Co. will just have to surprise folks again.

Texas at #6? Not bad, although I think they're prepared to go all the way as the usually do.

I just wish I could get television broadcasts of their games. frown

I'll watch them for you, Bill. wink

Bill, if you have a satellite dish, you should see whether you can subscribe to Fox Sports Southwest (I think it's called). I'm betting they show Big 12 games once conference play starts, as they do with the SEC on Fox Sports South. We usually get a couple of games each SEC weekend, thanks to CSS and Fox Sports.

It will be interesting to see how SEC teams do this weekend. Several of them are playing smaller teams who have tournament experience. (The biggest exception is Florida at Miami, which is certainly an even greater task.)

Yes,I have a Directv satellite system with all the Fox sports channels. They just don't carry a whole lot of college games, regardless of the region! I guess college baseball is just not such a big draw...

I also have Directv and the Fox Sports Channel Package is a waste of money. I live in Florida and watch a lot of Dodger games. Although a lot of them are televised on Fox Sports Net, they are blacked out because they want you to buy a separate package to watch the baseball games. One of life's little rip offs...

Ugly, ugly win for So. Carolina Cocks tonight. 38-0 over Charleston Southern. CSU usually puts up a good fight, looses, then goes home. This time there was no fight. I think there were 11 doubles and 7 home runs including two grannies. The score was 21-0 by the end of the second inning, Yikes! In the last two days the Buccaniers have struck out a total of 33 times, even though they lost 3-2 yesterday. USC has a good team, but this is not a test of their strength obviously. We'll have to get a group together to see some weekend games, when the competition strength picks up.

Bill, I read on an Auburn message board that more than 21,000 attended the Texas-Rice game this weekend.

I'm assuming you've seen that the Longhorns of jumped to No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. (Rice still holds the No. 1 spot in Baseball America's poll.)

[ February 17, 2004, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

A good resource: college baseball


They finally updated these other two.

NCBWA poll, as of Feb. 16

USA Today/Coaches poll, as of Feb. 16

[ February 19, 2004, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

Any Clemson fans around? I'm thinking about driving over March 13 or 14 for Tigers vs. Tigers.

South Carolina Gamecocks play Clemson this Saturday and Sunday in a home and home series and will be one of the series to watch in the nation. The Cocks play Furman today (Wednesday) but their first real test will be against UC.

A couple of my AU fan friend on Outsports and non-Outsports friends too, are planning a visit to Auburn May 8/9 for Auburn-South Carolina baseball. I'll post more details soon, but I know we've got some Cocks and Tigers on here who might want to join us. Mark your calendars now!

And I'm one of those AU'ers going to the series with USC. Let's make this a big gathering! AU and USC alums/fans are heartily welcomed to join us for a weekend on the Plains. It should be a phenom series between two highly ranked squads.

I'll be serving lemonade in a blue and white checkered gingham dress between innings. wink

The Cocks rose to the occasion today against Climpsen. USC'S pitching had 18 k's (sounds Golden doesn't it?) and walked only one. For the year they have 138 k's for an average of 12.8 per nine innings, and they have a total of 15 walks for the year. The cocks bats cooled off a little and their team batting average has dropped to .380. One more game against Climpsen tomorrow, then two more later on in the year to loo forward to. The attendance today was 6,370 sunburned fans. Down with pro-juiced-up-give-me-the-money game! It don't mean a thing if you don't hear that Ping! do wap, do wap, do wap, do wahhh.

Hey guys, I'm going to be driving to Columbia on Saturday to attend the Cocks vs. the LSU Tigers on Sunday. I've already gotten some tickets reserved and was wondering if there was someone who wanted to go with me to see two top 4 teams play? In two polls LSU is #1, and the other two polls, USC is ranked higher. This is going to be one of the MAJOR match-ups for the year! SC will have national player of the week Matt Campbell (4-0, .000 ERA) on the pitching mound and has a team batting average of .361, and a team ERA o 1.72. Should be one heck of a seires!!! click on my name then leave me an e-mail if you are interested in going. Thanks.

[ March 16, 2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: wade n atlanta ]

I'm now also planning on going to the Saturday game between the Cocks and LSU too. Who wants to go?

I would gladly accompany you, Wade, if I was able to be in sunny SC this weekend - you lucky dog! ....I can't tell you how many great spring afternoons I spent at Sarge Frye Field as an undergrad back in the 80s....hopefully you'll be able to get updates on how the Cocks hoops team is faring on Sunday against Okla. State -- that is, after they knock off Memphis on Friday afternoon first, of course.

Enjoy the game, Wade, and be sure to fill us in on the details of your fun weekend when you return.....GO COCKS!!

~Joe

[ March 16, 2004, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

I now have tickets to both games and will be leaving before noon on Saturday and driving directly to Columbia. The trip will be pretty quick,and the action will be great!

I still have an opening to see some of the best college baseball for the year. USC vs. LSU in Columbia on me. Saturday and Sunday Games. Should be over 6,000 at each game.

If I lived a little further north I'd take you up on it in a heartbeat. It's going to be May before the Dodgers play in Miami and I could use a warm up.

I can't let this topic disappear! How are the Longhorns doing? I never get college baseball news out here on the Left Coast except for Stanford!

bill-

Texas is 29-4, and 4-2 in Big 12 play. Currently, they're ranked 2nd in the country. You can keep up with the Horns on the baseball page of the TexasSports.com site. There are also links to hear streaming audio of the games if you're unable to see them on t.v.

Hope this helps!

I suspect Ole Miss and LSU will put some distance between the two of them and the rest of the SEC West this weekend, and I'm betting the winner of the SC-Florida series will be in second in the SEC East, with only Kentucky pushed further out of the overall race. I wouldn't be surprised to see the loser of next weekend's Auburn-Alabama series in Tuscaloosa to be left fighting simply to gain a spot in the SEC tourney.

As far as the ACC is concerned, it certainly is odd to see Wake and Tech in the bottom half of the conference. Any Deacs have an explanation for the 1-8 conference start?

Is there any REAL doubt who will win that series between the Cocks and the Gators? (sorry, GatorJamie )....as reflected by this week's college baseball poll the SEC is clearly THE ELITE conference in the country this year with 7 teams now ranked in the top 25:

2. LSU (23-4)
5. OLE MISS (24-4)
9. SOUTH CAROLINA (23-5)
14. TENNESSEE (25-5)
16. AUBURN (21-9)
17. FLORIDA (25-8)
25. GEORGIA (19-10)

Stanford is still #1 in the country (but their points lead IS shrinking) with a 23-4 record but that SEC tournament next month should make for some incredibly exciting games!

[ April 06, 2004, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

It's weird not seeing State on the list, but I'm sure they'll find their way back in before the tourney. I also wouldn't be shocked to see Vandy take Georgia's spot sometime soon.

[ April 06, 2004, 02:17 PM: Message edited by: SportsOutdoorsGA ]

The collegiate poll I referred to in my earlier post that reflects the 7 SEC teams listed will not provide a direct link (you can still access it by clicking on the link in the main page it sends you to)....however, this weeks Baseball America poll also consists of 7 SEC teams among its top 25 BUT it lists Vandy at #25 instead of Georgia....so in actuality if you combine the results of these two rankings the conference can legitimately claim 8 nationally ranked teams....FYI, the Baseball America poll ranks the teams this way:

3. LSU (behind Stanford AND Texas)
6. SOUTH CAROLINA
8. OLE MISS
18. AUBURN
20. TENNESSEE
24. FLORIDA
25. VANDERBILT

[ April 06, 2004, 02:36 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

Well, I was correct on my predictions for the weekend with the exception of the two biggest: Arkansas sweeping in Baton Rouge and Auburn getting two of three in Oxford. The entire league looks like it's going to go down to the wire for those eight SEC tourney spots.

Amidst all the stories that seemingly surface on a weekly basis detailing the exploits of selfish, greedy collegiate athletes it's refreshing to read about a student-athlete like Jacksonville University pitcher Ashley Roque who performs a truly heroic deed and then responds by saying, "It was the only thing I knew to do. I did not want to be praised"....I think a few of his fellow student-athletes (like Maurice Clarett, to name but one) could learn a thing or two from the words and actions of young Mr. Roque.

This week's "pseudo-RPI" ranking has, in its Top 30, six Big 12 teams, 10 SEC teams, three ACC teams and three Pac-10 teams.

The current list

I was amazed last Wednesday when my alma mater Carson-Newman beat the University of Tennessee at UT-K's Lindsey Nelson Stadium! I'm a big Tennessee fan, but I have my devotion to my school.

Don't sell your guys short: It's not uncommon for smaller schools to beat larger ones in NCAA baseball, especially in those midweek games and the first game of an NCAA tourney regional. The smaller ones usually have at least one serious ace pitcher who can give his team just as much of a chance to win as to lose in a game against stereotypically bigger competition. Winthrop and UNO immediately come to mind as two of the more dangerous of the bunch.

The last time C-N played UT was in 1999 and Tennessee lost that game, too!

It appears those of you attending the Auburn-South Carolina game could be watching one that means a lot for the Tigers, as we're on the outside looking in at the moment, where the SEC tourney stands.

I'll be in Auburn this weekend for the games. War Eagle.