Florida finished 29-30 in 2013, the first sub .500 team under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. However, bolstered by back-to-back top rated recruiting classes, O’Sullivan has his Gators team poised to make a comeback in 2014 and the nation’s oldest college baseball poll sees Florida’s potential.
Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I Preseason Poll — a yearly poll since 1958 — released on Friday and ranked the Gators as the No. 16 team in the country. Florida was the only team listed in the top-40 that had more losses than wins last season.
This marks the sixth straight season that O’Sullivan’s Gators have been ranked in the top-40 in this poll. Florida was ranked No. 25 (2009), No. 9 (2010), No. 2 (2011), No. 1 (2012) and No. 24 (2013). Florida is one of eight SEC teams listed in the top-40 and all 14 clubs from the Southeastern Conference are either listed or mentioned in other teams receiving votes.
Florida will kick off their season with a three game home stand against an unranked Maryland team, the first three games of 34 that will be played at McKethan Stadium this season. The Gators will play 21-of-56 games this season against teams that are ranked in the Collegiate Baseball Poll.
Rank | School (’13 Final Record) | Points |
1. | Cal State Fullerton (51-10) | 495 |
2. | Mississippi State (51-20) | 493 |
3. | LSU (57-11) | 491 |
4. | Oregon State (52-13) | 487 |
5. | Florida State (47-17) | 485 |
6. | Oregon (48-16) | 483 |
7. | Indiana (49-16) | 481 |
8. | Louisville (51-14) | 479 |
9. | Vanderbilt (54-12) | 477 |
10. | NC State (50-16) | 474 |
11. | North Carolina (59-12) | 471 |
12. | Virginia (50-12) | 468 |
13. | Miami (FL) (37-25) | 465 |
14. | South Carolina (43-20) | 463 |
15. | UCLA (49-17) | 460 |
16. | FLORIDA (29-30) | 457 |
17. | Rice (44-20) | 455 |
18. | Oklahoma State (41-19) | 454 |
19. | TCU (29-28) | 451 |
20. | Texas (27-24) | 450 |
21. | Clemson (40-22) | 447 |
22. | Arizona State (37-22-1) | 445 |
23. | UL-Lafayette (43-10) | 443 |
24. | Arizona (34-21) | 441 |
25. | Texas A&M (34-29) | 437 |
26. | Stanford (32-22) | 435 |
27. | Cal Poly (40-19) | 432 |
28. | Kansas State (45-19) | 430 |
29. | Alabama (35-28) | 423 |
30. | Ole Miss (38-24) | 421 |
31. | Western Carolina (39-20) | 419 |
32. | Oklahoma (43-21) | 417 |
33. | San Diego (37-25) | 414 |
34. | Wichita State (39-28) | 411 |
35. | Liberty (36-29) | 409 |
36. | Tennessee Tech (40-17) | 404 |
37. | New Mexico (37-22) | 403 |
38. | East Carolina (31-26) | 400 |
39. | UC Santa Barbara (34-23) | 396 |
40. | Coastal Carolina (37-23) | 395 |