Gamecocks inside D1Baseball’s preseason Top 20
South Carolina is ranked No. 17 in the D1Baseball preseason Top 25, it was announced Tuesday.
South Carolina is one of seven SEC schools to be ranked in the preseason poll. Also ranked is Florida (No. 1), Vanderbilt (No. 3), Texas A&M (No. 4), LSU (No. 7), Mississippi State (No. 15) and Arkansas (No. 25).
The Gamecocks will play 14 games against teams ranked in the preseason Top 25.
USC returns five position starters, 13 pitchers and 23 letterwinners from last year’s team. Also, the Gamecocks’ incoming recruiting class was ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball, which had the USC team No. 35 in its preseason ranking.
The Gamecocks begin the 2016 season on Friday, Feb. 19, hosting Albany at Founders Park. The first weekend of preseason scrimmages is Jan. 29-31.
D1Baseball Preseason Top 25
Rank/Team | 2015 Record |
1. Florida | 52-18 |
2. Louisville | 47-18 |
3. Vanderbilt | 51-21 |
4. Texas A&M | 50-14 |
5. Oregon State | 39-18 |
6. Miami | 50-17 |
7. LSU | 54-12 |
8. Oklahoma State | 38-20 |
9. California | 36-21 |
10. N.C. State | 36-23 |
11. UCLA | 45-16 |
12. Southern California | 39-21 |
13. Virginia | 44-24 |
14. Oregon | 38-25 |
15. Mississippi State | 24-30 |
16. North Carolina | 34-24 |
17. South Carolina | 32-25 |
18. Louisiana-Lafayette | 42-23 |
19. TCU | 51-15 |
20. Florida State | 44-21 |
21. Cal State Fullerton | 39-25 |
22. Houston | 43-20 |
23. Texas | 30-27 |
24. Coastal Carolina | 39-21 |
25. Arkansas | 40-25 |