Aggie Baseball Ranked No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll

Dec. 20, 2010

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Anticipation for the 2011 Texas A&M baseball season is beginning to build as Monday the Aggies were ranked No. 8 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll.

The Big 12 Conference featured five teams in the poll (No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 37 Kansas State and No. 39 Baylor). Meanwhile, three other schools that the Aggies will face in 2011 were also ranked (No. 1 TCU, No. 12 Cal State-Fullerton and No. 21 Rice).

Texas A&M is coming off a 43-21-1 campaign in 2010 which saw it reach the final of the NCAA Coral Gables Regional for its fourth consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Rob Childress. The Aggies finished the season ranked 18th by Collegiate Baseball and 21st in the USA Today/ESPN Poll.

Heading into the 2011 season, Texas A&M returns 19 letterwinners from the 2010 squad, including 12 pitchers from a staff that stood as one of the nation's best. The Aggies ranked 13th nationally in team earned run average (3.70) and second in strikeouts per nine innings (9.3).

Among the talented pitchers highlighting the Aggie hurlers is junior John Stilson, who has already earned a pair of preseason All-America selections this fall. The Texarkana, Texas, native is back after posting a 9-1 record with 10 saves last season. Stilson also struck out 114 batters in 79 innings of work while leading the country and setting a new A&M record with a 0.80 ERA.

Sophomore Michael Wacha is also back after posting a 9-2 record with a 2.90 ERA and 97 strikeouts in a team-leading 105.2 innings. His outstanding rookie campaign culminated with Wacha earning a spot on the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team.

Offensively, the Aggies return a pair of second team All-Big 12 performers in senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez and junior utility man Matt Juengel. Last season, Gonzalez batted .318 with nine home runs and 38 RBI, while managing the Aggie pitching staff from behind the plate. Juengel finished second on the team with a .359 average, contributing 11 home runs and 39 RBI.

Junior infielder Adam Smith also returns after batting .268 with 10 home runs, 42 RBI and 11 stolen bases a year ago.

The Collegiate Baseball poll is the oldest in college baseball. Its birth took place during the 1958 college baseball season.

Texas A&M's 2011 campaign gets under way inside the friendly confines of Olsen Field on Feb. 18 when the Aggies welcome LeMoyne to College Station for a three-game series.

 

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's   
NCAA Div. I Pre-Season Poll
   
Rank School ('10 Final Record)   
1. Texas Christian (54-14)       
2. Florida (47-17)           
3. UCLA (51-17)               
4. Clemson (45-25)           
5. Vanderbilt (46-20)           
6. Oklahoma (50-18)           
7. Texas (50-13)           
8. Texas A&M (43-21-1)           
9. Oregon (40-24)           
10. Stanford (31-25)           

11. Arizona St. (52-10)           
12. Cal. St. Fullerton (46-18)   
13. Florida St. (48-20)           
14. South Carolina (54-16)       
15. Louisiana St. (41-22)       
16. Connecticut (48-16)           
17. Virginia (51-14)           
18. Miami, Fla. (43-20)           
19. Georgia Tech. (47-15)       
20. Louisville (50-14)           

21. Rice (40-23)           
22. Arizona (34-24)           
23. Wichita St. (41-19)           
24. Coastal Carolina (55-10)       
25. Auburn (43-21)           
26. St. John's (43-20)           
27. North Carolina (38-32)       
28. San Diego (37-22)           
29. Fresno St. (38-25)           
30. Pittsburgh (38-18)           

31. Washington St. (37-22)       
32. Arkansas (43-21)           
33. California (29-25)           
34. U.C. Irvine (39-21)           
35. College of Charleston (44-19)   
36. Florida Atlantic (37-24)       
37. Kansas St. (37-22)           
38. Hawaii (35-28)           
39. Baylor (36-24)           
40. Kent St. (39-25)