Jan. 27, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M baseball team received another preseason ranking Thursday when the Aggies were selected No. 21 in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25.
The Aggies joined three other Big 12 schools that were selected in the Top 25 - Oklahoma (No. 5), Texas (No. 6) and Baylor (No. 16). Meanwhile, three other squads on A&M's 2011 schedule also appeared in the rankings - TCU (No. 3), Cal State Fullerton (No. 8) and Rice (No. 18).
In addition to Baseball America's Top 25, Texas A&M has also appeared in the preseason rankings of Collegiate Baseball (No. 8) and Yahoo Sports (No. 20). The Aggies begin their final preparations for the 2011 season Friday when they start full team practices at Olsen Field.
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 11 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 earned a pair of preseason All-America selections during the 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.
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.
To view to all of Baseball America's Top 25 Team Capsules follow the link below.
BASEBALL AMERICA 2011 PRESEASON COLLEGE TOP 25
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BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON TOP 25Â
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       Team   Â
   1. FloridaÂ
   2. UCLA  Â
   3. Texas Christian
   4. VanderbiltÂ
   5. Oklahoma Â
   6. TexasÂ
   7. South CarolinaÂ
   8. Cal State Fullerton
   9. ConnecticutÂ
   10. Clemson Â
   11. Arizona State
   12. Florida State  Â
   13. Stanford      Â
   14. Oregon
   15. Virginia          Â
   16. Baylor             Â
   17. California      Â
   18. Rice   Â
   19. Arizona               Â
   20. College of CharlestonÂ
   21. Texas A&M            Â
   22. Louisiana State       Â
   23. St. John's             Â
   24. Miami       Â
   25. Tulane   Â
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