Florida Nabs No. 2 Ranking in Collegiate Baseball Top 50
This is Florida's 15th-consecutive season appearing in Collegiate Baseball's preseason top 25.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida baseball team was ranked as the No. 2 squad in the nation in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Fabulous 50 on Tuesday morning.
For the Gators, this represents the 15th-consecutive season appearing in Collegiate Baseball's preseason rankings and the 11th time inside the top 10 during that span. That includes breaking the top-six nationally in eight of the last-nine sets of preseason rankings.
2023: No. 2 2022: No. 6 2021: No. 1 2020: No. 14 2019: No. 6 2018: No. 1 2017: No. 3 2016: No. 1 2015: No. 6 2014: No. 16 2013: No. 24 2012: No. 1 2011: No. 2 2010: No. 9 2009: No. 25
Florida returns 23 players including six positional starters from the 2022 campaign after going 42-24 (15-15 SEC) and hosting the program's 18th NCAA Regional. A talented group of 13 newcomers join that constituency, featuring eight freshmen and five transfers.
The Southeastern Conference paced all leagues with six teams in the top 10 and 12 teams in the top 50. Eight of those programs broke the top 25: LSU (No. 1), Florida (No. 2) Texas A&M (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 5), Arkansas (No. 7), Vanderbilt (No. 9), Mississippi State (No. 22) and Ole Miss (No. 24). Of those SEC teams, Florida will play four of them during the regular season in Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. With Miami (No. 8) also making the cut, the Orange & Blue are scheduled to take on a grand total of five CB preseason top-25 teams in 2023.
The Gators' 2023 season officially opens at home on Friday, Feb. 17 with the first of three games in a weekend series against Charleston Southern. Fans will have plenty of opportunities to cheer on the Gators at Condron Family Ballpark, as 20 of Florida's first-22 games take place at home.
About the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1959 college baseball season.
Below is the complete list of teams that cracked the top 25 in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Fabulous 50.
Rank Team (2022 Final Record) Points
1. Louisiana St. (40-22) 498
2. Florida (42-24) 495
3. Stanford (47-18) 491
4. Texas A&M (44-20) 489
5. Tennessee (57-9) 485
6. Louisville (42-21-1) 482
7. Arkansas (46-21) 479
8. Miami, Fla. (40-20) 476
9. Vanderbilt (39-23) 475
10. Wake Forest (41-19-1) 472
11. North Carolina (44-22) 470
12. Oklahoma St. (42-22) 467
13. UCLA (40-24) 465
14. U.C. Santa Barbara (44-14) 463
15. Texas Christian (38-22) 460
16. Virginia (39-19) 457
17. Texas Tech. (39-22) 454
18. Southern Miss. (47-19) 452
19. Oregon (36-25) 450
20. East Carolina (46-21) 449
21. Maryland (48-14) 447
22. Mississippi St. (26-30) 444
23. Georgia Tech. (36-24) 440
24. Mississippi (42-23) 438
25. Texas (47-22) 435