CCAA has four baseball teams ranked to start the season
A total of four California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) teams earned Top 40 rankings in Collegiate Baseball's Division II 2009 Preseason Poll that was recently released. UC San Diego, Chico State, Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State L.A. all appeared in the rankings.
UC San Diego, which compiled a 43-18 overall record and came within a victory of advancing to the title game of the NCAA Division II West Regional championship final, is ranked No. 4. Chico State also appeared in the Top 10, earning a No. 7 national ranking.
The Wildcats concluded 2008 with a 42-17 mark and advanced to the championship game of the West Regional before falling to Sonoma State, 7-4.
Cal State Stanislaus is No. 24 after posting a 37-23 record and finishing fourth in the CCAA with a 24-12 conference mark. Cal State L.A. tied for 40th in the poll and is coming off a 29-22 season in 2008.
Defending CCAA and West Region Champion Sonoma State is un-ranked heading into the 2009 season. The Seawolves enjoyed their finest season in program history as they compiled a school-record 52-15 mark and finished third at the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships Finals.
Mount Olive, which defeated Ouachita Baptist to capture the 2008 national championship, earned the top ranking to begin 2009.
UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino will be the first two CCAA teams to open the 2009 season when they get underway on Sunday, Feb. 1. The Tritons will host San Diego Christian College, while the Coyotes begin a three-game series against Grand Canyon in Arizona.
2009 Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division II Preseason Poll
1. Mount Olive (58-6)
2. Tampa (42-11-1)
3. Central Missouri (47-17)
4. UC San Diego (43-18)
5. Columbus State (43-19)
6. Southern Arkansas (46-12)
7. Chico State (42-17)
8. Emporia State (50-10)
9. Ouachita Baptist (51-16)
10. S.C. Aiken (47-17)
11. Abilene Christian (44-17)
12. Delta State (48-11)
13. Ashland (40-18)
14. Franklin Pierce (43-15)
15. West Chester (45-16)
16. Florida Southern (29-21)
17. North Georgia College & State (41-21)
18. Angelo State (39-19)
19. Grand Valley State (34-13)
20. Wayne State N.E. (40-13)
21. Valdosta State (36-18-1)
22. Tusculum (41-15)
23. Shippensburg (39-26)
24. Cal State Stanislaus (37-23)
25. West Alabama (45-13)
26. Northern Kentucky (38-24)
27. Mesa State (42-17)
28. St. Mary's (Texas) (39-17)
29. Catawba (43-18)
30. Western Oregon (39-19)
31. St. Joseph's, IN (46-16)
32. West Virginia State (36-14)
33. Francis Marion (34-20)
34. Florida Tech (35-20)
Carson-Newman (43-18)
36. Erskine (44-13)
Lynn (33-19)
38. Minnesota State-Mankato (28-25)
39. Mansfield (31-20)
40. Bellarmine (36-22)
Cal State L.A. (29-22)
* - 2008 records in parenthesis
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