Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Picked Fifth in Big 12 Preseason Poll
February 01, 2018 04:06 PM | Baseball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team is picked to finish fifth in the 2018 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference announced on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers, who are coming off a second consecutive fourth-place Big 12 finish and are ranked No. 22 nationally in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, were voted fifth by the league's head coaches.
Just four points separate third, fourth and fifth place in the poll. Ahead of WVU's 38 points is Texas, with 42 points, and Oklahoma, with 40 points.
Texas Tech tops the preseason poll with 61 points, followed by TCU with 60 points. The Red Raiders received five first-place votes and the Horned Frogs garnered four. Kansas and Oklahoma State are tied for sixth place with 26 points, while Baylor has 22 points and Kansas State earned nine.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
Despite finishing in the top four in the final Big 12 standings in three of its first five seasons in the league, WVU has never finished better than fifth in the preseason poll. West Virginia was also voted No. 5 last season.
West Virginia made the NCAA Tournament in 2017 for the first time since 1996. The Mountaineers earned their 12th NCAA Regional berth in program history and advanced to their third regional final. Twenty-four players from last year's squad return in 2018, including nine of a program-record 12 that earned All-Big 12 Team honors in 2017.
2018 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll
Season tickets and mini-packages for the 2018 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets at WVUGAME.com, call 1-800-WVU GAME or visit the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
The 2018 schedule, with game times, can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. A printable PDF and schedule breakdown also are available on WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers, who are coming off a second consecutive fourth-place Big 12 finish and are ranked No. 22 nationally in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, were voted fifth by the league's head coaches.
Just four points separate third, fourth and fifth place in the poll. Ahead of WVU's 38 points is Texas, with 42 points, and Oklahoma, with 40 points.
Texas Tech tops the preseason poll with 61 points, followed by TCU with 60 points. The Red Raiders received five first-place votes and the Horned Frogs garnered four. Kansas and Oklahoma State are tied for sixth place with 26 points, while Baylor has 22 points and Kansas State earned nine.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
Despite finishing in the top four in the final Big 12 standings in three of its first five seasons in the league, WVU has never finished better than fifth in the preseason poll. West Virginia was also voted No. 5 last season.
West Virginia made the NCAA Tournament in 2017 for the first time since 1996. The Mountaineers earned their 12th NCAA Regional berth in program history and advanced to their third regional final. Twenty-four players from last year's squad return in 2018, including nine of a program-record 12 that earned All-Big 12 Team honors in 2017.
2018 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll
| 1. | Texas Tech (5) | 61 |
| 2. | TCU (4) | 60 |
| 3. | Texas | 42 |
| 4. | Oklahoma | 40 |
| 5. | West Virginia | 38 |
| 6. | Kansas | 26 |
| Oklahoma State | 26 | |
| 8. | Baylor | 22 |
| 9. | Kansas State | 9 |
| First-place votes in parentheses. Coaches were not permitted to vote for own team. |
Season tickets and mini-packages for the 2018 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets at WVUGAME.com, call 1-800-WVU GAME or visit the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum.
The 2018 schedule, with game times, can be found on the baseball schedule page on WVUsports.com. A printable PDF and schedule breakdown also are available on WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow WVU Baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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