The Baseball Observer - Jan/ Feb 2016
NCAA DI TEAMS TO WATCH
The preseason ranking marks the seventh straight year that the Horned Frogs will be ranked entering the season.
The Frogs are one of three Big 12 schools to be ranked as Oklahoma State checks in at No. 8 and Texas at No. 23. TCU’s schedule features three other schools ranked in the Top 25 in No. 12 USC, No. 18 La.-Lafayette and No. 22 Houston.
TCU is coming off its second straight appearance in the College World Series. The Frogs compiled a 51-15 record, including an 18-5 mark in Big 12 play. Along the way, the Frogs earned TCU’s first-ever outright team Big 12 championship and earned a national seed for the second straight year.
In 2016, the Horned Frogs return 15 letterwinners and welcome 18 newcomers. Mitchell Traver, a preseason All-American headlines the returning corps, while National Gatorade Player of the Year Luken Baker highlights the incoming class.
TCU opens up the 2016 schedule on Feb. 19 when it hosts Loyola Marymount for a three game set. In all. TCU will play 30 home games.
Florida State is
one of seven ACC
programs ranked
among the top 40
Collegiate Baseball
preseason teams
along with Louisville
(2nd), Miami (3rd), Virginia (9th), Georgia Tech (21st), North Carolina (22nd) and Notre Dame (27th).
The Seminoles, who reached the Gainesville Super Regional in 2015, are looking to replace seven players drafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.
Florida State made significant additions during the 2015-16 signing period by inking nine freshmen, two junior college transfers and two collegiate transfers. That earned the Seminoles recruiting class high marks from both D1baseball.com and Baseball America where they ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, during mid-October.
Among the top offensive contributors from 2015 returning to the lineup for the Seminoles included Darren Miller (.282 batting average / 16 RBI) and John Sansone (.245 batting average / 38 RBI).
Redshirt senior Mike Compton will anchor the Florida State pitching staff after posting 70 strikeouts en route to the fourth-most wins (four) and third lowest ERA (3.55) among starters. Also returning is Drew Carlton, who finished 5-5 with a 4.04 ERA as he made 60 strikeouts as a freshman.
#15
TEXAS
CHRISTIAN
Courtesy of GOFROGS.COM
22
#16
FLORIDA
STATE
Courtesy: Seminoles.com