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and junior designated hitter Bryce Jordan.
Senior catcher Jordan Romero, senior infielder/outfielder Bryce Adams and sophomore outfielder Brennan Breaux are other returning players with starting experience.
Senior left-hander Jared Poche’ and All-American junior right-hander Alex Lange are back for their third straight season as one of the best 1-2 weekend starting combinations in the country. The pitching staff will also feature senior right-handed closer Hunter Newman, who led the Tigers with eight saves last season.
Other veteran pitchers include senior right-handers Russell Reynolds, Collin Strall and Alden Cartwright; junior right-handers Doug Norman and Austin Bain; and sophomore right-handers Caleb Gilbert and Cole McKay.
The returning players are complemented by a talented 13-man class of newcomers that includes seven pitchers and six position players. The incoming class was rated as high as No. 4 in the nation in the annual recruiting rankings.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida was ranked No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I Preseason Poll.
It marks the ninth-straight season that head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club has been ranked during the preseason in the nation's oldest college baseball poll, which began in 1959. The Gators were
No. 25 in 2009, No. 9 in 2010, No. 2 in 2011, No. 1 in 2012, No. 24 in 2013, No. 16 in 2014, No. 6 in 2015 and No. 1 last season.
Florida joins all 13 other Southeastern Conference programs in the poll, as every team is either ranked or receiving votes. The SEC East figures to be among the nation's best divisions with three teams ranked in the top six (Florida-3, South Carolina-4, Vanderbilt 6).
Six of the Gators 2017 opponents are ranked in the top 22 of the preseason poll, while 12 more received votes. In addition to its SEC East foes, Florida will face No. 2 LSU, No. 8 Miami and No. 9 Florida State three times apiece.
The Gators open the 2017 season on Feb. 17 against William and Mary at McKethan Stadium. Season tickets and Mini Plans for the 2017 Gator Baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Last season, UF went 52-16 and ranked seventh in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. After losing eight players to the 2016 MLB Draft, the Gators squad will be bolstered by 12 newcomers. UF's recruiting class was ranked No. 6 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's eighth consecutive time in the top eight classes in the country.
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By Daniel Apple
NCAA DI TEAMS TO WATCH