Dec. 21, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- The University of Texas baseball team earned the top spot in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I preseason rankings, the publication announced on Monday.
The Longhorns concluded the 2009 season with a 50-16-1 overall record after making their NCAA-record 33rd College World Series appearance and finishing as national runner-up. Along the way, Texas claimed the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles.
Texas returns 19 lettermen, including five positional starters and 10 pitchers from last year's squad. The Longhorns return all four starting pitchers from one of the country's premier staffs. In 2009, the Longhorns finished second in the nation in pitching with a 2.95 team ERA and only yielded 7.52 hits per nine innings to lead the nation.
Among the returning stalwarts are Louisville Slugger Preseason All-Americans Cole Green, Taylor Jungmann, Chance Ruffin and Cameron Rupp. Jungmann and Ruffin were tabbed to the preseason First Team as starting pitchers, while Rupp was named a second-team catcher and Green was named a third-team relief pitcher. Last season, Green went 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA in 110.1 innings of work. Jungmann went 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 94.2 innings. Rupp hit .292 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. Ruffin went 10-2 with two saves and a 3.32 ERA.
Defending national champion LSU was rated No. 2, followed by Virginia, Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State in the top five. Georgia Tech, Florida State, UC Irvine, Florida and Oregon State rounded out the top 10.
The Longhorns led a contingent of four Big 12 teams in the Top 40, including Oklahoma at No. 25, Texas A&M at No. 29 and Kansas at No. 36.
The Collegiate Baseball rating is the oldest in college baseball. Its birth took place during the 1958 college baseball season.
Texas opens the 2010 slate with a three-game series against New Mexico from Feb. 19-21 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
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