FMU ranked 12th in preseason baseball Top 40
The Francis Marion University baseball team is ranked 12th in the preseason 2010 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Top 40 poll.
The Patriots finished 2009 with a 38-15-1 record, placed second during the Peach Belt Conference regular season and won the PBC Tournament, and earned the team's fourth NCAA Division II national tournament bid in the past seven years, placing third at the Southeast Regional. Francis Marion was ranked 14th in the final 2009 poll.
Tenth-year FMU head coach Art Inabinet welcomes back 21 lettermen, including six position starters, the designated hitter, and three starting pitchers, from that squad.
Dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have now appeared in 79 of the past 85 national polls.
Five PBC squads are listed in the preseason poll, and six opponents on FMU's 2010 schedule appear in the poll. Emporia State University occupies the No.1 position in the preseason poll, while defending national champion Lynn University is 10th.
Francis Marion's 38 victories last season were the second-most in team history. The squad posted a 5-5 mark against nationally ranked opponents in 2009, and closed the season by winning 17 of its final 19 contests.
The Patriots will open their 2010 campaign on Feb. 2 with an afternoon road game at Barton College.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. II 2010 Pre-Season Poll
No. School Name '09 Rec Points 1. Emporia St. 49-14 630 2. Florida Southern 41-16 618 3. U.C. San Diego 41-15 594 4. Southern Arkansas 52-11 586 5. Mesa St. 44-15 572 6. S.C. Aiken 42-19 562 7. Tampa 40-17 522 Ashland 42-15 522 9. West Chester 46-12 520 10. Lynn 46-16 506 11. Central Missouri 44-15 488 12. Francis Marion 38-15-1 462 13. Abilene Christian 44-19 414 14. Wayne St., NE 45-15 408 15. Indianapolis 43-21 394 16. Franklin Pierce 37-18 392 17. Tusculum 36-18 368 18. Western Oregon 34-13 352 19. West Alabama 38-16 350 20. Grand Valley St. 46-16-1 344 21. Angelo St. 45-20 300 22. Cal. St. Chico 35-21 280 23. Delta St. 38-16 272 24. North Georgia 34-24 270 25. Kutztown 34-17 266 26. Valdosta St. 43-21 210 27. Georgia Coll. & St. 37-19 208 28. Cameron 42-15 200 Northern Kentucky 41-22 200 30. Mount Olive 33-18 162 31. Barry 44-11 160 32. Colorado St.-Pueblo 41-22 148 33. Southern Indiana 39-19 130 34. Cal. St. Los Angeles 32-17 122 35. Mercyhurst 38-17 116 36. Dowling 35-18 96 37. St. Mary's, TX 36-17 88 38. Catawba 36-18 62 Slippery Rock 36-15 62 40. N.C. Pembroke 37-17 30 Dominican 38-14 30
Also Receiving Votes: New Mexico Highlands (28), Rockhurst, West Florida (24), Texas-Permian Basin (22), Erskine, Belmont Abbey (16), Cal. St. Dominguez Hills (10), Shepherd, Florida Tech. (6), Minnesota St.-Mankato (4), Henderson St., Nova Southeastern, North Alabama, Barton, Columbus St., Armstrong Atlantic, Cal. St. Stanislaus, Bellarmine, Quincy, Wayne St. (MI), St. Joseph's, S.W. Minnesota, St. Edwards, Shippensburg, Concord, Missouri Southern, California (PA) (1).
