Feb. 1, 2010

IRVINE, Calif. --- The UC Irvine baseball program was voted a preseason top 10 team by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Rivals.com. The NCBWA ranked UC Irvine No. 7 in its poll while Rivals.com rated the Anteaters the fifth-best in the preseason.

The Anteaters are coming off a 45-15 season, including its first-ever conference title. The team was ranked No. 1 during the regular season for the first time in school history, holding the spot for six consecutive weeks. The program's unprecedented success included hosting its first-ever NCAA regional.

UCI opens the season against Loyola Marymount, Feb. 19 at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark.

NCBWA poll
1 Texas
2 LSU
3 Virginia
4 Cal State Fullerton
5 Rice
6 Florida State
7 UC Irvine
8 Arizona State
9 Georgia Tech
10 Florida
11 TCU
12 Miami (Fla.)
13 North Carolina
14 Clemson
15 Arkansas
16 East Carolina
17 Coastal Carolina
18 Oregon State
19 Louisville
20 Mississippi
21 South Carolina
22 Southern Miss
23 Ohio State
24 San Diego
25 Oklahoma
26 Georgia
27 UCLA
28 Texas A&M
29 Vanderbilt
30 Stanford
31 Wichita State
32 Alabama
33 Kansas
34 Kansas State
35 Minnesota

Rivals.com Top 25 (Preseason)

1. Texas
2. Virginia
3. Louisiana State
4. Cal State Fullerton
5. UC Irvine
6. Rice
7. Florida State
8. Florida
9. Arizona State
10. Georgia Tech
11. East Carolina
12. Louisville
13. South Carolina
14. Clemson
15. Arkansas
16. Coastal Carolina
17. Oregon State
18. San Diego
19. TCU
20. North Carolina
21. Miami (Fla.)
22. Ohio State
23. Georgia
24. Mississippi
25. Kansas