College Baseball Poll - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Monday (Feb. 5, 2001)

GEORGIA TECH. NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER (www.baseballnews.com) POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Georgia Tech. (0-0) has been ranked No. 1 in the first regular season Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll. The Yellow Jackets begin their season this Friday at the Rice Invitational in Houston against Lamar.

Led by the return of all nine position player starters which formed an offensive juggernaut that hit .342 last year, fourth in the nation, Georgia Tech is the favorite to win the 2001 College World Series. The Yellow Jackets, which captured the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships a year ago in rolling to a 50-16 record, also return four starting pitchers and welcome Stanford transfer Brian Sager, an extremely gifted righthanded pitcher who is expected to be a high draft pick next June.

POLL NOTES: Fourteen teams in the top 30 have not started their season yet. Of the ball clubs which have played, five teams have been extremely impressive in Southern California (3-0), Rice (3-0), Long Beach St. (3-0), Oklahoma St. (3-0) and Pepperdine (4-0). After three wins over Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech, Rice has a staff ERA of 0.96. Long Beach St. mauled Arizona in Tucson by scores of 6-4, 21-9 and 18-11. It marked the first time since 1989 that the 49ers have started with a 3-0 record. Oklahoma State won the Caballero Classic in Yuma, Ariz. with a 6-1 win over The Citadel, 16-2 victory over San Diego St. and 17-0 win over U.C. Riverside. Pepperdine beat Cal. St. Fullerton and then swept Nevada three straight. Southern California beat Santa Clara, 10-3 and Louisville twice, 19-4 and 11-4.

The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

"LOUISVILLE SLUGGER'S" NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK