College Baseball Poll - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Monday (June 10, 2002)

RICE UNIVERSITY NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER (www.baseballnews.com) POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — For the first time this season, Rice University (52-12) has been ranked No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball newspaper's NCAA Division I baseball poll.

Florida St., which had been ranked No. 1 for the prior three polls after rolling to 25 straight wins — mostly against top 10 competition — was knocked off in its Super Regional two of three games by Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish moved up to eighth this week and the Seminoles slipped to ninth.

Rice, which has won 11 of its last 12 games, will make its third trip to the College World Series after shutting out Louisiana St. two straight games in its Super Regional with 6-0 and 3-0 victories. LSU was the first team to be shut out in consecutive NCAA tournament games since Arkansas lost in 1986 to Stanford and Oregon St.

No. 2 Texas was blanked in the opener of its Super Regional against Houston, 2-0 but stormed back to win its next two games, 17-2 and 5-2. The Longhorns will be making their 29th trip to the College World Series.

South Carolina, ranked third, knocked off defending national champion Miami, Fla. The Gamecocks will be appearing in their first College World Series since 1985.

Fourth-ranked Clemson lost its Super Regional opener to Arkansas, 9-6 but stormed back to win its next two. The Tigers will be making their 10th trip to the College World Series.

Stanford, ranked fifth, advances to the College World Series for the fourth straight year with two wins over Southern California. The Cardinal has won nine straight games.

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

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