College Baseball Poll - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Monday (Feb. 23, 2009)
LOUISIANA STATE NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL
TUCSON, Ariz. — Louisiana St. University (3-0) has been ranked No. 1 in the first regular-season NCAA Division I baseball poll of the season by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
The Tigers swept a 3-game series at home against Villanova, 12-3, 11-1, and 6-3. The 29 runs scored by LSU were the most in an opening weekend series since 2005 when the Tigers put up 37 against Nicholls St.
LSU hit 16 extra base hits in the three games and swiped 11 of 13 bases while limiting Villanova to only two stolen bases. The pitching staff was superb with 33 strikeouts and only 8 walks over the three games as it registered a 2.33 ERA.
No. 2 North Carolina was every bit as impressive with a 3-game sweep at home against VMI. The Tar Heels captured the series, 13-3, 6-0 and 11-3.
POLL NOTES: Florida had a great start to the 2009 season with a 3-game sweep at home against Louisville (ranked eighth in the pre-season poll). Texas Christian beat Cal. St. Fullerton two of three at home. Stanford beat Vanderbilt two of three at home. And Oklahoma swept four straight from Western Illinois. Louisville, because of its 0-3 start, fell out of the top 30. Missouri (1-3) also fell out with losses to Gonzaga (twice) and Nevada. Another key matchup saw San Diego St. beat San Diego, 3-0 in a single game Sunday. Texas completed a 4-game sweep of Illinois-Chicago. Longhorn pitchers allowed just 12 hits and 3 runs over 34 innings of work.
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)
|
NCAA Div. I Poll (As of Feb. 23, 2009) |
||
| Rank School (Record) | Points | Previous |
| 1. Louisiana St. (3-0) | 495 | 1 |
| 2. North Carolina (3-0) | 494 | 2 |
| 3. Georgia (3-0) | 490 | 4 |
| 4. Arizona St. (4-0) | 486 | 6 |
| 5. Florida St. (4-0) | 483 | 7 |
| 6. Texas A&M (4-0) | 481 | 9 |
| 7. Stanford (2-1) | 480 | 5 |
| 8. Texas (4-0) | 478 | 10 |
| 9. Georgia Tech. (3-0) | 475 | 12 |
| 10. Rice (1-2) | 473 | 3 |
| 11. Oklahoma St. (4-0) | 470 | 14 |
| 12. Florida (3-0) | 467 | 25 |
| 13. Baylor (2-1) | 463 | 15 |
| 14. Miami, Fla. (3-1) | 460 | 18 |
| 15. U.C. Irvine (3-1) | 458 | 20 |
| 16. Texas Christian (2-1) | 455 | — |
| 17. Cal. St. Fullerton (1-2) | 453 | 13 |
| 18. Coastal Carolina (3-1) | 450 | 28 |
| 19. Fresno St. (2-1) | 447 | 16 |
| 20. Oklahoma (4-0) | 443 | — |
| 21. UCLA (2-1) | 441 | 21 |
| 22. Mississippi (1-2) | 438 | 11 |
| 23. Pepperdine (2-1) | 436 | 23 |
| 24. Southern California (2-1) | 433 | 24 |
| 25. Clemson (3-0) | 432 | 26 |
| 26. San Diego St. (2-1) | 429 | — |
| 27. San Diego (2-1) | 428 | 17 |
| 28. Michigan (4-0) | 427 | 29 |
| 29. Kentucky (2-2) | 425 | 19 |
| 30. Ohio St. (3-0) | 423 | — |
"LOUISVILLE SLUGGER'S" NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
LHP Shaeffer Hall, Kansas: Hall pitched the fifth individual no-hitter in Kansas baseball history in a 5-0, 9-inning win over Air Force. He struck out seven and walked three. Hall walked the first hitter of the game and then retired 17 in a row before allowing another walk in the sixth. Hall was the first Jayhawk pitcher to throw a complete game no-hitter since the 1980 season.
LHP Mike LaChapelle, Pima College (Tucson, Ariz.): LaChapelle fired a no-hitter against Yavapai College in an 8-0, 7-inning win. Yavapai came into the game hitting .347 as a team and averaging 11.5 hits per outing. LaChapelle struck out five, and walked three over seven innings. He was so dominating that only two balls were hit out of the infield.
RHP Alex Wilson, Texas A&M: In his first collegiate start in nearly two years, Wilson struck out 14 batters and walked one in 6 2/3 shutout innings as the Aggies beat Wright St. 9-0. He allowed only three hits and retired the first 13 batters of the game.
OF Jason Kipnis, Arizona St.: Kipnis reached base his first 10 trips to the plate on his way to a 12-for-17 weekend at the plate during a 4-game sweep of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He had a slugging percentage of 1.588 with 3 homers, 4 doubles and a triple. He also drove in 8 runs and drew 4 walks and swiped 2 bases to finish the weekend with a .706 batting average.
RHP Kevin Johnson, West Florida: Johnson mowed down 14 Quincy batters in seven innings during a 4-1 win. He allowed one run on three hits.