Most of the preseason polls are coming out and this is the 1st I’ve seen the Cougars even listed. Lot of folks are sleeping on the Coogs this year.
Collegiate Baseball News has us at about 46th:
http://baseballnews.com/collegiate-baseball-div-1-poll-12-18-18/
Usually have better seasons when we are not hyped up.
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Rice ranked higher ??? don’t see it
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Exactly why pre-season polls are rickdonkadonk.
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Surprises me a bit as we’ve been pretty consistent over the past 5 years. We do lose Cumbie and Fletcher and don’t have a ready-made ace to step in, but, prior to last season, Cumbie was the only proven commodity in the rotation as Fletcher was coming from the bullpen. However, we return most of our lineup, including all of our power and return all of our bullpen.
I saw a preview of Texas and how they lost Clemens and their aces and yet they still were ranked in the Top 20. But, then again, they’re Texas so they automatically get ranked. We don’t have the same luxury.
Ah well, got to surprise everyone again.
Coogs get a mention in the “Next 12” by D1. UCONN in there as well:
Houston
The Cougars might have some question marks on the mound, but they still have plenty of potential with Freddy Villareal in the No. 1 spot and intriguing JUCO transfer Devon Roedahl in the No. 3 spot. Roehdal is up to 93 with his fastball and can throw multiple pitches for strikes. But how Villareal does and how his secondary stuff has evolved is the key for Todd Whitting’s club. The Coogs’ offense once again is in terrific shape with Drew Minter being my breakout candidate. Minter is a physical slugger who hit just .200 last season, but was impressive during a short look in the fall. UH also welcomes back hard-hitting Joe Davis, who’s ready to have yet another powerful campaign.
Coogs ranked 40th in the preseason NCBWA poll:
Joining ECU in the preseason poll are 2019 opponents UCLA (No. 4), North Carolina (No. 7), Ole Miss (No. 11), Mississippi State (No. 13), Duke (No. 25), Connecticut (No. 35) and Houston (No. 40). Also receiving votes in the NCBWA Preseason Top 40 poll are Elon and UNCW.