The UC Santa Barbara baseball team has been ranked No. 16 in the nation in Collegiate Baseball’s Fab 40 Preseason Poll, the publication revealed on Monday morning.
It is the second consecutive season that the Gauchos have appeared in Collegiate Baseball’s Top-40, following last year’s No. 39 ranking.
UCSB was one of four Big West teams to appear in the poll, joining Cal Poly (No. 13), Cal State Fullerton (No. 17) and UC Irvine (No. 39).
According to Collegiate Baseball, the poll is put together based on “voting by NCAA Division I coaches across the nation, how a team finished last season, returning position players and pitchers, potential draft picks along with the quality of its recruiting class last fall.”
Other notable teams in the poll include top-ranked Vanderbilt and 2015 UCSB opponents Oregon (No. 15), Wichita State (No. 32), and Loyola Marymount (No. 35).
The highest preseason ranking for the Gauchos in the tenure of Andrew Checketts represents the consistent success UCSB’s fourth-year head coach has brought to the program.
On the field, Checketts set a program record for first-year wins by a head coach, ended the team’s 12-year postseason drought, and led the squad to its first top-10 ranking since 1986.
On the recruiting trail, he and recruiting coordinator/assistant coach Eddie Cornejo have brought in three nationally-ranked recruiting classes.
For the 2015 season, Checketts has lined up another rigorous schedule, with a slate of opponents featuring eight participants in last year’s NCAA Tournament and nine former national champions who have combined for a total of 19 Division I titles.
Key non-conference foes for the upcoming season include Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon, SEC mainstay Kentucky, reigning WCC champion Pepperdine, and 12-time NCAA champion USC.
