FLORIDA TOPS NCBWA DIVISION I POLL

DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 21st year with its 2018 weekly surveys and for the second-straight week of the regular season, the top three remain unchanged, with Florida at No. 1, Oregon State at No. 2 and Texas Tech at No. 3.

Coach Kevin O'Sullivan's Florida Gators were the preseason favorite and are No. 1 for the second-straight week of the regular season after going 4-1 last week, including taking two-of-three from in-state rival Miami (Fla.).

Oregon State, which was tops nationally for most of the 2017 season and ended with the most victories (56) in DI baseball, remained ranked No. 2 for the third-straight week after going 5-0 last week, including going undefeated in the Big 10-Pac-12 Spring Training College Baseball Challenge.

Rounding out the top three is Texas Tech, who is now 8-0 on the season after going 4-0 last week.

Spots four and five went through some shuffling this week, as Florida State jumped up to No. 4 from No. 5, and Stanford joined the top five after going 5-0 last week, including a four-game sweep of Rice.

Joining the top 10 this week was Vanderbilt, who comes in at No. 10 after going an impressive 5-0 last week.

The 2018 poll voters come from among 35 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. After a preseason Top 35 listing, the remainder of the polls will feature a national Top 30 beginning with the Feb. 19 NCBWA DI survey.

The current survey has representation by 12 different conferences among the 299 baseball-playing schools in the 2018 NCAA Division I ranks. The rankings of 2017 had 13 different DI conferences rated at least one week. For more information or to join the NCBWA, please go to ncbwa.com.

          

NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (FEB. 26) Rk. School Conference         Record         Pvs. 1. Florida SEC 7-1 1 2. Oregon State Pac-12 8-0 2 3. Texas Tech Big 12 7-0 3 4. Florida State ACC 7-0 5 5. Stanford Pac-12 8-0 9 6. Kentucky SEC 7-1 6 7. TCU Big 12 4-2 7 8. Texas A&M SEC 7-0 10 9. Arkansas SEC 5-2 4 10. Vanderbilt SEC 7-1 11 11. UCLA Pac-12 6-1 12 12. Ole Miss SEC 7-0 14 13. Louisville ACC 7-0 13 14. Clemson ACC 7-0 16 15. South Alabama Sun Belt 7-1 20 16. Indiana Big Ten 6-1 23 17. Southern Miss Conference USA 5-2 15 18. LSU SEC 4-3 21 19. North Carolina ACC 3-5 8 20. Virginia ACC 4-3 17 21. Texas Big 12 4-3 19 22. Houston American Athletic 4-2 24 23. St. John's Big East 7-0 27 24. East Carolina American Athletic 6-1 RV 25. Auburn SEC 8-0 RV 26. N.C. State ACC 7-1 29 27. Mississippi State SEC 3-4 25 28. Dallas Baptist Missouri Valley 3-3 18 29. Alabama SEC 7-0 RV 30. San Diego West Coast 7-2 RV         Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically):         Florida Atlantic (6-1), Florida Gulf Coast University         (6-1), Fresno State (7-2), Georgia (6-1), Kent State         (4-2), Louisiana (5-3), Miami (FL) (3-4), Minnesota         (5-2), Missouri State (4-2), Nebraska (5-3), Notre         Dame (4-3), Oklahoma (4-4), Oklahoma State (4-1),         Oregon (4-2), Purdue (6-1), Saint Mary's College         (4-3), Sam Houston State (5-1), San Diego State         (5-2), South Carolina (6-2), Stetson (6-1), UC Irvine         (5-2), UCF (4-3), USC (6-1), VMI (5-2), Wichita         State (6-0).         Dropped out: Cal State Fullerton (22), Arizona         (26), Miami (Fla.) (28), Oregon (30).         By conference: SEC 10, ACC 6, Big 12 3, Pac-12         3, American Athletic 2, Big East 1, Big Ten 1, Conference         USA 1, Missouri Valley 1, Sun Belt 1, West Coast         1.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.