Titans Ranked 15th by Baseball America Jan. 3, 2001 – Fullerton, Calif.
Cal State Fullerton's baseball team is ranked 15th in the 2002 Baseball
America preseason poll, released by the North Carolina-based publication
today. Fullerton has also been ranked 17th in the Collegiate Baseball
poll, which was released last month.
The Titans, who finished with a 48-18 overall record last season and made
their 11th trip to the College World Series, finished as the consensus
No. 3 team in the nation. The Titans had the second-highest RPI in the
nation, based largely on their 27-11 record against the toughest nonconference
schedule in the country.
The scheduling this year isn't any lighter. Sixteen of the Titans' regular-season
contests will come against teams ranked in the publication's top-25, including
seven against teams in the top four. Fullerton opens the season on Feb.
1 at No. 1 Stanford, which ended the Titans' season in Omaha a year ago.
Fullerton will also face No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Southern California, No. 12
Wichita State, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 22 Cal State Northridge.
Fullerton, which begins official practice on Monday, will be led by sophomore
All-American pitchers Darric Merrell and Chad Cordero and a small corps
of veteran positions players such as Chris Stringfellow, Jason Corapci
and Mike Martinez.
2002 Baseball America Preseason Poll Final 2001 record in parentheses
1. Stanford (51-17)
2. Clemson (41-22)
3. Miami (53-12)
4. Southern California (45-19)
5. Notre Dame (49-13)
6. Florida State (47-1)
7. Louisiana State (44-22)
8. Nebraska (50-16)
9. Texas (36-26)
10. Tulane (56-13)
11. Rice (47-20)
12. Wichita State (42-24)
13. Georgia Tech (41-20)
14. South Carolina (49-20)
15. Cal State Fullerton (48-18)
16. Baylor (37-24)
17. Mississippi State (39-24)
18. Arizona State (37-20)
19. North Carolina (31-26)
20. Mississippi (39-23) 21. Wake Forest (44-18)
22. Cal State Northridge (34-22)
23. Oklahoma State (42-22)
24. Washington (29-23)
25. Rutgers (42-17)
