Jan. 5, 2006
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech is ranked fourth in the nation in Baseball America’s preseason poll, while third baseman Wes Hodges and catcher/pitcher Matt Wieters were named to the publication’s preseason All-America team.
The Yellow Jackets return eight starters in the field and eight of their top 10 pitchers from last year’s team that went 45-19 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals.
Hodges, a junior, was named a first-team preseason All-America after leading Tech with a .397 average and 106 hits in 2005.
Wieters, a two-way star who was named the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year, earned second-team preseason All-America honors. He hit .366 with 10 home runs and led Tech with six saves and a 2.85 ERA last season.
Texas was tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team, while Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech and Cal State Fullerton rounded out the top five. Five ACC schools are ranked in the publications’s top 25, including North Carolina (No. 6), Florida State (No. 15) and NC State (No. 24).
BASEBALL AMERICA'S PRESEASON TOP 25Rk SCHOOL RECORD LAST YR1. Texas 56-16 12. Clemson 43-23 143. Florida 48-23 24. Georgia Tech 45-19 115. Cal State Fullerton 46-18 96. North Carolina 41-19 NR7. Rice 45-19 138. Oregon State 46-12 79. Tennessee 46-21 810. Missouri 40-23 2111. Pepperdine 41-23 2412. Tulane 56-12 313. Mississippi State 42-22 2214. South Carolina 41-23 2515. Florida State 53-20 1616. Arizona State 42-25 617. Southern California 41-22 1718. Arkansas 39-22 NR19. Texas Christian 41-20 NR20. Louisiana State 40-22 1821. Fresno State 30-29 NR22. Long Beach State 37-22 1923. Mississippi 48-20 1024. NC State 41-19 NR25. California 34-23 NR
