Huskers Ranked 10th Nationally; Second in the Big 12 Coaches Poll

Lincoln ? The Nebraska baseball team received good news Tuesday, as the Huskers were picked 10th in the initial USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches poll and were picked second in poll of the Big 12 Coaches also released this afternoon.

The Huskers, who finished the 2005 season ranked sixth in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25, return 16 letterwinners from a team that won a school-record 57 games and reached the College World Series in 2005. The group includes a trio of preseason All-Americans in starting pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Johnny Dorn and closer Brett Jensen, along with All-Big 12 infielder Ryan Wehrle and NCAA Lincoln Regional MVP Andy Gerch.

The Huskers were one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason top 25, joining No. 1 Texas, No. 13 Missouri and No. 25 Baylor in the preseason poll.

The Longhorns were also the choice of the league’s coaches as the Big 12 announced its preseason poll. Texas, which went 56-16 en route to a national title, garnered 79 points, including eight of the 10 first-place votes. Nebraska was second with 70 points and one first-place vote, just ahead of Missouri, which had 66 points and the other first-place vote.

Baylor (46-24), one of three teams competing at the 2005 College World Series along with the Longhorns and Huskers, nailed down the fourth spot, while 2005 NCAA Regional contestant Oklahoma (35-26) was fifth. Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas Tech and Kansas State rounded out the poll, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

Big 12 regular-season play begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1, when Kansas treks to Hawaii-Hilo for a four-game series.
2006 Preseason Big 12 Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll (First Place Votes in Parentheses)
No. Teams (1st) Polls
 1.  Texas (8) 79
 2.  Nebraska (1) 70
 3.  Missouri (1) 66
 4.  Baylor 54
 5.  Oklahoma 44
 6.  Oklahoma State 41
 7.  Texas A&M 36
t8.  Kansas 24
      Texas Tech 24
10.  Kansas State 11

USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll
No. Team 05 record Pts. Last rank
1. Texas (34)  56-16  898  1
2. Florida (1)  48-23  813  2
3. Clemson 43-23 756 16
4.  Rice 45-19 734 11
5.  Cal State Fullerton 46-18 701 8
6.  Oregon State (1) 46-12 677 7
7.  Georgia Tech 45-19 662 10
8.  North Carolina 41-19-1 661 22
9.  Florida State 53-20 493 14
10. Nebraska 57-15 462 6
11.  Arizona State 42-25 457 5
12.  Tennessee 46-21 390 9
13.  Missouri 40-23 387 NR
14.  Pepperdine 41-23 361 NR
15.  Tulane 56-12 354 3
16. Miami  41-19-1 339  13
17.  South Carolina  41-23 319 21
18.  Southern California  41-22 302 15
19.  LSU  40-22 283 18
20.  Long Beach State 37-22 278 20
21.  Mississippi State 42-22 237 19
22.  Mississippi 48-20 199 12
23.  Arkansas 39-22 162 NR
24.  TCU 41-20  142  NR
25.  Baylor  46-24 114 4
Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 72; North Carolina State 63; Stanford 60; Arizona 49; Wichita State 45; Florida Atlantic 42; Fresno State 37; California 36; Virginia 17; Southern Mississippi 12; Vanderbilt 11; Oklahoma 10; Washington 10; San Diego 9; Alabama 6; Cal Poly 6; Georgia 5; Houston 5; UNC-Wilmington 4; Winthrop 4; Lamar 3; St. John's 3; Charleston 2; Oklahoma State 2; Virginia Commonwealth 2; Coastal Carolina 1; UNLV 1; South Florida 1; Stetson 1.