WVU Baseball ranked Fifth in Big 12 Preseason Poll

Coming off a 36-22 season and run to the conference tournament final in 2016, the WVU baseball team has been picked as the No. 5 team in the 2017 Big 12 baseball preseason coaches’ poll. The 2016 season was the best under Randy Mazey and included a 14-3 record in the final month of the season.

The Mountaineers were snubbed of a bid to the NCAA Baseball Championship tournament, as they were No. 54 in the season-ending RPI, but were not a part of the 64 teams selected.

The poll is topped unanimously by reigning conference champion TCU. The Horned Frogs were one of three Big 12 teams that advanced to the College World Series.

Oklahoma State is at No. 2 and Texas Tech at No. 3. The Cowboys and Red Raiders also made trips to Omaha last June. The Texas Longhorns sit just above WVU at No. 4.

Behind the Mountaineers are Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State and Kansas, sequentially. WVU did receive one first-place vote in the coaches’ poll.

1. TCU (8)* 64

2. Oklahoma State 54

3. Texas Tech 48

4. Texas 41

5. West Virginia (1) 40

6. Oklahoma 28

7. Baylor 26

8. Kansas State 13

9. Kansas 10

*unanimous selection

First-place votes in parentheses. Coaches are not permitted to vote for own team.

WVU starts its 125th baseball season on February 17-19 with a three-game series at Charlotte. The Mountaineers’ first home game of the season is against Morehead State on Tuesday, March 14. Conference play begins with a series at Baylor, March 17-19.