University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Ranked No. 7 in NCBWA Preseason Poll
1/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 13, 2003
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team continues to be well-respected in the nation's annual preseason polls.
The Cougars, who tied a school record with 48 wins and advanced to the championship game for the second time in the last three years in 2002, were ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association preseason poll, released on Monday.
UH already has been ranked at No. 10 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and at No. 11 in Baseball America.
The Cougars open their 2003 season when they travel to the West Coast to compete at the Pepperdine Tournament on Feb. 7-9. UH opens the three-day event against UC Santa Barbara with a 12:30 p.m. (CST) contest on Feb. 7. The Cougars will also square off against host Pepperdine and Washington that weekend.
Sixteen letterwinners and eight starters return to the Cougar team in 2003. Junior pitcher Brad Sullivan and junior center fielder Michael Bourn have been named to various Preseason All-America teams earlier this year.
Four of the Cougars' 2003 opponents were also included in the preseason poll. No. 2 Rice, No. 9 LSU, No. 14 Baylor and No. 30 East Carolina highlight another rigorous schedule for UH this season.
