University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Ranked No. 11 by Baseball America
1/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 2, 2003
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team received its second Top 15 preseason ranking of the 2003 season Thursday with the release of the Baseball America national poll.
The Cougars, who tied a school record a year ago with 48 wins, were ranked 11th in the Baseball America poll. In mid-December, UH received a 10th-place ranking from the editors of Collegiate Baseball magazine in its annual preseason poll.
UH will face three members of Baseball America's top 10 in 10 games during the 2003 season. Crosstown rival Rice appeared at No. 2 in the poll, with LSU and Baylor placing No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Georgia Tech took the top spot atop the preseason poll.
Seven starters return from the 2002 Cougar squad which advanced to the NCAA postseason for the fourth consecutive year and competed in the championship game of an NCAA Super Regional for the second time in the last three seasons.
Junior pitcher Brad Sullivan, who was named a Preseason First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association a month ago, is expected to anchor a solid and deep pitching staff which finished fifth nationally in team ERA in 2002.
Junior outfielder Michael Bourn should continue his rise in the Cougar record books after swiping a Conference USA-leading 32 bases in 2002, while senior infielder Brett Cooley blasted a team-best 18 home runs, the second-highest single-season total in school history.
Baseball America will release its annual Preseason All-America Team on Friday.
