Kats mentioned in Preseason Top 35 poll
1/16/2009 1:00:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE ? While the start of the baseball season is still more than a month away, the Bearkats are already starting to get a little national recognition.
The Sam Houston State baseball team was included in the “also receiving votes” section of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Top 35 poll. The Bearkats are one of three teams in the Southland Conference to receive votes the in NCBWA poll.
Also this offseason, Sam Houston State third baseman Seth Hammock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award preseason watch list. The Wallace Award is presented annually to the top collegiate baseball player.
Hammock was a first-team selection on the All-Southland Conference team last season. He led the Bearkats in hitting with a .380 average and was second on the team in home runs with 12 and RBIs with 56.
The Kats are coming off their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after reaching the Regional Final in 2007. After a 37-25 record last season, the Bearkats advanced to the Houston regional, losing to host Rice and then Texas.
The Bearkats will open the 2009 season with 14 straight home games beginning with a four-game set with Creighton on February 20.
NCBWA Top 35
Rank-School-2008 Record-Final '08 Poll Place
1 North Carolina Atlantic Coast 54-14 3
2 LSU Southeastern 49-19-1 6
3 Rice Conference USA 47-15 7
4 Texas A&M Big 12 46-19 14
5 Georgia SEC 45-25-1 2
6 Florida State ACC 54-14 8
7 Arizona State Pacific-10 49-13 9
8 Texas Big 12 39-22 21
9 Stanford Pac-10 41-24-2 4
10 Cal State Fullerton Big West 41-22 11
11 Louisville Big East 41-21 NR
12 Miami (Fla.) ACC 53-11 5
13 Georgia Tech ACC 41-21 26
14 Mississippi SEC 39-26 NR
15 UC Irvine Big West 42-18 10
16 Oklahoma State Big 12 44-18 17
17 Fresno State Western Athletic 47-31 1
18 San Diego West Coast 44-17 18
19 Baylor Big 12 32-26 NR
20 Missouri Big 12 39-21 19
21 Pepperdine WCC 38-21 NR
22 Coastal Carolina Big South 50-14 13
23 Kentucky SEC 44-19 23
24 Florida SEC 34-24 NR
25 UCLA Pac-10 33-27 NR
26 Clemson ACC 31-27-1 NR
27 East Carolina C-USA 42-21 NR
28 Oklahoma Big 12 36-26 NR
29 Arizona Pac-10 42-19 12
30 Michigan Big Ten 46-14 28
31 Oregon State Pac-10 28-24 NR
32 TCU Mountain West 44-19 NR
33 Southern California Pac-10 28-28 NR
34 Tulane C-USA 39-22-1 NR
35 Wichita State Missouri Valley 48-17 15
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama (35-28), Arkansas (34-24), Auburn (28-28), Bethune-Cookman (36-22), California (33-21-2), Charlotte (43-16), College of Charleston (39-20), Dallas Baptist (37-19), Elon (44-18), Houston (42-24), Lamar (35-23), Long Beach State (38-21), Missouri State (40-17), NC State (42-22), Nebraska (41-16), New Orleans (43-21), Notre Dame (33-21-1), Ohio State (30-26), Oral Roberts (48-14), Oregon (0-0), Sam Houston State (37-25), San Diego State (31-28), Santa Clara (33-22), South Carolina (40-23), Southern Miss (42-22), St. John's (42-16), Tennessee (27-29), UC Davis (35-24), UC Santa Barbara (35-21), UNC Wilmington (44-17), UTSA (39-19), Vanderbilt (41-22), Virginia (39-23).
