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Jan. 20, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma baseball team was slotted at No. 16 in Baseball America’s top 25 preseason poll on Tuesday.  The last time OU was ranked in the preseason was prior to the 2006 season, when the Sooners went on to win the NCAA Norman Regional.  It also marks the highest preseason ranking for OU by Baseball America since the 1996 season when it appeared at No. 14.

“We are proud of the fact that we are ranked in the preseason,” said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. “It says a lot about what we have accomplished in the past couple years and that people around the country recognize that success.  However, we have to put that aside and focus on the season and where we finish at the end of the year.”

Under Golloway, the Sooners have appeared in three NCAA Regional finals in the last four years, including the program’s lone super regional appearance in 2006.  OU has also enjoyed a top 25 ranking in each of Golloway’s four seasons.

The 2008 Sooners finished with a 36-26-1 overall mark and lost to then-No. 4 Arizona State in the NCAA Tempe Regional final.  OU returns 18 letterwinners from that squad, including seven position starters and six hurlers with at least five starts.

“We know this ranking is a result of our strong postseason finish last year,” added Golloway.  “This team has a nice blend of talent and with the experience coming back, we believe we can build off last season’s success and advance even further into the postseason.”

The Sooners were one of five Big 12 schools to appear in the top 25 poll, trailing No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 4 Texas, No. 8 Baylor and No. 10 Missouri.

Oklahoma opens the 2009 season at home on Feb. 20 against Western Illinois.  The opener is the first of four games set to be played against the Leathernecks over the weekend. 

The Sooners will face seven of the teams ranked in the preseason poll for a combined 18 games.  Six of those contests will be played at L. Dale Mitchell Park with No. 12 UCLA (March 6-8) and No. 1 Texas A&M (May 15-17) coming to town for a pair of three-game series.

The staff of Baseball America determines the Top 25 rankings.

1.         Texas A&M *
2.         Louisiana State
3.         North Carolina
4.         Texas *
5.         Cal State Fullerton
6.         Mississippi
7.         Rice
8.         Baylor *
9.         UC Irvine
10.       Missouri *
11.       San Diego *
12.       UCLA *
13.       Arizona State
14.       Georgia
15.       Stanford
16.       Oklahoma
17.       Pepperdine
18.       Kent State
19.       Clemson
20.       Georgia Tech
21.       Alabama
22.       Arkansas *
23.       Louisville
24.       Florida State
25.       Oregon State

* indicates OU opponent