Vanderbilt Baseball Earns National Rankings 3/19/02

Fresh off its series win over No. 7 LSU this past weekend in Baton Rouge, the Vanderbilt baseball team has garnered recognition in two national polls this week. The Commodores ranked 29th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 30th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll released March 18.

Vanderbilt 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference, is off to its best start since 1998. The Commodores won two of three games in their SEC series opener this weekend at LSU (0-6, 9-7, 8-7). It marked Vanderbilt's first win in the series since 1988 and its first series win in Baton Rouge since 1957.

"We have to keep everything in perspective," Head Coach Roy Mewbourne said. "It's nice to be recognized, but it's still early in the season. It's not how you start, but how you finish. If we're ranked this high at the end of the regular season it will be something pretty special."

The ranking is Vanderbilt's first since 1998 when the Commodores started 10-0 and were ranked No. 25 in the March 4 Baseball America magazine poll.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll ranks the nation's top 30 collegiate baseball teams. Voting is done by its writers. The NCBWA poll, conducted by a panel of college baseball experts, ranks the country's top 35 teams.

The Commodores also received nine votes in this week's Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll to be listed in the others receiving votes section. Vanderbilt was not ranked in this week's Baseball America ranking.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. I Poll
(As of March 18, 2002)

Rank School (Record) Points Previous
1. Florida St. (24-5) 494 1
2. Clemson (14-1) 493 2
3. Stanford (14-5) 492 3
4. South Carolina (18-3) 489 4
5. Rice (18-4) 487 5
6. Florida (18-3) 483 6
7. Wichita St. (10-2) 479 7
8. Wake Forest (16-2) 475 11
9. Houston (15-5) 470 12
10. Baylor (17-6) 466 14
11. Alabama (19-2) 463 17
12. Georgia Tech. (14-3) 460 9
13. Nebraska (11-5) 457 21
14. Louisiana St. (14-8) 454 8
15. Texas (20-6) 451 19
16. Mississippi (13-6) 447 10
17. Texas A&M (17-9) 443 13
18. Oklahoma (15-5) 439 -
19. Cal. St. Fullerton (13-9) 437 20
20. Arizona St. (16-8) 435 15
21. East Carolina (14-3-1) 433 18
22. Texas Tech. (20-10) 432 30
23. Ohio St. (8-2-1) 430 22
24. Oklahoma St. (12-5) 427 16
25. San Diego (21-5) 425 27
26. Rutgers (8-4) 423 -
27. Auburn (17-5) 421 28
28. Long Beach St. (13-6) 419 29
29. Vanderbilt (13-4) 416 -
30. Stetson (19-4) 413 25

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division I Baseball Poll
(As of March 18, 2002)

1. Florida State (24-5)
2. Clemson (14-1)
3. Stanford (14-5)
4. Rice (18-4)
5. South Carolina (18-3)
6. Wichita State (10-2)
7. Florida (18-3)
8. Georgia Tech (14-3)
9. Wake Forest (16-2)
10. Baylor (17-6)
11. Alabama (19-2)
12. Nebraska (11-5)
13. Houston (15-5)
14. Texas (20-6)
15. LSU (14-8)
16. Arizona State (16-8)
17. Cal State Fullerton (13-9)
18. Auburn (17-5)
19. Florida International (20-4)
20. Oklahoma (15-5)
21. Rutgers (8-4)
22. Texas A&M (17-9)
23. Northwestern State (17-2)
24. East Carolina (14-3)
25. San Diego (21-5)
26. Long Beach State (13-6)
27. Texas Tech (20-10)
28. Oklahoma State (12-5)
29. Ohio State (8-2)
30. Vanderbilt (13-4)
31. Southern Mississippi (14-5)
32. College of Charleston (16-5)
33. Stetson (19-4)
34. Richmond (15-2)
35. Tulane (13-8)