Francis Marion ranked 33rd in preseason Baseball Poll

FLORENCE, S.C. - The Francis Marion University baseball team is ranked 33rd in the preseason 2009 Collegiate Baseball Magazine NCAA Division II Top 40 poll.

The Patriots finished 2008 with a 34-20 record, equaling the fourth-highest win total in team history, and was ranked 27th in the final 2008 Top 30 poll.  The Patriots posted their fourth consecutive 30-win season, tied for third during the Peach Belt Conference regular season, advanced to the PBC Tournament title game, and narrowly missed earning a bid to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the second year in a row.   Six of the squad's losses were to nationally ranked opponents.

Ninth-year FMU head coach Art Inabinet welcomes back 15 lettermen, including four position starters and three starting pitchers, from that squad.

Dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have appeared in 65 of the past 68 national polls.

Four PBC squads are listed in the preseason poll, and six opponents on FMU's 2009 schedule appear in the poll.

The Patriots will open their season at home on Feb. 1 with a doubleheader against 21st-ranked Valdosta State University.

Collegiate Baseball Magazine

NCAA Division II Pre-Season Poll

Rank    School                                     '08 Record           Point Totals

1.            Mount Olive                            58-6                       640

2.            Tampa                                    42-11-1                 618

3.            Central Missouri                     47-17                     604

4.            U.C. San Diego                      43-18                     590

5.            Columbus St.                         43-19                     576

6.            Southern Arkansas                46-12                     540

7.            Cal. St. Chico                         42-17                     536

8.            Emporia St.                           50-10                     534

9.            Ouachita Baptist                   51-16                     522

10.          S.C. Aiken                              47-17                     498

11.          Abilene Christian                   44-17                     490

12.          Delta St.                                48-11                     452

13.          Ashland                                 40-18                     448

14.          Franklin Pierce                       43-15                     440

15.          West Chester                        45-16                     410

16.          Florida Southern                    29-21                     388

17.          No. Georgia Coll. & St.           41-21                     372

18.          Angelo St.                             39-19                     360

19.          Grand Valley St.                    34-13                     338

20.          Wayne St., NE                      40-13                     328

21.          Valdosta St.                         36-18-1                 320

22.          Tusculum                              41-15                     300

23.          Shippensburg                      39-26                     298

24.          Cal. St. Stanislaus               37-23                     238

25.          West Alabama                    45-13                     232

26.          Northern Kentucky             38-24                     228

27.          Mesa St.                             42-17                     218

28.          St. Mary's, TX                      39-17                     212

29.          Catawba                             43-18                     208

30.          Western Oregon                 39-19                     184

31.          St. Joseph's, IN                   46-16                     168

32.          West Virginia St.                 36-14                     134

33.          Francis Marion                    34-20                     114

34.          Florida Tech.                       35-20                     86

                Carson-Newman                43-18                     86

36.          Erskine                                44-13                     60

                Lynn                                   33-19                     60

38.          Minn. St.-Mankato               28-25                     56

39.          Mansfield                             31-20                     54

40.          Bellarmine                           36-22                     40

                Cal. St. Los Angeles           29-22                     40

Also Receiving Votes: Indiana (PA) 32, S.E. Oklahoma 28, Slippery Rock 28, Southern Indiana 22, Kutztown 22, Indianapolis 18, Belmont Abbey 16, Georgia College & St. 16, California (PA) 10, Wayne St. (MI) 4, Concordia-St. Paul (MN) 4, Nebraska-Kearney 4, Nova S.E. 4, Massachusetts-Lowell 4, North Alabama 2, West Florida 2, Winona St. 2.