Owls Picked Fourth By National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association
1/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 17, 2006
DALLAS -
Baseball Alumni Game entry form (pdf)
National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association home page
The Rice baseball team is ranked fourth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) annual preseason poll, the organization announced Tuesday afternoon from its headquarters in Dallas.
The Owls were ranked 13th in the NCBWA's final 2005 poll. Rice was as high as fifth in the 2005 poll on March 7. A total of 20 lettermen return from the Owls' 2005 team that went 45-19, won the Baton Rouge Regional and came within four outs of reaching the College World Series.
A number of baseball publications project Rice to be among the elite teams for 2006. Collegiate Baseball picked the Owls fifth in its preseason poll. Baseball America has Rice ranked seventh overall. RosenblattReport.com ranked the team second in the country heading into the 2006 campaign.
The Blue and Gray gets the 2006 season underway with its biennial Varsity-Alumni Game at home at Reckling Park on Jan. 28. The team's first official game is Feb. 4 at home against Central Missouri State. Rice baseball has won 10-consecutive conference championships spanning two different leagues. The Owls compete in Conference USA for the first time in 2006. Rice is scheduled to host the C-USA postseason tournament May 24-28.
View the different polls at the following web sites.
Collegiate Baseball
Baseball America
RosenblattReport.com
NCBWA
ATTENTION All Rice Baseball Lettermen! It's not too late to sign up for the Varsity-Alumni Game, but the event is fast approaching! Download the form listed above and return it to the baseball or marketing office TODAY.