Ohio State Ranked 29th in Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 23, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team has been picked 29th in the Collegiate Baseball Fabulous 40 preseason poll, the newspaper announced Monday. College baseball coaches from across the country selected the preseason favorites.
According to voting, the University of Texas is the preseason favorite to win the 2003 College World Series, June 13-21 in Omaha, Neb. The Longhorns return six position starters and eight pitchers from the team that won the 2002 national championship. Florida State, Southern California, Rice and Georgia Tech round out the Top 5.
The Buckeyes, which were the only Big Ten team ranked in the preseason Top 40, open the season Feb. 28-March 2 at the Tournament of Champions Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas. Ohio State will meet host Lamar, Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri State. All four teams played in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, while only Oklahoma (27th) and Southwest Missouri State (24th) are ranked in the preseason poll.
Ohio State finished 38-20-1 in 2002 after advancing to the championship game against Notre Dame in the South Bend Regional.
Collegiate Baseball also announced its preseason All-America teams and named left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis (So., Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) to its third team. It was the second preseason mention of Lewis, who was also named a Third Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Lewis, the 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finished the year with an 8-2 record and a team-best 2.84 ERA. He went 2-2 to start the year but won his last six decisions. Lewis finished the year with a Buckeye-best 91 strikeouts in 92.0 innings and was named to the all-tournament teams at the Big Ten Tournament and at the South Bend Regional.
Preseason polls by Baseball America and The Sports Weekly/ESPN (formerly USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN) have yet to be announced. Preseason Poll
| Rk | School | Final ’02 Record |
Pts | Final ’02 Rank |
| 1. | Texas | 57-15 | 496 | 1 |
| 2. | Florida State | 60-14 | 493 | 9 |
| 3. | Southern California | 37-24 | 490 | 12 |
| 4. | Rice | 52-14 | 489 | 7 |
| 5. | Georgia Tech | 52-16 | 485 | 5 |
| 6. | LSU | 44-22 | 484 | 11 |
| 7. | Cal State-Fullerton | 37-22 | 479 | 28 |
| 8. | South Carolina | 57-18 | 477 | 2 |
| 9. | Stanford | 47-18 | 475 | 4 |
| 10. | Houston | 48-17 | 470 | 10 |
| 11. | Mississippi State | 34-24-1 | 468 | NR |
| 12. | Arizona State | 37-21 | 464 | 26 |
| 13. | Long Beach State | 39-21 | 462 | 27 |
| 14. | Miami (Fla.) | 34-29 | 458 | 17 |
| 15. | Wake Forest | 47-13-1 | 457 | 14 |
| 16. | Richmond | 53-13 | 456 | 13 |
| 17. | Baylor | 36-26 | 450 | NR |
| 18. | Clemson | 54-18 | 449 | 3 |
| 19. | Notre Dame | 50-18 | 447 | 6 |
| 20. | South Alabama | 42-19 | 445 | 25 |
| 21. | Florida Atlantic | 46-21 | 440 | 15 |
| 22. | Nebraska | 47-21 | 438 | 8 |
| 23. | Tulane | 36-27 | 437 | NR |
| 24. | S.W. Missouri State | 43-21 | 432 | NR |
| 25. | California | 29-27 | 430 | NR |
| 26. | Central Florida | 41-22 | 424 | NR |
| 27. | Oklahoma | 35-27 | 423 | NR |
| 28. | James Madison | 44-16 | 419 | NR |
| 29. | Ohio State | 38-20-1 | 416 | NR |
| 30. | Wichita State | 47-17 | 411 | 22 |
| 31. | Kent State | 37-22 | 408 | NR |
| 32. | Stetson | 42-19 | 405 | NR |
| 33. | Georgia | 32-29 | 403 | NR |
| 34. | North Carolina | 43-21 | 398 | 19 |
| 35. | Texas Tech | 42-20 | 395 | 24 |
| 36. | East Carolina | 43-20-1 | 392 | NR |
| 37. | Southern | 45-10 | 390 | NR |
| 38. | Florida International | 41-20 | 386 | NR |
| 39. | Oklahoma State | 37-21 | 380 | NR |
| 40. | Auburn | 34-26 | 379 | NR |
