UM Baseball Ranked No. 14 in USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll

Jan. 22, 2009

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team earned its fourth preseason ranking this preseason as the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll has the Hurricanes tabbed as the No. 14 team nationally in its first poll of the season.

The preseason ranking is Miami’s second-highest this year after the `Canes have been ranked No. 12 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and No. 23 by Rivals.com.

Last season, the Hurricanes entered the season with the same ranking in the USA TODAY/ESPN poll and finished the year at No. 4 after reaching their 11th College World Series in head coach Jim Morris’ 15-year tenure at UM.

This year’s team is headlined by three preseason All-Americans in sophomore left-hander Chris Hernandez, junior right-hander Kyle Bellamy and junior shortstop Ryan Jackson. In total, the 2009 `Canes feature 18 returning players – including 16 letterwinners – along with a group of 14 newcomers that includes three junior college transfers and 11 true freshmen.

LSU was tabbed by the coaches as the nation’s top-ranked team, while North Carolina, Rice, Georgia and Texas A&M rounded out the Top 5. In total, five ACC teams made the Top 25, with FSU (9), Georgia Tech (12) and Clemson (25) joining the Tar Heels and the Hurricanes in the poll.

The USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 31 coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Miami opens its 2009 season at newly-renovated Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on Friday, Feb. 20 against Rutgers. For ticket information for the 2009 season, call 1-800-GO-CANES, visit www.hurricanesports.com or email canestix@miami.edu.