Dec. 24, 2009

CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina University baseball team is ranked 16th in the Ping!Baseball 2010 Preseason Top 30 rankings, the website announced recently.

The Chants, who were ranked 17th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Fabulous 40 poll earlier this week, return seven starters and 18 letterwinners from last year's 47-16 team that won the Big South regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. Junior Cody Wheeler (Spotsylvania, Va./Spotsylvania) has received Second Team Preseason All-American honors by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Louisville Slugger.

Texas was picked to finish first by Ping!Baseball, followed by Florida State, Cal State Fullerton, Virginia and Rice. Coastal will face six teams ranked in this top-30 poll this season (Virginia, UC Irvine, Clemson, San Diego, Kentucky and North Carolina).

Coastal ended the 2009 season ranked 23rd in the Ping!Baseball poll.

Coastal Carolina opens the 2010 season Friday, Feb. 19 against West Virginia in the Caravelle Resort Tournament in Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field.

Ping!Baseball Preseason Top 30 Poll
1. Texas
2. Florida State
3. Cal State Fullerton
4. Virginia
5. Rice
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Arizona State
9. UC Irvine
10. Georgia Tech
11. Arkansas
12. Clemson
13. Louisville
14. San Diego
15. Oregon State
16. COASTAL CAROLINA
17. Vanderbilt
18. Ole Miss
19. TCU
20. East Carolina
21. Miami
22. Kentucky
23. North Carolina
24. Ohio State
25. Florida Gulf Coast
26. South Carolina
27. Middle Tennessee State
28. Southern Miss
29. Wichita State
30. Minnesota