Baseball No. 1 in preseason poll

The UCLA baseball team proved it was worthy of being mentioned among college baseball’s elite last season. It made its first appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals since 2000 and brought in the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation. Now, they’re finally receiving some recognition.

For the first time in the history of the program, the UCLA baseball team is ranked No. 1 in Baseball America’s preseason top-25 poll, providing further evidence that the program has taken a dramatic turn for the better under the direction of coach John Savage.

“It’s a credit to the players and the assistant coaches that have put us in a position where the expectations for this team are very high,” Savage said. “We worked hard in the fall and (this month) to prepare for the season. Right now we are going through the processes to prepare us for a successful season.”

The No. 1 preseason ranking marks both the first time a UCLA baseball team has been ranked No. 1 in any publication and the highest preseason ranking since the Bruins were ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 5 by Baseball America in 1997. That season, the Bruins made the only appearance in the College World Series in the history of the program.

“It’s just a recognition of the progression of the program,” Savage said. “But it’s also where you are at the end of the season as opposed to the start that is where you want to be. Right now we are working on having the work ethic and the preparation and the chemistry and creating an environment of team work and winning.

“It’s also (just) one publication’s opinion. This publication has us at No. 1; the other publications have us anywhere from one to 20. So we just have to work hard and prepare for the season.”

Along with UCLA, there are three other Pac-10 teams ranked in the top 25.

Arizona comes in at the No. 2 spot. The Wildcats finished 2007 with a final record of 42-17.

Oregon State, winner of the past two College World Series, is ranked No. 7.

Defending conference-champion Arizona State comes in at No. 9.

The presence of four Pac-10 teams ranked in the top 10 reveals how tough and competitive the Pac-10 is as a conference.

“It’s the most competitive conference in the nation,” Savage said. “It’s one of the deepest leagues that I’ve seen since I’ve been in the conference. When you have four teams in the top 10, the other five teams are capable of playing hard and competitive every game. What we have to do is stay healthy, stay hungry, stay together, and mentally and physically prepare for the season.”

The Bruins return the majority of the team that went to the Super Regionals last season, a big reason for the high preseason ranking.

The team returns four All-Pac-10 players in juniors Brandon Crawford (.335, 7 HR, 55 RBI), Cody Decker (.307, 14 HR, 57 RBI), Jermaine Curtis (.329, 4 HR, 33 RBI) and sophomore Gabe Cohen (.345, 10 HR, 36 RBI).

On the mound, the Bruins will have a plethora of young and talented arms, led by sophomore Gavin Brooks and junior Tim Murphy, both of whom were a part of the Bruins’ three-man starting rotation last season.

Additionally, the Bruins bring in the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation, according to Baseball America.

“The skill level is high, but you have to have mentality along with that,” Savage said. “We know that in order to get to Omaha we have to have pitching and defense. We know that the offense is going to be there, but we need to pitch well and play solid defense. So right now, those two areas are what we are stressing.”

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