The UCLA baseball team heads into the new year as the No. 21 ranked program in the nation, according to Collegiate Baseball.
The weekly national baseball publication also rated six other Pac-10 teams in its preseason top-40 poll, with Stanford at No. 5 and Arizona State right behind them at No. 6. Rounding out the four other ranked conference teams is USC at No. 24, Arizona at No. 35, Oregon State at No. 38, and California at No. 39.
Three other Pac-10 programs ““ Oregon, in its first season of NCAA Division I baseball since 1981, Washington and Washington State ““ were not ranked but still received votes.
UCLA, coming off its third straight postseason appearance, also faces a tough nonconference schedule this upcoming spring. The Bruins, who posted a 33-27 record last season, are slated to play 51 of their 56 regular-season games against teams that received votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
The Bruins will compete against Rice, Baylor and UC Irvine in the Houston Classic in late February at Minute Maid Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros. Weekend sets at Oklahoma and East Carolina also highlight the nonconference schedule.
Collegiate Baseball rated the Bruins No. 18 heading into last season. The highest ranking that UCLA received last winter was No. 1, by Baseball America.
After losing five starting position players and one starting pitcher, coach John Savage welcomes nine newcomers to Westwood this season.
The Bruins are scheduled to host the annual Alumni Game on Feb. 7 before opening the season with a three-game set on Feb. 20 against UC Davis at Steele Field at Jackie Robinson Stadium.