Dec. 22, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina baseball team has been ranked third in the nation in the 2007 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Top 40 as released on Friday afternoon (December 22). In addition to the ranking, Carolina sophomore first baseman Justin Smoak has been selected a second team Preseason All-American.
South Carolina is the highest ranked SEC team and one of eight conference teams to be selected to the preseason Top 40. Other SEC teams ranked include Arkansas (4th), Vanderbilt (8th), Tennessee (18th), Ole Miss (20th), Georgia (22nd), LSU (31st) and Mississippi State (32nd).
Justin Smoak hit .303 in his first season with the Gamecocks last year and added 17 homers and 63 RBI to earn freshman All-American honors. He was also the only player on the squad to start all 66 games in the 2006 season. Smoak played this summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, where he earned league MVP honors and was named the top collegiate prospect by Baseball America. Along with this honor, Smoak has also been named to the Wallace Award Watch list, presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year.
Smoak is one of six returning starters back from last year’s team that reached the NCAA Super Regional. The Super Regional appearance was Carolina’s sixth in the past seven seasons, making the Gamecocks one of only three teams in the nation to achieve that feat since the 2000 season. In that span, Carolina has reached the College World Series three times (2002, 2003, 2004), won two SEC championships (2000, 2002) as well as an SEC Tournament title (2004). Carolina’s seven consecutive years reaching the NCAA Regionals is also the longest current streak among all 12 SEC schools. Over the past seven years, the Gamecocks own a 342-135 record; the fourth highest win total in Division I Baseball as well as an SEC-best 130-79 record in conference match-ups.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'sNCAA Div. I Pre-Season Poll(As of Dec. 22, 2006)Rank School ('06 Final Record) Points Final '06 Rank1. Rice (57-13) 497 32. Clemson (53-16) 492 53. South Carolina (41-25) 490 124. Arkansas (39-21) 488 255. North Carolina (54-15) 487 26. Miami, Fla. (42-24) 483 67. Texas (41-21) 482 178. Vanderbilt (38-27) 479 -9. Nebraska (42-17) 477 2210. Virginia (47-15) 474 20
11. Georgia Tech. (50-18) 472 812. Cal. St. Fullerton (50-15) 469 413. Florida St. (42-21) 467 2414. Arizona St. (37-21) 464 -15. Texas Christian (39-23) 462 -16. Tulane (43-21) 459 2717. Wichita St. (46-22) 456 -18. Tennessee (31-24) 453 -19. Pepperdine (42-21) 450 3020. Mississippi (44-22) 448 11
21. Baylor (37-26) 447 2622. Georgia (47-23) 444 723. Stanford (33-27) 441 1524. Oklahoma St. (41-20) 438 2325. Southern California (25-33) 435 -26. UCLA (33-25) 433 -27. Arizona (27-28) 431 -28. Evansville (43-22) 429 1929. Oral Roberts (41-16) 426 1430. Long Beach St. (29-27) 424 -
31. Louisiana St. (35-24) 421 -32. Mississippi St. (37-23) 420 -33. Houston (39-22) 417 2134. Oklahoma (45-22) 414 1035. Troy (47-16) 412 -36. San Francisco (39-23) 409 -37. Winthrop (46-18) 407 -38. Michigan (43-21) 406 -39. Notre Dame (45-17-1) 403 -40. Ohio St. (37-21) 401 -
Other Teams Receiving Votes: Oregon St., Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Hawaii, McNeese St., Missouri St., Jacksonville, Maine, North Carolina St., Wake Forest, U.C. Irvine, Fresno St., San Jose St., Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Missouri, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Stetson, North Florida, Washington, Washington St., California, Western Carolina, College of Charleston, Rhode Island, Louisville, Minnesota, Cal. Poly-SLO, U.C. Riverside, Old Dominion, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina, Memphis, Central Michigan, Kent St., Ball St., Creighton, San Diego St., Samford, Army.
