Gator baseball team ranked sixth in preseason poll
Jud Fabian, Sterlin Thompson, Hunter Barco among those to lead Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Preseason rankings can always be taken with a grain of salt, but many are expecting big things out of the Gator baseball team once again in 2022.
Florida is ranked No. 6 in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 50 NCAA Division I preseason poll, the first of many prognostications to come with first pitch on Feb. 18.
In 2020, the Gators were ranked just 14th in the preseason but rose to the nation’s number one ranking and a record of 16-1 when the season was shut down due to COVID-19. Then last season, Florida was a unanimous preseason No. 1 but struggled to play at that level and was eliminated in the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA tournament.
Outfielders Jud Fabian and Sterlin Thompson, plus pitcher Hunter Barco are among those who’ll be counted on to lead the squad. Four SEC teams are ranked in the preseason top 10; Vanderbilt (No. 2), LSU (No. 3), and Mississippi State (No. 9 ). Texas sits atop the poll.
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