Dec. 22, 2014 LMU Baseball Schedule |
Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 presented by Big League Chew
The LMU baseball team, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Gill, was listed in the top-40 in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason National Poll, it was announced on Tuesday. The Lions check in at No. 35 overall on the Fabulous 40 presented by Big League Chew bubble gum.
Vanderbilt will enter the year as the top-ranked team in the nation. The defending national champions feature four Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans including RHP Carson Fulmer (7-1, 10 SV, 1.98 ERA, 98 K), RHP Walker Buehler (12-2, 2.64 ERA, 111 K), SS Dansby Swanson (.333, 27 2B, 34 RBI, 22 SB) and LF Bryan Reynolds (.338, 24 2B, 54 RBI, 14 SB).
The pre-season poll factors in voting by NCAA Division I coaches across the nation, how a team finished last season, returning position player starters and pitchers, potential draft picks along with the quality of its recruiting class last fall.
The Lions are one of two West Coast Conference teams listed in the top-40, as San Diego sits at #34. Reigning WCC Champion Pepperdine is listed on the "other teams receiving votes" list.
LMU will return much of its lineup in 2015, including 2014 Freshmen All-Americans in David Fletcher and Austin Miller. Fletcher and Miller, who were joined by Ted Boeke on the WCC All-Freshman team last year, will play behind what is expected to be one of LMU's best pitching rotations in program history. That rotation is highlighted by two-time All-WCC selection senior Colin Welmon and redshirt-junior right-hander Trevor Megill, who elected to return to LMU after being drafted in third round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Cardinals.
