LOS ANGELES - The UCLA Bruins have been ranked number 10 in the Baseball America Preseason Top-25, it was announced today. This is the Bruins' fourth top-15 ranking, coming in at number 10 in the Collegiate Baseball News Preseason Top-40, number 11 in the D1Baseball Preseason Top-25 and number 14 in the Perfect Game USA Preseason Top-25.
In 2016, the Bruins will face a total of seven teams who are ranked in the Baseball America Top-25 including Oregon State who come in at number five. The remaining six ranked teams UCLA will play are California (8), Oregon (14), USC (16), Mississippi State (20), Oklahoma (21) and Cal State Fullerton (22).
The Bruins are one of five Pac-12 schools ranked in the preseason poll and come in third behind Oregon State and California.
The Bruins coaching staff welcomed the nation's No. 3 ranked recruiting class (as ranked by Baseball America) to Westwood this fall and will look for those players to make an immediate impact in 2016. The freshman class features five pitchers, one first baseman, two infielders and two outfielders.
UCLA also returns a strong group of veterans this season, including six position player starters from last year's team. The Bruins are coming off one of their best seasons in program history, recording a school-record 22 conference wins en route to the Pac-12 Championship and the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA opens the season with a three-game weekend series against the North Carolina Tar Heels beginning on February 19. To purchase single game tickets or season tickets, please visit uclabruins.com/tickets, call 310-UCLA-WIN, or stop by the Central Ticket Office Monday-Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
2016 Baseball America Preseason Top-25 Rankings
| Rank | Team | 2015 Record |
| 1 | Florida | 52-18 |
| 2 | Louisville | 47-18 |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 50-14 |
| 4 | Virginia | 44-24 |
| 5 | Oregon State | 39-18 |
| 6 | Miami (Fla.) | 50-17 |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 51-21 |
| 8 | California | 36-21 |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | 38-20 |
| 10 | UCLA | 45-16 |
| 11 | LSU | 54-12 |
| 12 | Houston | 43-20 |
| 13 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 42-23 |
| 14< | Oregon | 38-25 |
| 15 | Michigan | 39-25 |
| 16 | USC | 39-21 |
| 17 | Florida State | 44-21 |
| 18 | TCU | 51-15 |
| 19 | NC State | 36-23 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 24-30 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 34-27 |
| 22 | Cal State Fullerton | 39-25 |
| 23 | Coastal Carolina | 39-21 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 30-28 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 30-25 |