University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Picked to Finish Second in Pac-12
February 04, 2016 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – The defending Pac-12 Champion UCLA Baseball team has been picked to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference this season, it was announced today in the preseason coaches' poll. The Bruins received one first place vote and 89 points.
Oregon State has been picked as the preseason favorite, receiving nine first place votes and 98 points. California, who was picked to finish third, also received a first place vote. Following Cal is Oregon at four, USC, Arizona State, Stanford, Washington, Arizona, Washington State and Utah respectively.
The Bruins have been ranked inside of the top-14 in every major preseason poll, ranking as high as number nine in the USA Today Coaches poll and NCBWA poll. UCLA has also been ranked number 10 in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls, number 11 in the D1Baseball poll and number 14 in the Perfect Game USA poll.
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, two outfielders, one first baseman, one infielder and one catcher.
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 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | Oregon State (9) | 98 |
| 2 | UCLA (1) | 89 |
| 3 | California (1) | 84 |
| 4 | Oregon | 71 |
| 5 | USC | 67 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 50 |
| 7 | Stanford | 49 |
| 8 | Washington | 34 |
| 9 | Arizona | 31 |
| 10 | Washington State | 17 |
| 11 | Utah | 15 |
