After making it to the College World Series last season, the Florida Gators look poised for another dominating baseball season. They're bringing back many of their star players, and if you believe the preseason chatter, they face some lofty expectations:
↵↵↵After a runner-up finish in the College World Series, Florida ranked No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I Preseason Poll released on Monday. It was the first time in school history that UF has been the preseason No. 1 in the nation's oldest college baseball poll, which began in 1958. (Rachel George, Orlando Sentinel)
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I normally don't put much stock in preseason polls, as they're all but meaningless when it comes to predicting future performance. Even when it comes to professional sports, which are easier than college to predict, there's so much chaos and randomness that happens during the season, you never know who is going to finish on top. Who will get injured? Which players will improve or flop? There's simply no way to know.
↵What can we take away from this poll? The Gators are expected to have a very good baseball team this season -- one of the best in the nation. But then again, you didn't need a poll to tell you that, did you? After winning the SEC Tournament and coming in second in the College World Series last season, it's pretty safe to say that the Gators should be in line for another exciting year.
↵For more on the Gators, check out SB Nation's blog on UF, Alligator Army.
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