Cowboy Baseball Picked Fifth
IRVING, Texas – Oklahoma State has been picked to finish fifth in the 2010 Big 12 Conference baseball standings in a preseason vote of the league’s head coaches, it was announced by the conference office today.
Seventh-year head coach Frank Anderson’s Cowboys are coming off a 34-24 season in which they advanced to the championship round of the NCAA Clemson Regional. OSU is the only Big 12 team to reach a Regional final each of the last four seasons. The Cowboys finished ninth in the conference standings in 2009 with a 9-16 record.
OSU returns five position starters from a year ago, including junior infielder Tom Belza, who led the Cowboys in hitting each of his first two seasons in Stillwater. Anderson’s club also returns senior southpaw Tyler Lyons, who has 19 career wins, and sophomore closer Randy McCurry, who tied OSU’s single-season saves record last season with 10.
Texas, the defending Big 12 champion, was a unanimous choice to repeat as conference champs. The Longhorns received nine first-place votes, while Kansas earned the remaining first-place tally and was picked second. Texas A&M was third, while Oklahoma was one spot ahead of OSU in fourth. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
OSU opens the season Saturday when the Cowboys host Oklahoma Christian at 3 p.m. at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
2010 Big 12 Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rank Team (1st place votes) Points
1. Texas (9) 81
2. Kansas (1) 69
3. Texas A&M 64
4. Oklahoma 57
5. Oklahoma State 47
6. Baylor 39
7. Kansas State 29
8. Missouri 22
Nebraska 22
10. Texas Tech 20
Updated 02-16-2010
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