FSU Baseball Begins Year No. 3 in D1Baseball Poll

A stellar 2016 season with a young roster that ended one game short of the College World Series was rewarded with a No. 3 preseason ranking for Florida State at the unveiling of D1Baseball’s preseason poll on Tuesday.

The Seminoles, who finished 41-22 last season before being ousted by rival Florida in the decisive game of the Super Regional, will start the year behind only TCU and the rival Gators. South Carolina and LSU rounded out the top 5.

FSU was also one of three ACC teams ranked in the top 10. N.C. State will begin the year ranked sixth while North Carolina is No. 9. Louisville begins the year ranked 12th with Clemson not far behind at No. 15. Virginia will start the year ranked 17th in the poll and Miami will start at No. 21.

With the exception of John Sansone, FSU returns virtually every key piece of its 2016 team. The Seminoles will start the year at Dick Howser Stadium for a 3-game set against Virginia Commonwealth, beginning on Feb. 17. FSU was ranked ninth in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, which was released on Dec. 20.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson