http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22307&SPID=1823&DB_OEM_ID=4100&ATCLID=751796

Not unexpected to be behind the "Big 3" in the SunBelt, but kind of pleased to be ahead of FIU and Middle Tennessee two pretty good teams. Of the other SunBelt teams in the top 5 we get three of four at home so thats a good sign! 10 days till baseball-the wait is almost finally over!

You beat me to the punch on this one Burrowing. I've been waiting for weeks for the pre-season polls to come out. I'm pumped for this season after our down year. Can't wait to see how we matchup against other Sun Belt teams.

Don't for get Mickey Storey, pre-season First-team All-Conference:

Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Mickey Storey (FAU, Jr., SP)
Hunter Moody (ULL, Jr., SP)
Danny Farquhar (ULL, So., RP)
Josh Dew (Troy, RP)
Jonathan Lucroy (ULL, Jr., C)
Jeff Cunningham (USA, Jr., 1B)
Johnny Giavotella (UNO, So., 2B)
Ben Soignier (ULM, So., SS)
Devery Van De Keere (ULL, Sr., 3B)
Chris Dunn (FIU, Sr., OF)
James McOwen (FIU, Jr., OF)
Ryan Gotcher (UALR, Sr., OF)
Josh Yates (ASU, Sr., DH)

Preseason Player of the Year
Josh Dew (Troy, Sr., 1B/RP)

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Hunter Moody (ULL, Jr., SP)

How good is the Belt compared to that of the A-Sun in the RPI??

Floridaowl-the SunBelt is much better than the ASUN now in RPI for baseball. Two of the ASUN's best programs(us and Troy) left for the SunBelt and UCF left for CUSA so their strength has really plummetted. Stetson and Jacksonville are all thats left there which is why its a 1 bid conference now instead of the 2 to3 it used to get. The SunBelt howver is practically a lock for 3 teams in the tourney because of good RPI-its just a question of which 3 teams will get in.

The Sun Belt was 9th last year in the rpi, while the ASUN was 12th or 14th. It was the reverse the year before. In general, it is safe to say that the top four teams in each conference were similar prior to the departure of FAU, Troy, and UCF. However, the next four teams have been historically better in the Sun Belt. A conference RPI is at the mercy of its bottom dwellers. The more you play in conference, the greater damage to a good team's rpi if the rest of the conference is weak. That is why the Sun Belt is so happy about getting FAU as a new member. You all need to check out the schools rated in the Top 64 for the past eight years by Baseball America. You'll see that FAU is topped only by South Alabama. The Blue Wave, oops!!, Owls, are ranked higher than all ASUN and other Sun Belt teams. Look at the schools on that list and you get some idea of the accomplishment of the past eight years, despite the lack of a competitive facility,