Texas Baseball: UT Picked 5th in Big 12 Preseason Poll

University of Texas Athletics Department

Texas Baseball has been selected to finish fifth in the Preseason Big 12 Baseball Coaches' Poll, the league announced Thursday. The poll is voted on by the league's head coaches and coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.

The Longhorns earned a first-place vote to finish fifth in the poll with 38 points. Texas Tech Texas Tech was selected atop the preseason poll with six first-place votes and 62 points. Oklahoma State, who won the 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship and reached the NCAA Super Regionals, earned the No. 2 spot with 52 points. TCU garnered a first-place vote and collected 45 points to finish third in the preseason poll. Oklahoma placed fourth with 40 points

Baylor (35), West Virginia (26), K-State (15) and Kansas (11) rounded out the poll. The Mountaineers also earned a first-place nod.

Junior right-handed pitcher Bryce Elder and sophomore outfielder Eric Kennedy have been named to the 2020 Preseason All-Big 12 team, the conference announced Wednesday.

Elder is one of three unanimous selections to the team and Kennedy is one of only three sophomores selected.

A second-team selection to the 2019 All-Big 12 team, Elder finished the year with a 2.93 ERA in 83 innings pitched. He led the Longhorns with 86 strikeouts and nine quality starts. Elder pitched at least six innings in 11-of-13 starts and tossed a season-high eight innings against Louisiana and TCU. He struck out 10-plus batters on two occasions, including a career-high 13 against West Virginia.

The Longhorns' leading hitter as a freshman in 2019, Kennedy batted .310 with eight doubles, three triples and two home runs. During his debut season on the Forty Acres, he scored 41 runs and had 28 RBI to go with nine stolen bases. Kennedy was second on the team with 13 multiple-hit games, including a trio of four-hit games.

The Longhorns open the 2020 regular season on Friday, Feb. 14 on the road at Rice. Texas' home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18 against UTSA to kick off a six-game homestand.

2020 Big 12 Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Texas Tech (6) 62
2. Oklahoma State 52
3. TCU (1) 45
4. Oklahoma 40
5. Texas (1) 38
6. Baylor 35
7. West Virginia (1) 26
8. K-State 15
9. Kansas 11
(First-place votes in parentheses; coaches not allowed to vote for their own team)

PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Name, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Brady Lindsly, Oklahoma C Sr. Keller, Texas/Keller
Braxton Fulford, Texas Tech C Jr. Lubbock, Texas/Monterey
Nick Loftin, Baylor* INF Jr. Corpus Christi, Texas/W.B. Ray
Andy Thomas, Baylor INF/C Sr. Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta
Benjamin Sems, Kansas INF Sr. Chesterfield, Mo./Westminster Christian
Brian Klein, Texas Tech INF Sr. Keller, Texas/Timer Creek
Tyler Doanes, West Virginia INF Jr. Fayetteville, Ga./Whitewater
Dylan Neuse, Texas Tech* OF Jr. Fort Worth, Texas/McLennan CC
Carson McCusker, Oklahoma State OF Sr. Sparks, Nev./Folsom Lake CC
, Texas OF So. Tampa, Fla./Calvary Christian
Paul McIntosh, West Virginia DH Jr. Miami Gardens, Fla./Dade Christian
Cade Cavalli, Oklahoma RHP/UTL Jr. Bixby, Okla./Bixby
Levi Prater, Oklahoma LHP Jr. Ada, Okla./Byng
, Texas* RHP Jr. Decatur, Texas/Decatur
Micah Dallas, Texas Tech RHP So. Aubrey, Texas/Homeschool
Jason Ruffcorn, Oklahoma RHP Sr. Cedar Park, Texas/Texas A&M
Clayton Beeter, Texas Tech RHP R-So. Colleyville, Texas/Birdville
John McMillon, Texas Tech RHP Sr. Jasper, Texas/Jasper
* - Unanimous Selection