Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Baseball Earns Pre-Season Recognition
12/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 29, 2005
After advancing to an NCAA Regional in 2005 for the fourth-consecutive year, Florida Atlantic University's baseball team returns almost the entire team for the 2006 season and finds itself ranked in the national pre-season polls. With only two starters gone from last season, Collegiate Baseball's Fabulous 40 pre-season poll lists the Owls no. 18, while the Rosenblatt Report's pre-season Top-35 poll places FAU at no. 22.
Three pre-season ranked teams are on FAU's schedule. The Owls open the season against Collegiate Baseball's no. 19 team, Tennessee on Feb. 3. Florida Atlantic then travels to no. 27 TCU on March 3 before facing Atlantic Sun conference foe Stetson on May 12 in DeLand, FL. The Hatters enter the season ranked no. 37.
Mickey Storey (Deerfield Beach, FL) and Mike McBryde (N. Palm Beach, FL) received individual recognition from Louisville Slugger's pre-season All-American Team. Tabbed the Freshmen Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2005, Storey picked up Second Team All-America recognition with a 10-1, 1.70 ERA. After leading the team with a .370 batting average, 40 RBI and breaking the FAU record for hits in a season with 98, McBryde earned third-team honors from Louisville Slugger as an outfielder. The junior also played a big role on the pitching staff with 10 saves and a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings. He recorded 49 strikeouts in his 19 appearances.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Division I Pre-Season Poll
Rank School (Final 2005 Record)
1. Texas (56-16)
2. Florida (48-23)
3. Oregon St. (46-12)
4. Nebraska (57-15)
5. Rice (45-19)
6. Clemson (43-23)
7. North Carolina (41-19-1)
8. Florida St. (53-20)
9. Cal. St. Fullerton (46-18)
10. Georgia Tech (45-19)
11. Miami, Fla. (41-19-1)
12. Arizona St. (42-25)
13. Pepperdine (41-23)
14. Missouri (40-23)
15. LSU (40-22)
16. Long Beach St. (37-22)
17. South Carolina (41-23)
18. Florida Atlantic (37-24)
19. Tennessee (46-21)
20. Mississippi (48-20)
21. Southern California (41-22)
22. Notre Dame (38-24-1)
23. Baylor (46-24)
24. Tulane (56-12)
25. Stanford (34-25)
26. Wichita St. (51-24)
27. Texas Christian (41-20)
28. Winthrop (44-22)
29. Oklahoma (35-26)
30. Southern Miss (41-21)
31. Arizona (39-21)
32. Houston (29-30)
33. Arkansas (39-22)
34. Mississippi St. (42-22)
35. San Francisco (38-18)
36. San Diego (30-27-1)
37. Stetson (35-28)
38. Washington (33-22)
39. Georgia (30-25)
40. Fresno St. (30-29)
