The Oregon State baseball team took one step closer to becoming a unanimous top 10 team heading into the season.
The Beavers on Monday debuted at No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30, earning a spot in the top 10 of a poll for the fourth time this season.
The Beavers have also earned preseason rankings from D1Baseball (No. 7), Baseball America (No. 9) and Perfect Game (No. 10). The USA Today Coaches Poll is expected to be released later this week.
The NCBWA poll, much like the ones that proceeded it, is littered with SEC and ACC teams.
Eleven SEC teams are featured in the poll, including five in the top 10. The ACC, meanwhile, has seven teams in the poll, including four in the top 10.
Oregon State, which is playing an independent schedule this season, is the only team in the top 10 that does not compete in one of the two conferences.
The Beavers are the highest ranked team on the West Coast and the only independent in the preseason poll. The Oregon Ducks, who are playing in the Big Ten for the first time, debuted at No. 12.
Texas A&M is ranked No. 1, followed by No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Arkansas. The poll features just three teams from the West Coast: Oregon State, Oregon and No. 22 UC Santa Barbara.
The Beavers reached the super regionals last season, falling to the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky, and lost a wealth of veteran talent from that team, including seven MLB draft selections. All-American second baseman Travis Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.
But despite the departures, the Beavers are loaded with talent, featuring five players ranked among the top 100 MLB draft prospects, according to MLB.com: Junior shortstop Aiva Arquette (No. 6), sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway (21), junior outfielders Gavin Turley (84) and Dallas Macias (60), and left-hander Nelson Keljo (89).
Mitch Canham appears to feature the best collection of arms in his six years as coach and team insiders are bullish on the lineup, which boasts power, speed and depth.
Oregon State opens the season on Feb. 14 against Xavier in Surprise, Arizona.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
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