Graig MantleThe Cal Poly baseball team entered the national rankings Monday for the first time this season when Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released its weekly poll with the Mustangs at No. 29 on the 30-team list.
Cal Poly (20-18), which is first in the Big West Conference at 7-2, received 430 points in the media poll – 66 points behind Florida State (35-4), which is ranked No. 1 for the fifth straight week.
The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll in the nation, having existed since 1957.
Cal Poly is one of three Big West teams ranked along with No. 20 UC Irvine (25-10-1) and No. 21 Cal State Fullerton (23-12).
According to BoydsWorld.com, which uses a simulation of the NCAA’s secret Ratings Percentage Index formula used to determine which teams receive at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, Cal Poly has an RPI of 45 among 293 Division I teams but also the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation so far.
Long Beach State (21-12) is No. 1 in the RPI largely because it has BoydsWorld.com’s toughest strength of schedule, but is not yet ranked by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
“I still feel like we have to win the Big West to get a regional berth,” Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee said Monday of reaching the postseason.
The new rankings for Division I softball will be released Wednesday. Cal Poly is yet to be ranked despite a 32-10 overall record and 8-1 mark in the Big West.