UVa. baseball tabbed Top 15 in two preseason polls

The Virginia baseball team has been tabbed in a pair of preseason national polls which were released today. The Cavaliers stand 14th in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and 15th in the Baseball America rankings.

Virginia returns 22 letterwinners this season from the 2010 squad which won a school-record 51 games, captured ACC Coastal Division and NCAA Regional championships, and advanced to the program’s second-consecutive NCAA Super Regional. UVa has a deep pitching core back, with 10 letterwinners returning from the 2010 staff. Five position starters also are back in the mix.

Among the returning letterwinners are Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.), the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year and a 2011 preseason All-American, and infielder Keith Werman (Jr., Vienna, Va.), a 2010 Second-Team All-ACC honoree.

Season tickets and 10 Game Mini Packages are currently on sale through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. Single game tickets will go on sale Tuesday (Feb. 1). Fans can purchase tickets online at VirginiaSports.com or through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. for in-person or telephone purchases. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).

Virginia officially starts practice for the 2011 season on Friday. UVa kicks off its season Feb. 18-20 at the Auburn Tournament in Auburn, Ala., where the Cavaliers will play UAB, Auburn and Arkansas State. Auburn is ranked No. 23 in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. The opener of Virginia’s 36-game home schedule is Feb. 23 vs. VMI.