TCU NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL POLL 

TUCSON, Ariz. — Texas Christian (3-0) is ranked No. 1 in the first in-season Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division I poll presented by Big League Chew bubble gum after starting the season with a 3-game sweep of Southern Illinois.

The Horned Frogs’ pitching staff registered two shutouts and allowed only one earned run in 27 innings.

Defending national champion Vanderbilt, ranked No. 1 in the pre-season poll last December, slipped to second after starting with a 2-1 record against Santa Clara with a trio of chilly games at home. Temperatures plunged into the 20s during the final game.

In key series over the weekend, Arizona St. took two of three at home against Oklahoma St., Texas and Rice split a 4-game series in Houston, Baylor swept a 3-game series at home against Cal. Poly, and Indiana took two of three at Stanford.

Poll Notes: Five teams fell out of the top 30 from the pre-season poll, including Cal. Poly (0-3), College of Charleston (1-2), Clemson (1-2), St. John’s (1-2) and Kent St. (1-2). New to the top 30 are Baylor (3-0), Indiana (2-1), Illinois (4-0), Maryland (3-0) and Alabama (3-0).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1959 college baseball season.

Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division I Poll
(As of Feb. 16, 2015)

National Players Of The Week

• LHP Luke Gillingham, Navy: Gillingham struck out 16 North Carolina A&T batters over seven innings during an 8-1 win. He struck out the first 12 batters he faced. His perfect game bid was broken up in the fifth inning with two outs. It was the only hitter he allowed on base. His 16 strikeouts were the most by a Navy pitcher since 1986.
  
• RHP Rayne Raven, Cal. St. Northridge: Raven fanned 16 batters and walked two in seven scoreless innings against Utah Valley. He allowed only four hits.
  
• LHP James Reeves, The Citadel: Reeves struck out 14 batters over six innings during a 5-3 win over Air Force in the season opener. He only gave up two hits.
  
• RHP Kyle Funkhouser, Louisville: Funkhouser matched a career-high with 12 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings during a 5-1 win over Alabama St. He retired the final 20 batters he faced.
  
• RHP Ryan Mason, California: Mason struck out a career-high 12 batters over six innings during a 3-2 win over Duke. His previous high was seven against Fresno St. during the 2013 season.
  
• OF Jacob Robson, Mississippi St.: Robson reached base 16 of his 17 plate appearances during the first four games of the season against Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio). He registered 6 hits, walked 5 times, was hit by pitches twice and made it to first on fielder’s choice plays three times. What makes the achievement even more amazing is that last season he went 1-for-16 before missing the rest of 2014 with an injury.
  
• 1B Preston Palmeiro, N.C. State: Palmeiro reached base in all nine plate appearances over two games against Villanova and Davidson. He collected 7 hits, including his first collegiate homer, and also reached first base on an error and a walk.
  
• OF/LHP Jeff Boehm, Illinois Chicago: Boehm belted 3 homers with 13 RBI over four games to start the season as he went 8-for-13. He also scored 6 runs, walked 7 times and had 18 total bases.
  
• OF Harrison Bader, Florida: Bader hit 3 homers, 2 doubles and knocked in 11 RBI over three games to start the season against Rhode Island.
  
• 2B Trey York, East Tennessee St.: York belted 3 home runs with 5 runs scored and 6 RBI over two games against Eastern Kentucky. He entered the season with only 1 home run in 238 at-bats.
  
• INF Chad De La Guerra, Grand Canyon: De La Guerra was 7-for-13 with 3 home runs, 7 runs scored and 12 RBI over three games. His biggest game came during a 30-7 win over Bradley as he went 5-for-6 with 5 runs scored and 9 RBI.