Pacers are ranked sixth in preseason baseball poll

The USC Aiken baseball team was tabbed sixth in the recently released Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II preseason poll.

The defending Peach Belt Conference champions are the highest ranked PBC school in the poll. In total, five PBC schools are ranked with Francis Marion (12th), North Georgia (24th), Georgia College & State (27th) and UNC Pembroke (40th) also picked among the preseason top 40. Columbus State and Armstrong Atlantic State both received votes.

USCA ended 2009 tied with Central Missouri for 10th in the final Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division II Top 30 poll. The final ranking was the highest for the Pacers under head coach Kenny Thomas. USCA ended the 2008 season ranked 11th, while they concluded the 2005 season 12th.

The Pacers reached as high as No. 2 in 2009 en route to their second regular season Peach Belt Conference championship. USCA previously won the regular-season title in 1994. The Pacers also have two PBC Tournament crowns, having won the league tournament in 1992 and 1993.

The Pacers' prowess during the regular season helped USCA to top honors in the Southeast Region, enabling the program to host its second NCAA Division II Tournament regional.

The Pacers advanced to the regional final for the second consecutive season before bowing out to NCAA Division II Baseball Championship semifinalist and Conference Carolinas Tournament champion Belmont Abbey in the first game of the championship round. USCA (42-19) concluded its season having been a part of its fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Baseball regional.

The Pacers' 42 wins in 2009 leave the program entering the 2010 campaign with five consecutive 40-win seasons. USCA has been a participant in the NCAA Division II Tournament seven times (1992, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009).

The 2010 Pacers will begin their season with a three-game home series against Lincoln Memorial of the South Atlantic Conference. The series opener will be at 4 p.m. on Feb. 5, and the three-game set will conclude with 1 p.m. games on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.