The SUNY Cortland baseball team is ranked fifth nationally in both the 2012 D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the 2012 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division III preseason polls.

The Red Dragons, under 13th-year head coach Joe Brown, will open the season versus three ranked schools on a trip to Virginia and Maryland Feb. 17-19. Based on the D3baseball.com poll, Cortland will play at 21st-ranked Shenandoah (Va.) on Feb. 17, seventh-ranked Christopher Newport (Va.) on Feb. 18 and ninth-ranked Salisbury (Md.) on Feb. 19.

Cortland finished 36-10 last spring and tied for ninth nationally in the NCAA Div. III tournament. The Red Dragons have qualified for the NCAA Div. III playoffs each of the last 19 years - the longest active streak nationally – and have won at least 30 games in 17 of the last 18 seasons.

Cortland has made 10 Division III World Series appearances – all since 1995 – including national runner-up showings in 2010 and 2005 and third-place finishes in 1997 and 1998.

2012 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Div. III Preseason Poll
(with 2011 record listed)

1) Marietta (OH) (47-4)
2) Chapman (CA) (37-13)
3) Kean (NJ) (42-11)
4) Linfield (OR) (33-11)
5) CORTLAND (36-10)

6) Wisconsin-Whitewater (37-13)
7) Christopher Newport (VA) (39-7)
8) Wisconsin-Stevens Point (34-10)
9) Salisbury (MD) (34-14)
10) Heidelberg (OH) (36-13)

11) Alvernia (PA) (38-9)
12) Eastern Conn. St. (34-13)
13) Buena Vista (IA) (34-18)
14) St. Scholastica (MN) (37-7)
15) Western New England (MA) (42-11)

16) Keystone (PA) (38-12)
17) Carthage (WI) (32-12)
18) Wheaton (MA) (32-12)
19) Thomas More (KY) (29-9)
20) Redlands (CA) (30-13)

21) Shenandoah (VA) (37-7)
22) Trinity (TX) (34-13)
23) Texas-Tyler (33-8)
24) Tufts (MA) (27-9-1)
25) Birmingham-Southern (AL) (30-9)


2012 Collegiate Baseball Div. III Preseason Poll
(with 2011 record listed)

1) Marietta (OH) (47-4)
2) Chapman (CA) (37-13)
3) Kean (NJ) (42-11)
4) Christopher Newport (VA) (39-7)
5) CORTLAND (36-10)

6) Linfield (OR) (33-11)
7) Wisconsin-Whitewater (37-13)
8) Buena Vista (IA) (34-18)
9) Eastern Conn. St. (34-13)
10) Alvernia (PA) (38-9)

11) Western New England (MA) (42-11)
12) Wisconsin-Stevens Point (34-10)
13) Thomas More (KY) (29-9)
14) Heidelberg (OH) (36-13)
15) Redlands (CA) (30-13)

16) Wheaton (MA) (32-12)
17) Salisbury (MD) (34-14)
18) St. Scholastica (MN) (37-7)
19) Carthage (WI) (32-12)
20) Tufts (MA) (27-9-1)

21) Southern Maine (22-19)
22) Johns Hopkins (MD) (27-15)
23) Birmingham-Southern (AL) (30-9)
24) Piedmont (GA) (32-15)
25) Coe (IA) (32-12)

26) Adrian (MI) (31-11)
27) Rowan (NJ) (31-13-1)
28) Texas-Tyler (33-8)
29) St. Thomas (MN) (28-17)
30) Illinois Wesleyan (28-18)