Baylor Men’s Tennis Tabbed Second in Big 12 Preseason Poll

IRVING, Texas – Baylor men’s tennis has been picked to finish second in the Big 12 Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced by the conference office Tuesday morning.

Texas was tabbed the unanimous preseason favorite with 25 points with five first-place votes, followed by the Bears and Oklahoma tied for second with 18 points. Since coaches cannot vote for their own team, Baylor received the other possible first-place vote.

TCU came in fourth with 15 points, and Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were picked fifth and sixth with eight and six points, respectively.

The Bears finished tied for fifth a season ago with a 1-4 conference record, knocking off then-No. 30 Texas Tech at home. BU has finished third or better in Big 12 play in 19 of 22 seasons since the league’s inception in 1997.

Baylor welcomes back seven letterwinners from last season’s NCAA squad, including seniors Will Little, Jimmy Bendeck and Johannes Schretter. BU adds two freshmen in Finn Bass and Adrian Boitan to the team.

The Bears open the 2019 season with a doubleheader against UT-Arlington and Prairie View A&M on Friday, Jan. 18. The matches will be played at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. CT at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.

2019 BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
1.            Texas* (5)                           25 pts.
2.            BAYLOR (1)                         18 pts.
                Oklahoma                           18 pts.
4.            TCU                                        15 pts.
5.            Oklahoma State                 8 pts.
6.            Texas Tech                          6 pts.

*Unanimous
(First place votes)