DALLAS (NCBWA) – The Arkansas Razorbacks have been selected as pre-2013 No. 1 nationally in the 16th annual 2013 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division I preseason poll.

Coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks are coming off a third-place finish behind champion Arizona and 2010 and '11 NCAA winner South Carolina in the 2012 NCAA World Series and final record of 46-22. This is the first preseason No. 1 ranking for the Razorbacks, and the Southeastern Conference power also is No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball and USA Today Coaches pre-2013 surveys.

Arizona rolled through the NCAA Regional, Super Regional ands CWS tourneys with a 10-0 record and is No. 14 in the initial NCBWA ratings. The poll voters come from 45 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. After a preseason Top 35 listing, the remainder of the polls will feature a national Top 30 beginning with the Feb. 18 NCBWA DI survey.

Previous No. 1 entries on the preseason NCBWA rankings have been LSU in the 1998, 2001 and 2009 polls, Southern California (1999), Miami (Fla.) (2000), Stanford (2002), Texas (2003, 06, 10), Rice (2004, 07), Cal State Fullerton (2005), Arizona State (2008), North Carolina (2009), TCU (2011), and Florida (2012).

Other 2012 NCAA World Series entrants in the initial '13 poll are UCLA No. 5, South Carolina No. 6, Florida State No. 13, Florida No. 15, Kent State No. 31, and Stony Brook (received votes).

Last season, four different teams were rated No, 1 in the poll - Arizona, preseason Florida, Florida State, and South Carolina.

The NCBWA continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls with its 2013 preseason predictions and weekly surveys. Weekly polls will resume from Feb. 18-June 27 with the finale following the 67th annual 2013 NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb., at three-year-old TD Ameritrade Park.

This preseason poll has representation by 11 different conferences among the 298 baseball-playing schools in the 2013 NCAA Division I ranks. The polls of 2012 had a NCBWA-poll record 22 different DI conferences and independents rated at least one week. For more information or to join the NCBWA, please go to ncbwa.com.

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.