The reigning Big 12 tournament champion Baylor soccer was picked to finish third, tying with Texas in the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Preseason Poll, released Thursday by the conference office.
Baylor matched the 2012 and 2013 squads for the highest ranking in the preseason poll in program history, joining West Virginia as the only two teams in the conference to be ranked in the top four of the poll in each of the last three seasons.
West Virginia was picked for the top spot, followed by the 2017 regular-season champions, Oklahoma State. Baylor and Texas are tied at third, with TCU following at fifth.
The bottom half of the conference rankings continue with Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Iowa State rounding out the 2018 preseason ledger.
BU enters the season at No. 15 in the national polls, trailing No. 9 West Virginia and trailed by No. 17 Texas and Oklahoma State receiving votes.
Baylor is coming off the most successful postseason run in program history, securing a Big 12 tournament title before advancing through to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Championship. BU finished the season 15-6-3 and will return 19 for the 2018 squad, including seven starters. Head coach Paul Jobson enters his sixth season as head coach, his 11th year overall with the program, and will welcome seven newcomers to the roster.
