Expectations are already high for the LSU baseball team even though it will still be nearly a month before it takes the field competitively. The Tigers have been named the No. 3 team in the nation in Baseball America’s preseason poll. This is the second top-five preseason poll ranking for LSU, which was ranked No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper preseason poll last month. ‘It’s great to receive this kind of recognition, and the polls create a lot of excitement for our fans,’ LSU coach Paul Mainieri said in a news release. ‘At the same time, we know that we have a season full of challenges ahead.’ The Tigers started last season ranked No. 1 in most preseason polls and finished the season No. 1 after capturing LSU’s sixth baseball national title.’ Texas, the 2009 national runner-up, was named No. 1 in both the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls, followed by Virginia. LSU and Virginia switched spots in the Collegiate Baseball poll, and the Cavaliers are No. 3. Perennial powerhouses Cal State Fullerton and Rice round out the top-five in the Baseball America poll. Five other Southeastern Conference teams were ranked in the Baseball America poll. No. 7 Florida, No. 10 South Carolina, No. 17 Arkansas, No. 22 Georgia and No. 24 Ole Miss compose the rest of the SEC schools in the poll. The SEC is tied with the Atlantic Coast Conference for the most schools ranked in the poll. The Tigers open practice Friday, and their season starts Feb. 19 when they take on Centenary in Alex Box Stadium ‘We’re definitely anxious to get started,’ Mainieri said. ‘We feel like we have the players here who know how to win and contend for championships.’