The Texas Collegiate League is in the final stages of completing its eight team rosters for the 2005 season. The indications are that the talent in the TCL will rival any summer league in the country.

Players from 84 different colleges are on the projected rosters for the second year wooden-bat summer league. That includes 24 participants in the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, including six teams that advanced to the College World Series: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, the runner-up Texas, and the National Champions, Cal State-Fullerton.

The 2005 TCL will include representatives from 14 of Collegiate Baseball’s Top 25 in its pre-season poll: Texas (#1), Cal State-Fullerton (#3), LSU (#5), Stanford (#6), Georgia (#9), Texas A&M (#10), Arizona (#12), Rice (#15), Florida State (#18), Mississippi State (#19), Notre Dame (#20), Clemson (#21), Oklahoma State (#23), and Baylor (#25).

All ten teams that play Division I baseball in the Big 12 Conference will have players in the TCL this summer. In addition to Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Baylor, this list includes Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech.

As of February 1, three players selected to the 2004 TCL All-League Team are returning for 2005. Matt Ueckert of Rice University, named as the league’s top lefthanded starter a year ago, is back for a second season with the defending league champ Coppell Copperheads. Ueckert was 3-0, 3.06 with the Owls last spring before going 4-1, 1.81 with the Copperheads.

Outfielder Trey Rachal of Oklahoma State returns to the McKinney Marshals, who posted the TCL’s top regular season record in 2004. The junior had a .359 average and 23 rbi with the Marshals last summer.

The Weatherford Wranglers, a Rogers Hornsby Division playoff participant a year ago, welcome back Weatherford College standout Robbie Winn, the all-league designated hitter in 2004. Winn hit .344 with four homers and 25 rbi for the Wranglers.

The Texas Collegiate League will feature a 48-game regular season in 2005 with the opener on Saturday, June 4. The schedule concludes with two rounds of playoffs, August 1-7, and also features the All-Star Classic on July 11 in McKinney and the Dr Pepper Futures Game on July 24.

Full rosters for each team as of February 1 are included on the Texas Collegiate League’s official website, www.texascollegiateleague.com.