North Carolina will enter the 2012 season ranked No. 9 in the Baseball America Preseason Top 25 as announced this week. Carolina has also been selected as the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference preseason favorite in a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches the conference office announced Friday. The Tar Heels have been named the preseason favorite four times in the last six years.

The Heels return 18 letter winners from a year ago after advancing to the College World Series for the fifth time in the last six years.

Nationally, Carolina is the top ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference checking in at No. 9, while fellow conference foes Georgia Tech (12), Clemson (16), Miami (18) and Florida State (20) all earned spots among the top 25.

In the ACC voting, the Tar Heels were named by seven coaches as this year’s ACC team to beat, while Georgia Tech received four first place votes and Florida State one.

North Carolina received 63 points to lead the Coastal Division with seven first place votes. Georgia Tech finished second followed by Miami and Virginia with both receiving 47 total points. Virginia Tech and Duke rounded out the Coastal Division.

Clemson and Florida State were the runaway favorites in the Atlantic Division with 67 and 64 points, while NC State was tabbed third in the division. Wake Forest, Maryland and Boston College finished out the Atlantic Division.

The Tar Heels are coming off their fifth College World Series appearance in the last six years and were tabbed the ACC favorite for the fourth time since the 2007 season.

Carolina opens the 2012 season Feb. 17 when Xavier heads to Boshamer Stadium for a three-game set.

The NCAA Top 10
1. Florida
2. Stanford
3. South Carolina
4. Arkansas
5. Arizona
6. Rice
7. Texas A&M
8. LSU
9. North Carolina
10.Vanderbilt