Baseball Earns Third Preseason Top 15 Ranking
January 24, 2019 | Baseball
Diamond Dawgs earn No. 15 spot in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll
STARKVILLE – The preseason rankings keep rolling in for first-year head coach Chris Lemonis and the Mississippi State baseball team, as the Diamond Dawgs were tabbed as a top-15 program entering the season in the USA Today Sports preseason coaches poll on Thursday (Jan. 24).
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An SEC heavy top 15 had the Bulldogs checking in at No. 15 according to the NCAA Division I coaches. It is the third top-15 ranking for MSU in the preseason, as Baseball American and D1Baseball have already tabbed the Maroon and White among the nation's top teams entering the season.
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Mississippi State enters the season ranked in each of the five polls released to this point, sitting No. 9 in the Baseball America poll, No. 14 according to D1Baseball, in the No. 15 spot from USA Today Sports, No. 17 in the Perfect Game poll and No. 27 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. In the 2018 preseason, State appeared in just two of the six major polls, earning the No. 32 spot from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and USA Today Coaches Poll.
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The USA Today Coaches Poll includes eight opponents on the 2019 schedule for State, including three of the top four preseason teams. LSU (1), Florida (3), Texas Tech (4), Ole Miss (10), Arkansas (12), Georgia (13), East Carolina (14) and Auburn (20) each enter the season ranked. Along with the eight opponents ranked in the preseason, four more teams on the Bulldogs schedule receiving votes, with Southern Miss, Texas A&M, South Carolina and South Alabama (in order) all seeing their name mentioned on at least one ballot.
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The Bulldogs open the 2019 season with a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field against Youngstown State on Feb. 15-17. The season opener is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15 against the Penguins and general admission season tickets are on sale now by contacting the ticket office at 1-888-GO-DAWGS or clicking here.
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-- HailState.com --
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An SEC heavy top 15 had the Bulldogs checking in at No. 15 according to the NCAA Division I coaches. It is the third top-15 ranking for MSU in the preseason, as Baseball American and D1Baseball have already tabbed the Maroon and White among the nation's top teams entering the season.
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Mississippi State enters the season ranked in each of the five polls released to this point, sitting No. 9 in the Baseball America poll, No. 14 according to D1Baseball, in the No. 15 spot from USA Today Sports, No. 17 in the Perfect Game poll and No. 27 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. In the 2018 preseason, State appeared in just two of the six major polls, earning the No. 32 spot from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and USA Today Coaches Poll.
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The USA Today Coaches Poll includes eight opponents on the 2019 schedule for State, including three of the top four preseason teams. LSU (1), Florida (3), Texas Tech (4), Ole Miss (10), Arkansas (12), Georgia (13), East Carolina (14) and Auburn (20) each enter the season ranked. Along with the eight opponents ranked in the preseason, four more teams on the Bulldogs schedule receiving votes, with Southern Miss, Texas A&M, South Carolina and South Alabama (in order) all seeing their name mentioned on at least one ballot.
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The Bulldogs open the 2019 season with a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field against Youngstown State on Feb. 15-17. The season opener is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15 against the Penguins and general admission season tickets are on sale now by contacting the ticket office at 1-888-GO-DAWGS or clicking here.
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-- HailState.com --
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