Baseball Earns Preseason Ranking from Perfect Game
January 09, 2019 | Baseball
Diamond Dawgs earn top-20 ranking from Perfect Game
STARKVILLE – With 37 days until the opening of the new Dudy Noble Field, the Mississippi State baseball program was tabbed at the No. 17 team heading into 2019 by Perfect Game. First-year head coach Chris Lemonis and his program have now received preseason national rankings from both publications to release lists.
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The Diamond Dawgs enter the season ranked No. 17 by Perfect Game, after being tabbed No. 27 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in December. Last season, 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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Of the 25 teams ranked in the preseason by Perfect Game, eight come from the Southeastern Conference. LSU (1), Vanderbilt (3) and Florida (9), Ole Miss (10), Arkansas (13) and Auburn (15) are each ranked ahead of State, while Georgia (22) rounded out the conference contingent. MSU will face six of the seven ranked teams, with Vanderbilt not on the 2019 regular season slate, while adding No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 11 East Carolina to the mix as opponents in 2019.
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The 2019 squad features 18 returners from the CWS squad a season ago, including nine student-athletes that started at least 30 games in the field. The pitching staff will look to fill a pair of open spots in the weekend rotation, with Ethan Small's 18 starts in 2018 being more than the rest of the returning staff combined from last season.
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On Monday (Dec. 17), senior Jake Mangum was named to Collegiate Baseball's Preseason All-America squad. He was the lone SEC representative on the first team and the only SEC position player selected to the first or second team of the publication's All-America squads. Mangum and the freshman All-American duo of Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan are the only returners that started at least 50 games for State last season.
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A talented crop of 18 newcomers join the fold, as well, including two freshmen and one transfer student-athlete choosing the Maroon and White over Major League Baseball following the 2018 First Year Player Draft. Freshmen Eric Cerantola (30th Round; Tampa Bay) and JT Ginn (1st Round; Los Angeles Dodgers), along with junior Gunner Halter (26th Round; Cleveland) were each chosen in the 2018 MLB Draft.
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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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The Diamond Dawgs enter the season ranked No. 17 by Perfect Game, after being tabbed No. 27 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in December. Last season, 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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Of the 25 teams ranked in the preseason by Perfect Game, eight come from the Southeastern Conference. LSU (1), Vanderbilt (3) and Florida (9), Ole Miss (10), Arkansas (13) and Auburn (15) are each ranked ahead of State, while Georgia (22) rounded out the conference contingent. MSU will face six of the seven ranked teams, with Vanderbilt not on the 2019 regular season slate, while adding No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 11 East Carolina to the mix as opponents in 2019.
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The 2019 squad features 18 returners from the CWS squad a season ago, including nine student-athletes that started at least 30 games in the field. The pitching staff will look to fill a pair of open spots in the weekend rotation, with Ethan Small's 18 starts in 2018 being more than the rest of the returning staff combined from last season.
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On Monday (Dec. 17), senior Jake Mangum was named to Collegiate Baseball's Preseason All-America squad. He was the lone SEC representative on the first team and the only SEC position player selected to the first or second team of the publication's All-America squads. Mangum and the freshman All-American duo of Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan are the only returners that started at least 50 games for State last season.
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A talented crop of 18 newcomers join the fold, as well, including two freshmen and one transfer student-athlete choosing the Maroon and White over Major League Baseball following the 2018 First Year Player Draft. Freshmen Eric Cerantola (30th Round; Tampa Bay) and JT Ginn (1st Round; Los Angeles Dodgers), along with junior Gunner Halter (26th Round; Cleveland) were each chosen in the 2018 MLB Draft.
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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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