Diamond Dawgs Unanimous Top 10 Entering 2020
February 03, 2020 | Baseball
Diamond Dawgs tabbed No. 9 by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
STARKVILLE – Sitting at No. 9 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) preseason poll, the Mississippi State baseball program will enter the 2020 season with a unanimous top-10 ranking.
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With NCBWA rankings released on Monday (Feb. 3), the Diamond Dawgs were a preseason top 10 pick by all six outlets: Baseball America (No. 9), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (No. 6), D1Baseball (No. 10) and Perfect Game (No. 8), NCBWA (No. 9) and USA Today (No. 6).
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Nine of State's 2020 opponents are among the teams ranked in the NCBWA preseason top 35, with five of them among the top 15 programs entering the year. Non-conference opponents Oregon State (No. 29), Southern Miss (31) and Texas Tech (No. 6) will present the first ranked tests of the season. The SEC schedule doesn't get any easier, as six of the 10 opponents on the SEC slate will be ranked entering the season: Arkansas (No. 6), LSU (No. 13), Auburn (No. 10), Texas A&M (No. 21), Ole Miss (No. 25) and Vanderbilt (No. 1).
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Overall, the SEC boasts nine ranked teams, with Georgia (No. 4) and Florida (No. 8) also earning a spot in the writer's preseason poll.
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After making its second-straight trip to the College World Series, grabbing a share of the SEC West Division crown and boasting a 52-15 overall record in 2019, MSU returns an experienced nucleus at the plate in juniors Tanner Allen, Justin Foscue, Rowdey Jordan and Jordan Westburg. The pitching staff returns a host of young and talented arms, led by 2019 National Freshman of the Year JT Ginn.
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The quartet of Allen, Foscue, Ginn and Westburg have each earned Preseason All-America honors, while Allen, Foscue and Ginn each ended the 2019 campaign with All-America accolades. Westburg joins Foscue and Ginn on MLBPipeline's list of top-100 prospects for the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft.
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Head coach Chris Lemonis enters his second season after posting the most victories (52) by a first-year SEC head coach in the conference's history and becoming just the third SEC first-year dugout boss to guide a team to Omaha. State finished the 2019 campaign ranked among the top five in each of the major national polls.
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The Bulldogs open the 2020 season with a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field against Horizon League champion Wright State from Feb. 14-16. The season opener is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. The series continues with a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, Feb. 15 and 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, Feb. 16.
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Ticket Information
While reserved seating season tickets are sold out for the 34th straight season, general admission/standing room only season tickets are available for a cost of $199. The 2020 Flex Plan is on sale now for $75, offering 10 general admission tickets that can be used in any quantity for any combination of games.
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As introduced last season, individual game chairbacks do become available during the season and for the eight home weekend series those tickets will be made available to the public. Each week, Bulldog Club members will be able to purchase on Tuesdays at 8 a.m., while any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. A ticket limit of eight (8) will be enforced on all weekly reserved sales.
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Tickets can be purchased at the Mississippi State Ticket Office, located in the Bryan Building off of Lakeview Drive. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-888-GO-DAWGS or online at hailstate.com/tickets.
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With NCBWA rankings released on Monday (Feb. 3), the Diamond Dawgs were a preseason top 10 pick by all six outlets: Baseball America (No. 9), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (No. 6), D1Baseball (No. 10) and Perfect Game (No. 8), NCBWA (No. 9) and USA Today (No. 6).
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Nine of State's 2020 opponents are among the teams ranked in the NCBWA preseason top 35, with five of them among the top 15 programs entering the year. Non-conference opponents Oregon State (No. 29), Southern Miss (31) and Texas Tech (No. 6) will present the first ranked tests of the season. The SEC schedule doesn't get any easier, as six of the 10 opponents on the SEC slate will be ranked entering the season: Arkansas (No. 6), LSU (No. 13), Auburn (No. 10), Texas A&M (No. 21), Ole Miss (No. 25) and Vanderbilt (No. 1).
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Overall, the SEC boasts nine ranked teams, with Georgia (No. 4) and Florida (No. 8) also earning a spot in the writer's preseason poll.
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After making its second-straight trip to the College World Series, grabbing a share of the SEC West Division crown and boasting a 52-15 overall record in 2019, MSU returns an experienced nucleus at the plate in juniors Tanner Allen, Justin Foscue, Rowdey Jordan and Jordan Westburg. The pitching staff returns a host of young and talented arms, led by 2019 National Freshman of the Year JT Ginn.
Â
The quartet of Allen, Foscue, Ginn and Westburg have each earned Preseason All-America honors, while Allen, Foscue and Ginn each ended the 2019 campaign with All-America accolades. Westburg joins Foscue and Ginn on MLBPipeline's list of top-100 prospects for the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft.
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Head coach Chris Lemonis enters his second season after posting the most victories (52) by a first-year SEC head coach in the conference's history and becoming just the third SEC first-year dugout boss to guide a team to Omaha. State finished the 2019 campaign ranked among the top five in each of the major national polls.
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The Bulldogs open the 2020 season with a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field against Horizon League champion Wright State from Feb. 14-16. The season opener is slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. The series continues with a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, Feb. 15 and 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, Feb. 16.
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Ticket Information
While reserved seating season tickets are sold out for the 34th straight season, general admission/standing room only season tickets are available for a cost of $199. The 2020 Flex Plan is on sale now for $75, offering 10 general admission tickets that can be used in any quantity for any combination of games.
Â
As introduced last season, individual game chairbacks do become available during the season and for the eight home weekend series those tickets will be made available to the public. Each week, Bulldog Club members will be able to purchase on Tuesdays at 8 a.m., while any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. A ticket limit of eight (8) will be enforced on all weekly reserved sales.
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Tickets can be purchased at the Mississippi State Ticket Office, located in the Bryan Building off of Lakeview Drive. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-888-GO-DAWGS or online at hailstate.com/tickets.
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