12/21/01
DIAMOND DOGS RANKED 23rd IN FIRST PRESEASON POLL

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State's Baseball Bulldogs have garnered their first preseason national ranking. Collegiate Baseball magazine, based in Tucson, Ariz., accorded MSU a No. 23 ranking in its annual "Fabulous 40" preseason poll. College baseball's other preseason rankings compiled by Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN, are expected to be announced in January.

The Bulldogs, skippered by Ron Polk, open their 2002 campaign Feb. 22-24 hosting UAB and No. 24 Ohio State in the second annual NBC Classic at Dudy Noble Field. The Buckeyes are one of five MSU opponents included in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll. Other ranked MSU foes include No. 5 Louisiana State, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 14 Mississippi, and No. 21 Florida.

Stanford, which has taken runnerup honors in the last two NCAA College World Series, out-pointed No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Tulane and No. 4 Southern Cal for the top spot in the preseason poll.

Mississippi State returns 23 lettermen and all but three of the starters from its 2001 team that captured the SEC Tournament, made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals and finished with a 39-24 record. Ranked 21st in last year's Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, MSU finished the year ranked 14th and two wins shy of the program's eight advancement to the NCAA College World Series.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department