01/26/02 - Baseball updates.

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- With less than a month before opening the 2002 campaign, Mississippi State's Baseball Bulldogs have received their fourth top 25 ranking in a preseason college baseball poll. MSU is ranked 21st in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 35 Poll, sponsored by Houston-based CollegeSportsNews.com.

Mississippi State, with 23 returning lettermen and 18 players with experience as starters, opens its 112th season of baseball and Ron Polk's second stint as MSU skipper Feb. 22-24 in the second annual National Bank of Commerce Classic. UAB and Ohio State are the other two teams in this year's classic at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium. The Bulldogs are also ranked 17th by Baseball America, 20th by Baseball Weekly/ESPN, and 23rd by Collegiate Baseball.

Pac-10 Conference power Stanford is ranked No. 1 in the initial NCBWA poll. The NCBWA voting panel includes representation by seven different conferences and top independents among the 279 baseball-playing schools in the NCAA Division I ranks. MSU plays 12 games against teams included in the poll, including the other three SEC teams in the poll ¯No. 7 South Carolina, No. 9 Louisiana State and No. 17 Mississippi - and No. 24 Ohio State, entered in this year's NBC Classic.

Mississippi State launches preseason practice Feb. 4 and vehicles move into the outfield parking area Feb. 8-9 in upcoming events at Dudy Noble Field. The mid-afternoon practice sessions are open to the public.

2002 Preseason NCBWA/ CollegeSportsNews.com, Division I Poll

Rank School ('01 Final Record)
1. Stanford (51-17)
2. Miami, Fla. (53-12)
3. Southern California (45-19)
4. Clemson (41-22)
5. Florida State (47-19)
6. Tulane (56-13)
7. South Carolina (49-20)
8. Nebraska (50-16)
9. LSU (44-22)
10. Rice (47-20)
11. Wichita State (42-24)
12. Cal State Fullerton (48-18)
13. Texas (36-26)
14. Notre Dame (49-13)
15. Oklahoma State (42-22)
16. Arizona State (37-20)
17. Mississippi (39-23)
18. Baylor (37-24)
19. Georgia Tech (41-20)
20. Central Florida (51-14)
21. Mississippi State (39-24)
22. Wake Forest (44-18)
23. Rutgers (42-17)
24. Ohio State (43-18)
25. Minnesota (39-21)
26. Purdue (32-24)
27. Texas Tech (43-20)
28. Cal State Northridge (34-22)
29. UL Lafayette (28-28)
30. Long Beach State (35-23)
31. Texas A&M (33-27)
32. Oral Roberts (48-13)
33. Nevada (30-26)
34. California (34-25)
35. Ball State (34-23)

BASEBALL SEASON TICKET CAMPAIGN
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- Mississippi State's drive to reach the 5,000 milestone in baseball season ticket sales got off to a rousing start in its first week. The MSU Athletic Ticket Office processed orders for 2,101 baseball season tickets Friday.

Bulldog baseball fans set a school record by purchasing 4,585 baseball season tickets last year, bettering the previous record of 4,555 set in 2000.

State's 2002 baseball season ticket package features 32 Mississippi State games and admission to all games at the season-opening National Bank of Commerce Classic Feb. 22-24 at Dudy Noble Field.

For additional MSU baseball season ticket information, contact the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (662-325-2600).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/25/02 - Baseball updates.