The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Ranked No. 19 In Preseason NCBWA Poll
1/12/2004 | Baseball
Jan. 12, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss is ranked No. 19 in the 2004 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) preseason Top 35. The Rebels are one of five SEC teams to be ranked in the poll, including one of three to be rated in the top 20.
Defending national champion Rice is ranked preseason No. 1, followed by LSU, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.). Other SEC teams in the poll were South Carolina at No. 9, Florida at No. 24 and Mississippi State at No. 33.
Ole Miss is also ranked No. 17 in the preseason Baseball America Top 25, and No. 27 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason Top 40.
Junior OF Seth Smith was named a first team preseason All-America by Baseball America, while sophomore 1B/LHP Stephen Head garnered third team preseason All-America accolades as a utility player. Collegiate Baseball named Head a first team preseason All-American as a utility player.
The Rebels went 35-27 last spring and earned their second NCAA Regional bid in three years under head coach Mike Bianco. Ole Miss is scheduled to open its 2004 campaign at home on Friday, February 20 versus Birmingham Southern at 3 p.m.
