The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Ranked No. 23 In NCBWA Preseason Poll
1/17/2006 | Baseball
Jan. 17, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - A cold and wet day put a damper on the first day of practice for the Rebels, as the team had to move indoors to escape the elements, but Ole Miss got a bit of good news when the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released it's poll on Tuesday, placing the Rebels as the No. 23 team in the nation heading into the season.
The Rebels have now been ranked in the top 25 of four preseason publications including Collegiate Baseball (20), Baseball America (23) and the RosenblattReport.com (25).
"It's exciting anytime you can start the season ranked nationally," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco of the latest poll released prior to the 2006 season. "It's a testament to where we want to be as a program that we find ourselves in the rankings of every major poll released so far this year. It sets a challenge for us to push ourselves throughout the upcoming year."
The Rebels reported back to school on Tuesday and were expected to hit the diamond to begin workouts, but mother nature had other plans for Bianco's squad as a biting cold and rainy day met the squad.
"The weather got us today, but luckily we were able to get some good work in this afternoon because of our facilities," Bianco said. "We moved inside to the indoor batting facility and the hitters were able to go through many of the same drills we would have run on the field. The pitchers were also able to go into the pitching facility and get some good work there.
"This week is mostly about getting all the guys back and catching everyone up to the same speed," Bianco said. "We want to get everyone back after the break and up to speed so we can come out next Monday and hit the field running."
The Rebels will continue to preseason practices in preparation for the season opener on February 17. The Rebels will open a 14 game home stand with a three-game set against St. Louis that weekend. First-pitch against St. Louis is set for 3 p.m. that Friday.
