CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team continues to receive recognition from the national polls as the Choctaws were picked seventh in the Perfect Game Preseason NCAA Division II Top 25, as announced by the organization on Thursday, Jan. 24.
 
MC stands as the top team from the Gulf South Conference and is only one of two from the conference in the poll. The Navy and Gold finished the season with a 36-17 mark.

The 2019 NCAA Division II @PGCollegeBall baseball preseason rankings. Complete list and capsules at https://t.co/ZDZjoyqvK0 pic.twitter.com/Gx0tSiWv3q

— Nick Herfordt (@_eephuspitch) January 24, 2019

7 MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE CHOCTAWS: @GoChoctawsBB usurp Delta State as the team to beat in the @GulfSouth. Blaine Crim is a monster in the heart of the order. Chris Crosby and @zackingram19 are rock solid on the mound. Starting SS, 2B and C provide stability to the defense.

— Nick Herfordt (@_eephuspitch) January 24, 2019

 
North Greenville University stands atop the poll. The Crusaders finished the 2018 campaign 46-10. The University of Tampa is ranked second after going 42-11 last season with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (39-15) in third. Colorado Mesa University (43-16) and Georgia College (44-12) round out the top five in the rankings.
 
Perfect Game's preview for the Choctaws, "Blaine Crim provides Mississippi College with a destructive presence in the middle of the lineup and the ability to break a game open with a single swing of the bat. Last season he was the straw that stirred the Choctaws' drink, leading the team in batting at .383, home runs with 13 and RBI at 66. His success continued over the summer playing with the Southern Ohio Copperheads in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. In one week in particular he went 14-for-28 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBI. He is one of eight players back this season who started at least 25 games and accumulated 100 at-bats.
 
Billy Cameron was second on the team in each of the triple-crown categories (.354-6-38) to give MC an enviable 1-2 punch. The team will also have back their starting shortstop, second baseman and catcher to provide stability and maturity for the defense. Chauncey Callier, a transfer from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, is anticipated to give an additional boost to the offense.
 
Like the offensive cohorts the pitching staff also returns two top starters along with an arsenal of supporting athletes.  Chris Crosby started 16 games and threw 100 2/3 innings on the season with 96 strikeouts and a 4.11 ERA. He'll be once again back by Zack Ingram who has made 26 starts over the past two seasons. Last year he lowered his ERA to 3.74, which was tops among Choctaw starters. MC also returns seven other players who saw time on the mound last season. Newcomers to the staff include Garrett Hollinghead, who also is from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, and Brandon Nowak, who appeared in six games last season at LSU."
 
Mississippi College opens the season on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Searcy, Ark., as it faces Harding University in a three-game series.

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.