Baseball Projected to Win SEC West
2/11/2021 | Baseball
Dunhurst, Elko Voted to Preseason All-SEC Second Team
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Ole Miss baseball team was picked first in the Southeastern Conference Western Division in the league's preseason coaches poll, the conference office announced Thursday.
This marks the first time since 2008 that the Rebels were picked to win the SEC West. Ole Miss was projected to finish sixth in the division last season. Mike Bianco's squad garnered seven of the division's 14 first-place votes.
In addition to the team honor, senior third baseman Tim Elko and sophomore catcher Hayden Dunhurst were selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
The Rebel captain Elko hit .354 last season, appearing in 14 of the team's 17 games with 12 starts. The senior out of Lutz, Florida, totaled four doubles, a triple and three home runs a season ago. He added 15 RBI and 12 runs scored while going 3-for-3 in stolen bases.
Dunhurst is coming off a Freshman All-American campaign in which he hit .269 with five home runs and 15 RBI. Dunhurst also allowed just four stolen bases all season, the second-best mark in the SEC.
Ole Miss was tied for the best record in the nation at 16-1 before the campaign was cut short due to the spread of COVID-19. The lone loss came in the 2020 opener at the hands of No. 1 ranked Louisville. The Rebels fought back and won that series, and when the season concluded, they were on a 16-game winning streak—the longest in college baseball this year and just one shy of the program record.
The Rebels closed the year ranked in the top five nationally and extended their streak to 36 consecutive weeks in the top 25. Ole Miss led the nation in home runs with 37 through 17 games and finished in the top 10 nationally in slugging percentage (3rd), runs scored per game (3rd), total runs scored (5th) and walks drawn (7th).
Ole Miss opens the season on the road at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Rebels are one of six preseason top-10 teams in the field and are set for contests with TCU, Texas Tech and Texas during that opening-weekend slate.
2021 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Florida (13) – 91
2. Vanderbilt (1) – 79
3. Tennessee – 58
4. South Carolina – 55
5. Georgia – 51
6. Missouri – 28
7. Kentucky – 23
Western Division
1. Ole Miss (7) – 78
2. Mississippi State (3) – 73
3. Arkansas (2) – 72
4. LSU (2) – 63
5. Texas A&M – 36
6. Auburn – 32
7. Alabama – 31
() – First place votes
SEC Champion: Florida (12), Mississippi State (1), Vanderbilt (1)
2021 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: Casey Opitz, Arkansas
1B: T.J. Collett, Kentucky
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Rankin Woley, Auburn
SS: Ryan Bliss, Auburn
OF: Jud Fabian, Florida
OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
OF: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
SP: Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt
SP: Connor Prielipp, Alabama
RP: Devin Fontenot, LSU
Second Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Josh Hatcher, Mississippi State
2B: Max Ferguson, Tennessee
3B: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
SS: Josh Rivera, Florida
OF: Rowdey Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Owen Diodati, Alabama
OF: Cade Beloso, LSU
DH/UTL: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
SP: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
SP: Tommy Mace, Florida
RP: Ben Specht, Florida
*Tie (ties are not broken)
This marks the first time since 2008 that the Rebels were picked to win the SEC West. Ole Miss was projected to finish sixth in the division last season. Mike Bianco's squad garnered seven of the division's 14 first-place votes.
In addition to the team honor, senior third baseman Tim Elko and sophomore catcher Hayden Dunhurst were selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
The Rebel captain Elko hit .354 last season, appearing in 14 of the team's 17 games with 12 starts. The senior out of Lutz, Florida, totaled four doubles, a triple and three home runs a season ago. He added 15 RBI and 12 runs scored while going 3-for-3 in stolen bases.
Dunhurst is coming off a Freshman All-American campaign in which he hit .269 with five home runs and 15 RBI. Dunhurst also allowed just four stolen bases all season, the second-best mark in the SEC.
Ole Miss was tied for the best record in the nation at 16-1 before the campaign was cut short due to the spread of COVID-19. The lone loss came in the 2020 opener at the hands of No. 1 ranked Louisville. The Rebels fought back and won that series, and when the season concluded, they were on a 16-game winning streak—the longest in college baseball this year and just one shy of the program record.
The Rebels closed the year ranked in the top five nationally and extended their streak to 36 consecutive weeks in the top 25. Ole Miss led the nation in home runs with 37 through 17 games and finished in the top 10 nationally in slugging percentage (3rd), runs scored per game (3rd), total runs scored (5th) and walks drawn (7th).
Ole Miss opens the season on the road at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Rebels are one of six preseason top-10 teams in the field and are set for contests with TCU, Texas Tech and Texas during that opening-weekend slate.
2021 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
1. Florida (13) – 91
2. Vanderbilt (1) – 79
3. Tennessee – 58
4. South Carolina – 55
5. Georgia – 51
6. Missouri – 28
7. Kentucky – 23
Western Division
1. Ole Miss (7) – 78
2. Mississippi State (3) – 73
3. Arkansas (2) – 72
4. LSU (2) – 63
5. Texas A&M – 36
6. Auburn – 32
7. Alabama – 31
() – First place votes
SEC Champion: Florida (12), Mississippi State (1), Vanderbilt (1)
2021 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: Casey Opitz, Arkansas
1B: T.J. Collett, Kentucky
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Rankin Woley, Auburn
SS: Ryan Bliss, Auburn
OF: Jud Fabian, Florida
OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
OF: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
SP: Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt
SP: Connor Prielipp, Alabama
RP: Devin Fontenot, LSU
Second Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Josh Hatcher, Mississippi State
2B: Max Ferguson, Tennessee
3B: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
SS: Josh Rivera, Florida
OF: Rowdey Jordan, Mississippi State
OF: Owen Diodati, Alabama
OF: Cade Beloso, LSU
DH/UTL: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
SP: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
SP: Tommy Mace, Florida
RP: Ben Specht, Florida
*Tie (ties are not broken)