HI NOTES: Poll to Poll Coverage, Good Wood

PRE-SEASON SEASON

♦ Baseball America released their Pre-Season Top 25 today, which of course includes no mention of the flagship school in the state of Missouri among the 8 SEC teams on the list (plus Southern Mississippi, Mizzou's opening weekend opponent, at #23). But if you're interested in their "illuminating way" of ranking teams, check out 2013 Preseason College Top 25 Scouting Reports (Baseball America)

Baseball America OFP: 55. The Eagles spent last year breaking in their third-ranked recruiting class, and they went through their share of growing pains. But they should reap the rewards of that acclimation period this year. Southern Miss is a balanced club that should contend for the Conference USA title and could make a deep postseason run if it stays healthy and gets hot at the right time.

♦ Not to be outdone, USA Today released their 2013 College Baseball Coaches Poll, featuring SEC rival Arkansas at #1.

With seven other SEC teams — No. 3 LSU, No. 5 South Carolina, No. 8 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Florida, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 18 Mississippi State and No. 24 Texas A&M — in the preseason poll, Van Horn is anticipating a challenging season but feels his team is up to the task.

The USA Today poll is the one that always gives you a list of non-top-25 teams that also received votes.

Nope.

WORD ON THE TWEET

Doesn't get much prettier than this. #bigleaguewood #Kinsler lockerz.com/s/279138853

— Dan Pietroburgo (@CoachPietro) January 24, 2013

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

♦ ESPN talks about South Carolina baseball and other college baseball stuff in Chad Holbrook's latest chase (ESPN.com)

Holbrook says he doesn't feel any pressure to become what Tanner was, to live up to the 738 wins, the six trips to Omaha, the legendary status.

"I'm not Ray Tanner and I won't try to be Ray Tanner," Holbrook says. "I can't try to follow his success."

Sure, he won't try to.

But Chad Holbrook has always licked his lips at the thought of a chase. This is just the next one...