By: Michael MacEachern
Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Communications
The Young Harris College baseball team will begin the season ranked 26th in the preseason Collegiate Baseball NCAA Diviaion II Coaches Poll.
It is the highest-ever ranking for the Mountain Lions since moving to NCAA Division II. The Mountain Lions finished the 2019 season ranked 29th in the poll before starting the 2020 campaign at No. 33.
Young Harris, which received 554 points in the poll is the one of two Peach Belt Conference institutions - Columbus State University is ranked 16th - in the top 40 poll. University of Tampa was No. 1 with 625 points, two points better than the Colorado Mesa University. Defending national champion Wingate University is slotted third with 620 points.
The Mountain Lions (23-18) went 20-13 in the Peach Belt in 2021, setting a program-best PBC wins total as Young Harris finished in third place. YHC advanced to the semifinals of the PBC Tournament a year ago.
YHC has seven games on its 2022 schedule against teams that are ranked in the national poll. The Mountain Lions will play a three-game weekend series against Columbus State (March 25-27) and home-and-home series with No. 17 Lee University (Feb. 16, April 27) and No. 32 University of Alabama in Huntsville (March 1, April 19).
The Mountain Lions open their 2022 season Feb. 4 with a 2 p.m. home doubleheader against Union (Tenn.) University at Zell B. Miller Field.