Defending NCAA national champion Mount Olive is ranked No. 1 in the 2009 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Division II Baseball National Poll. The poll marks the first preseason No. 1 national ranking in school history for any Trojan athletics team. Mount Olive was ranked No. 1 in 14 of the last 15 polls in 2008, including the year-end poll after capturing its first-ever national championship.

Mount Olive posted a 58-6 record last season, sweeping through all four games in the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals at Sauget, Ill. The Trojans defeated Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 6-2 in the championship game. The Trojans also posted wins over Ashland (Ohio) and Central Missouri after rallying for four runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 win over Ouachita Baptist in the opening round of the National Finals.

The Trojans opened their NCAA Tournament run by capturing the South Atlantic Regional at Scarborough Field. After suffering a third-round loss in the double-elimination tournament, Mount Olive rebounded with a pair of wins over USC Aiken to win the regional and advance to the National Finals for the first time in school history.

Mount Olive was ranked No. 6 in last year's preseason poll and climbed to No. 1 in late February. The Trojans dropped to No. 2 for one week at the end of March, then returned to the top spot for the remainder of the year.

Mount Olive had five players from last year's squad selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, but still return a number of players who keyed last year's national championship run.

Senior right fielder Alex Vertcnik earned All-America honors in 2008 after batting .416 with seven home runs and 77 runs batted in. Vertcnik, who may also see time behind the plate this season, carries a 26-game hitting streak into 2009. Vertcnik was named Most Valuable Player at the 2008 Conference Carolinas Tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament teams at the South Atlantic Regional and the National Finals. Vertcnik became the first-ever Trojan student-athlete to earn All-Tournament honors at the conference tournament, NCAA Regional Tournament and NCAA National Finals in the same year.

Senior third baseman Rich Racobaldo was named Most Valuable Player of the 2008 NCAA II South Atlantic Regional. Racobaldo batted .533 (14-for-26) at the regional, including a 4-for-5 performance and the go-ahead rbi in the championship game. Racobaldo, who earned All-South Atlantic Region and All-Conference Carolinas honors, was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the National Finals.

Senior right-handed pitcher Kyle Jones emerged from a part-time reliever during the regular season to a key starter in NCAA Tournament play. In his first collegiate start, Jones took a perfect game into the fifth inning and finished with a complete game four-hitter in an elimination game in the South Atlantic Regional, earning All-Tournament honors. Jones also picked up a win in his start in the National Finals, going seven innings in the Trojans' 5-3 win over Central Missouri in the semifinal round.

Junior left fielder/pitcher Jesse Lancaster was named to the All-Tournament Team at the National Finals and was selected to the All-Conference Carolinas first team. Lancaster also earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors.

Junior designated hitter/infielder Dylan Holton drove in what proved to be the game-winning runs in the national championship game with a first-inning three-run double. Sophomore designated hitter/outfielder Joseph Westbrook belted his first collegiate home run at the National Finals and sparked a two-out fifth-inning rally in the championship game of the South Atlantic Regional.

Senior right-handed relief pitcher Patrick Ball posted a 1-0 record with a save in the National Finals. He retired all five batters he faced in the first round win over Ouachita Baptist, then retired the only batter he faced on just one pitch in the Trojans' semifinal win over Central Missouri. Senior left-handed pitcher Paul Novicki pitched five scoreless innings in relief in Mount Olive's second round win over Ashland.

The Trojans are guided by Carl Lancaster, who was named 2008 Division II Baseball National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Lancaster is attending the national convention in San Diego, Calif., this weekend to receive his award.

Mount Olive topped the poll with 640 points, finishing 22 points ahead of 2006 and 2007 national champion Tampa (Fla.). Central Missouri is third, followed by No. 4 UC San Diego and No. 5 Columbus State (Ga.). Last year's national runner-up Ouachita Baptist is No. 9, just ahead of 2008 South Atlantic Regional runner-up USC Aiken at No. 10. Fellow Conference Carolinas member Erskine is tied at No. 36, while Belmont Abbey is among "Others Receiving Votes."

The Trojans face six nationally ranked opponents in 2009, including a two-game series at USC Aiken February 24-25.

Mount Olive opens its 2009 season February 1 with a three-game series at Armstrong Atlantic State. Mount Olive plays host to Wingate for a doubleheader February 10 for the Trojans' home opener at Scarborough Field. The Trojans head to Historic Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C., April 7 for an exhibition game against the Kinston Indians, affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

The 2009 Conference Carolinas Tournament is slated for April 16-19 at Wilson, N.C. The Trojans are the defending three-time conference champions. The 2009 NCAA II South Atlantic Regional takes place May 14-17, with the National Finals scheduled for May 23-30.