By By Jeff Byrd / staff writer
July 9, 2002
The challenge for Mississippi State head baseball coach Ron Polk in his first-year back, was to see how well he could lead another coach's players.
Polk went 34-24-1 in his first season back with State after two seasons with the University of Georgia. For the 24-year coaching veteran, it was a good start.
Polk is one of just two coaches in the country who has won more than 1,000 games. He is 1,156-556 over his 35-year coaching career.
This past season, the Bulldogs had to rally with three late wins over arch-rival Ole Miss just to make the SEC Tournament. They were later eliminated in three games and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
The good news is that the Bulldogs will be bringing back much of its starting line-up along with staff ace Paul Maholm.
One of the big problems for the Bulldogs during the season was not having enough quality outfielders.
Getting better athletes was the focus of recruiting.
One recruit the Bulldogs signed was Meridian Community College infielder Tyler Scarborough. The former Meridian High Wildcat had 12 homers for MCC and batted in the .330's while ranking in the top two in RBIs.
During his first season at Georgia, Polk went 32-26. The next season, they went 47-22 and advanced to the College World Series, marking the seventh time a Polk-led team has reached Omaha.
The subject of the 11.7 brings a scowl to Polk's face. It's a number imposed by the NCAA, another favorite target of Polk's, in an effort to balance Title IX.