News digest, Jan. 26, Part 2

North Greenville's win in the 2022 NCAA
Division II finals was the 300th of coach
 Landon Powell's career. (NGU photo)

Crusaders No. 1 nationally in sportswriters poll

Defending champion North Greenville is ranked first in the preseason NCAA Division II poll of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association.
Crusaders

Mike McGuire has had winning
 seasons in his first three years
in Spartanburg. (USC Upstate photo)

Spartans picked to finish second in Big South

USC Upstate is picked to finish in second place to Campbell this season in a poll of Big South Conference baseball coaches. That's also where those teams finished the last two seasons.

Coach Mike McGuire is entering his fourth season at the helm of the Spartans. He has an 85-43-1 record there and a 403-314-1 record on the four-year level. He also coached Louisburg to a 52-9 record in one season in the junior college ranks. His teams have had nine straight winning seasons.

Charleston Southern was the composite pick to finish seventh, followed by Presbyterian and Winthrop. All four S.C. teams begin their seasons Feb. 17. 

Big South

The season draws ever closer

The baseball calendar is getting busier as the season draws closer.
Some signs:
* South Carolina held its media day on Thursday and Clemson has its media gaggle with first-year coach Erik Bakich on Friday.
* USC will have public scrimmages at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Founders' Park.
* Clemson also begins spring workouts this weekend  (4 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and has its preseason banquet at 6 p.m. Saturday. 
Tigers
* USC announced its Fan Fest will be held on Feb. 11, the Saturday before the season starts.
USC fans

Preseason rankings

NJCAA official Division I: 1. Central Arizona. 14. Florence-Darlington Tech.
NJCAA

Perfect Game Junior College Division I: 1. Central Arizona. 16. Florence-Darlington Tech.
Perfect Game JC