Ahead of the much-anticipated 2025 SEC baseball season, a pair of Mississippi programs are represented on the list recognizing the players expected to make the biggest impact in the nation’s toughest league.
Mississippi State slugger Hunter Hines is the lone Magnolia State player on the preseason All-SEC First Team, one of two first basemen to earn the honor.
The Madison native and senior for the Bulldogs has long been a producer for Chris Lemonis’ club. In 2024, Hines started each of 63 possible games and was second on the team in both home runs (16) and RBI (56).
Across three years in Starkville, Hines has established himself as a premiere power threat by leaving the yard at least 16 times in each season. A pile of career superlatives for the lefty bopper includes being named a Freshman All-American in 2022, a Ferris Trophy Finalist in 2023, and a spot on the 2024 Charlottesville All-Regional Team. Hines is also fifth all-time for career home runs at Mississippi State.
Ole Miss lefty pitcher Hunter Elliot was named to Preseason Second Team All-SEC as one of five second team hurlers.
The recognition is a profound testament to what Elliot did early in his career for Mike Bianco and the Rebels. The Tupelo native hasn’t pitched in nearly two full years due to an elbow injury, but his rise as a freshman phenom in Ole Miss’ 2022 national title campaign has stamped him as one of the league’s best – even after a long absence.
Elliot was named a three-time Freshman All-American in 2022 after setting an Ole Miss freshman record strikeouts (102) and finishing second on the team with a 2.70 ERA over 20 appearances. The fresh-faced phenom dazzled against Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Super Regional, tossing 7.1 shutout innings to help Ole Miss surge into the College World Series. In the NCAA Tournament’s final stage, Elliot played a key role in the national championship run, allowing only three earned runs in two Omaha outings.
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While both programs have high expectations for themselves, the preseason rankings reflect the challenge that a successful season would be in the Southeastern Conference.
As voted on by the league’s coaches, Mississippi State, who is ranked No. 18 in D1Baseball’s preseason top 25, is picked to finish 9th. Ole Miss, who seeks their first postseason berth since winning the national title in 2022, was picked to finish 15th in the 16-team league.
Below is a full list of the preseason SEC rankings:
1. Texas A&M
2. Tennessee
3. Arkansas
4. LSU
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. Vanderbilt
8. Texas
9. Mississippi State
10. Kentucky
11. Oklahoma
12. Auburn
13. Alabama
14. South Carolina
15. Ole Miss
16. Missouri
A full list of First and Second Team All-SEC selections can be found here.
