Opening day for college baseball is just around the corner and Tiger fans are excited to see their squad live up to the monster hype they have received over the off-season. This a Tiger team that went 40-22 last season and took Southern Miss to the brink of elimination in the Hattiesburg regional final.

The Tigers have collected eyes from all across the country as they return who many say could be the number one pick in the 2023 MLB draft in Dylan Crews. Second-year head coach Jay Johnson went to the transfer portal again this season as they UCLA’s Thatcher Hurd who was a huge addition to the Tigers. The talented and retooled Tigers have gained the respect of nearly every college baseball expert in the country as they will open 2023 as the consensus number-one ranked team in the nation.

The Tigers don’t just have elite talent at the plate, they have a loaded bullpen. That bullpen took a huge hit after Grant Taylor’s season ended before it even started as he is expected to undergo Tommy John Surgery. The Tiger’s pitching staff should still be feared as Paul Skenes was ranked in D1-Baseball’s top ten of the nation's best-starting pitchers.

Skenes is another one of Jay Johnson’s coveted transfers and is ranked as D1-Baseball’s 6th-ranked starting pitcher. He played the 2021 and 2022 seasons for Air Force as he played his way to first-team All-American honors in both seasons. In 2022, he recorded a 2.96 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He earned the 2022 John Olerud award winner for the nation's best two-way player.

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One thing is for sure as the opening day gets underway tomorrow afternoon, everyone will have their eyes on the number-ranked team in the nation as they will take on Western Michigan in a three-game series.

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