The North Georgia baseball team will open the 2012 season ranked in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 40 Poll for the fifth straight year this February, as the Saints check in as the No. 35 team in the country.

The Saints have been a mainstay in the Division II national poll for the last five years and come in as the No. 35 team in the preseason ranking for the second consecutive season.

The Saints will be put to the test early and often in 2012 with seven straight road games to open the season. Tournaments at Valdosta State and USC-Aiken highlight the early-season action, while North Georgia will make its home debut on Feb. 18-19, playing host to Northern Kentucky in a three-game series.