RAYMOND — When Hinds Community College’s baseball team assembled for practice Thursday, nothing had really changed from the day before.

It was the same group of talented players, on the same field. The record was the same, the goals the same. Maybe a few of the puddles in the infield were new.

The one big difference, though, was that now the Eagles could say they’re the best team in the country.

Hinds earned the first No. 1 ranking in school history on Wednesday, when the first in-season NJCAA Division II baseball poll of the year was released. Hinds had been No. 2 since the preseason but moved up after winning 17 of its first 18 games.

“It seems like we’ve been at that No. 1 spot the whole time,” said Hinds center fielder Hunter Bell, a former Warren Central star. “We’re not doing anything different. We’re just playing and winning. It hasn’t set in yet. Saying I played for the No. 1 team in the nation is pretty cool. It’s something you can tell your grandkids about someday.”

Hinds finished as the national runner-up last season, and returned nearly every significant player from that team. There are 11 Division I signees on the roster, plus a few more who are likely to earn that distinction. Given that, the No. 1 ranking is not an unexpected accolade for the team to receive, but it’s still one it’s savoring.

Before this season, the highest Hinds had ever been ranked was fourth. Sam Temple, who is in his 10th season as Hinds’ head coach, said getting to the top spot was an honor that went far beyond the current roster.

“For the program and all the people that have supported the program, all the past teams and coaches, for the alumni that have played here, there’s really no words to describe it. It’s such a great thing for the college and the program,” said Temple, a Vicksburg native who played at Hinds. “For a baseball team, it’s a great honor. But it’s also a challenge to make sure that we are worthy of such a title.”

Hinds will play a doubleheader today at 4 p.m. at Baton Rouge Community College that marks the start of a 10-game road trip. It won’t play again at Joe G. Moss Field until hosting Holmes Community College on April 3.

The start of the road trip marks the one-third point of the season. With so much baseball left to play, sophomore catcher Hunter Austin said there wasn’t much point in dwelling on the team’s ranking yet.

“We don’t talk about it. We just come out and play baseball,” said Austin, a former Warren Central star who is hitting .333 this season. “We’re going to focus on just winning our next game. We’re not automatically going to the (national) championship just because we’re ranked No. 1. We’ve got to get the state championship before anything.”

Temple, though, admitted that there were plenty of benefits to be enjoyed from being the best. He expects it’ll give a boost to recruiting efforts, and hopefully build a fan base that extends beyond the family and friends who comprise a lot of crowds. A portion of those crowds, he hopes, will come from Warren County.

“Hinds has always been Warren County’s junior college,” he said. “We want fans in Warren County to come watch us play. We want people to put that on their list of things to do.”