Tuesday, May 1, 2007

 

TUSCULUM BASEBALL RANKED NINTH IN NCBWA POLL

 

                SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. --- The Tusculum College baseball team is ranked ninth in the nation according to this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Poll announced College officials Tuesday.  The Pioneers (48-12) jumped one spot from last week’s No. 10 ranking.

 

                TC received 97 points while posting a school and South Atlantic Conference single-season record 48 victories.  TC's 48 wins surpasses the previous school record of 44 set by the 2005 squad.  The previous SAC record of 47 was accomplished by Catawba College last year.

 

                Last week, Tusculum posted a 13-4 home win over nationally-ranked USC Upstate.  TC followed with a three-game sweep at Albany State where the Pioneers outscored the Golden Rams by a 30-8 margin during the weekend series.  Tusculum and Ouachita Baptist (48-6) are the only teams in the country with 48 wins.

 

                Kutztown (43-3) moves into the top spot after receiving 145 points and five first place votes.  Ouachita Baptist is second with 139 points and a first place nod.  Tampa (39-9) is up a spot to third, followed by Sonoma State (44-8) and Cal State Los Angeles (40-7-1) to round out the top five.  Central Missouri State (34-5) is sixth, followed by Grand Valley State (34-5), Georgia College & State (43-13), Tusculum and Cal State Chico (42-9).

 

                Tusculum now awaits word of an at-large bid to the NCAA II Tournament and the South Regional, which will be held May 17-20 at a campus site, yet to be determined.

 

- TC –

 

NCBWA Division II Baseball Poll

Rk.

Team (1st Place Votes)

Rec.

Pts.

Prv.

1.

Kutztown (5)

43-3

145

2

2.

Ouachita Baptist (1)

48-6

139

3

3.

Tampa

39-9

135

4

4.

Sonoma State

44-8

132

11

5.

Cal State Los Angeles (4)

40-7-1

125

1

6.

Central Missouri State

44-8

124

5

7.

Grand Valley State

34-5

116

6

8.

Georgia College & State

43-13

108

7

9.

TUSCULUM

48-12

97

10

10.

Cal State Chico

42-9

88

12

11.

Minnesota State-Mankato

35-7

87

14

12.

Franklin Pierce

38-8

84

8

13.

Mesa State

42-9

80

15

14.

Abilene Christian

44-11

74

16

15.

Columbus State

41-15

70

13

16.

Mount Olive

46-11

49

17

17.

Ashland

32-13

42

T19

18.

Delta State

42-12

37

9

19.

Montevallo

43-13

36

NR

20.

Francis Marion

33-15

27

23

21.

Carson-Newman

36-18

26

25

 

Wayne State, Neb.

35-12

26

T19

23.

California, Pa.

33-13

21

NR

24.

Florida Southern

37-13

20

18

25.

Slippery Rock

31-13

14

21

Others Receiving Votes: Massachusetts-Lowell (28-15) 12, Southern Arkansas (40-15), Nebraska-Omaha (29-17) 6, Adelphi (26-12) 4, UC San Diego (33-18) 4, SIU-Edwardsville (32-12) 3, Angelo State (40-16) 2, St. Edward's, TX (38-10) 2, Armstrong Atlantic State (34-18) 1.

Tusculum Opponents in Italics