USA – Cortland State narrowly edged Champman, CA to take the top spot on the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper 2009 Pre-season NCAA Division III Poll.

Led by head coach Joe Brown, the SUNYAC school received 260 votes after posting a 42-5 record last year that included a 38-game winning streak and an appearance in the Division 3 College World Series. Chapman (CA) finished a close second with 258 votes and went 40-5 in 2008.

Adrian (MI) went 36-13 this past season and received 253 votes to rank third followed by Kean (NJ) who received 250 votes and Southern Maine who earned 247 votes.

The two squads which played for the 2008 National Title, National Champion Trinity and NCAA runner-up Johns Hopkins, are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively.

NCAA Div. III Pre-Season Poll

1. Cortland State (NY) 42-5
2. Chapman (CA) 40-5
3. Adrian (MI) 36-13
4. Kean (NJ) 39-11
5. Southern Maine 36-14
6. Trinity (CT) 45-1
7. Johns Hopkins (MD) 42-8
8. Wooster (OH) 36-11
9. Wisconsin-Whitewater 42-10
10. E. Connecticut State 32-15
11. Salisbury (MD) 41-4
12. Heidelberg (OH) 41-10
13. Texas-Tyler 36-9
14. Lynchburg (VA) 32-13
15. Marietta (OH) 23-20
16. Illinois Wesleyan 33-11
17. Linfield (OR) 35-13
18. St. Scholastica (MN) 35-6
19. Redlands (CA) 27-13
20. La Verne (CA) 26-16-1
21. Thiel (PA) 29-15
22. Rensselaer Inst. (NY) 36-12
23. Wheaton (IL) 23-14
24. Rowan (NJ) 34-14
25. St. Thomas (MN) 34-9
26. Webster (MO) 31-15
27. Piedmont (GA) 34-14
28. Keene State (NH) 34-11
29. Ithaca (NY) 30-13
30. New Jersey 30-12

Also Receiving Votes: Carthage, WI (36-10), Wisc.-Oshkosh (29-11), Montclair St., NJ (28-20), Christopher Newport, VA (29-14), Pacific Lutheran, WA (24-14-2), Denison, OH (27-18), Wisc.-Stevens Point (29-16), Rose-Hulman, IN (32-15), Penn. St. Behrend, PA (34-12), Aurora, IL (25-15), Franklin, IN (26-14), McMurry, TX (29-19), William Paterson, NJ (23-19), St. Joseph’s, NY (27-15-1), California Lutheran (19-18-2), Beloit, WI (18-16), Rochester, NY (28-13), Haverford, PA (27-14-1), Pomona-Pitzer, CA (27-13), St. Olaf, MN (28-12).

Photo courtesy of Cortland State Athletics

Source: Collegiate Baseball newspaper

Tags: Division III, Polls