For the third week in a row the Vanderbilt Commodores are atop the NCBWA Division I Poll. The Commodores swept a weekend series from Kentucky over the weekend. They will face Alabama in the last weekend SEC series before the conference tournament begins.

The Top 5 was shaken up a bit after North Carolina fell to #4 after spending the past few weeks at #2. They faced off with #26 Georgia Tech dropping two-of-three over the weekend including an 11 inning loss in Game 3 of the series.  UNC lost two game by just a single run, but they were not the only Top 5 team to fall over the weekend. Cal State Fullerton fell two spots to #5 after losing a game to UC Riverside over the weekend.

The big series of the weekend featured #8 Florida State traveling to #9 NC State. The hometown Wolfpack took the first game 3-1, but then dropped the next two to the Seminoles. Both teams remained in the same spots in the Top 10.

One big series this weekend will feature a pair of Top 20 SEC teams when #12 South Carolina travels to #17 Mississippi State this weekend.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (MAY 13)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

Vanderbilt University held onto the #1 spot in the NCBWA Div. I Poll after sweeping a weekend series over then #9 South Carolina. The series was cut short due to bad weather giving Vandy the sweep in Columbia, SC.

Game 1 between Vanderbilt and South Carolina was dominated by Vandy starter Kevin Ziomek who tossed eight innings of one-run ball improving his record to 9-2. Brian Miller came on to pick up the save even though he gave up a ninth inning run.

Spencer Navin hit his third home run of the year to lead Vanderbilt. The two-run shot gave Vandy an early lead that they would not relinquish.

Tyler Beede led Vandy to the Game 2 victory tossing 6.1 innings giving up two runs on just two hits. He improved his record to 12-0 on the year. Carson Fulmer pitched the final 2.2 innings to earn his fourth save.

The only change in the Top 10 was #9 South Carolina dropping down to #12 after losing two straight to #1 Vanderbilt.

The big droppers were Oklahoma (dropping five spots to #18), Arizona (dropping five spots to #27), and Georgia Tech (dropped seven spots to #30). Both Kentucky and Notre Dame dropped out of the Top 30. Replacing them are Kansas State at #28 and Pittsburgh at #28.

The biggest series this weekend comes to us from the Atlantic Coast Conference where #8 Florida State and #9 NC State will play one another in Raleigh. Both teams are fighting for position in the Atlantic Division of the ACC with Florida State (16-8) just ahead of NC State (15-8) in conference play.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (MAY 6)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests

.

After ten week of the University of North Carolina at the top of the polls, we finally have a new #1 in the NCBWA Div. I Poll in Vanderbilt.

The Vanderbilt Commodores went a perfect 4-0 this week to take over the top spot in the poll. In their weekend series, Vandy swept then #10 Mississippi State in Nashville.

They are getting it done on the hill with a team ERA of just 2.58. Leading the pitching staff is sophomore Tyler Beede who is 11-0 this season posting a 1.63 ERA through 71.2 innings of work. The former first round pick in 2011 has only given up nine extra base hits on the season holding opponents to a .178 average.

Following up Beede is junior Kevin Ziomek. The lefty is 8-2 so far with a 2.12 ERA through 80.2 innings in eleven starts. He is holding opponents to just a .164 average.

Vandy also has one of the top closers in the country in sophomore Brian Miller. Miller has posted a 0.68 ERA through 39.2 innings of work while earning 12 saves.

The Commodores have a few hitters as well. Leading the way is junior Tony Kemp who is hitting .399 through the first 45 games. Kemp has struck out just 21 times while walking 28. Conner Herrell (.314/8/52) and Vince Conde (.314/6/34) are providing some pop for the Vandy lineup.

Vandy doesn’t have an easy schedule the rest of the way either. This weekend they take on #9 South Carolina on the road in Columbia. The next weekend they will travel to Lexington and take on #26 Kentucky before finishing up their schedule at home against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

UNC dropped a spot after spending ten weeks at the top due to their 2-2 week that included a loss to #10 NC State and a loss to UNC Wilmington.

LSU (ranked #2 last week) was poised to take over the top spot with the Tar Heels 2-2 week, but they too went 2-2 losing twice to #9 South Carolina at home over the weekend.

We are getting down to the final few weeks of the regular season before the conference tournaments start at the end of May. Everyone should be in for some good baseball from here on out.

 2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (APRIL 29)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels are once again ranked #1 in the NCBWA Div. I Poll. This marks the tenth week in a row that they have been atop the standings.  Over the past week UNC went 5-0 including a weekend sweep of rival Duke.

The Tar Heels are getting it done on the pitching mound. As a team they have posted a 2.27 ERA compared to their opponents 7.96 ERA. They have limited their opponents to hitting just .202 while their offense is hitting at a .317 clip.

The offense is led by Colin Moran (.387/.507/.632) who has blasted 10 home runs. Two other hitters are hitting over .350 including Skye Bolt (.392/.509/.648) and Cody Stubbs (.373/.455/.596).

The Heels will have a big challenge this weekend traveling to #13 NC State this weekend for an ACC series.

Two teams fell out of the Top 10 this week as Arkansas fell five spots to #15, while Louisville fell three spots to #12. Replacing them in the Top 10 are UCLA (up four spots to #8) and Mississippi State (up one spot to #10).

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (APRIL 22)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

For the ninth straight week the University of North Carolina tops the NCBWA Div I Top 30 Poll. The Tar Heels went 5-0 this week including a weekend sweep of Virginia Tech. The Heels broke out in Game 1 of the series with a 21-8 victory, but needed 10 innings to pull out a 9-8 win in Game 2. UNC will face off with Duke in the upcoming weekend series.

The only team to drop out of the Top 10 was South Carolina who dropped five spots to #15 after going 1-3 this past week. The Gamecocks got swept in a three game series against Florida, who came into the series with a losing record. Taking over their spot in the Top 10 is Louisville who moved up three spots to #9.

In the series of the weekend, LSU took 2-of-3 from Arkansas to remain at #2. The Razorbacks fell two spots to #10 after going 2-3 over the past week including the two losses to LSU.

Three teams cracked poll this week with Clemson (#26), Mercer (#28), and Coastal Carolina (#30) joining the Top 30. The teams that fell out of the Top 30 were Houston, Campbell, and Florida Gulf Coast.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (APRIL 15)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

For the eighth week in a row, the University of North Carolina has topped the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll. The Tar Heels went 5-1 this past week. The only loss came in an 11 inning affair against Clemson in the second half of a double header.  In other action, the Heels rolled through its mid-week game against UNC-Wilmington and then swept a weekend series with Maryland.

The top four teams stayed in the same spot with only #5 Oregon and #10 Kentucky dropping to mix up the Top 10 a bit. The biggest movers were Arizona State, up five spots to #17, and NC State, up five spots to #20. The team with the biggest fall was Oklahoma Sate who fell seven spots to #26 after a 1-2 week.

Campbell, from the Big South Conference, makes it into the Top 30 this week coming in at #29 after going 5-0 in the past week. Virginia Tech was the only team to fall out of the poll after spending the previous week at #30.

Once again the SEC leads with the number of teams in the poll with seven followed by the Pac-12 with six.

The week ahead:

One of the best series this weekend will be #2 LSU visiting Fayetteville, Arkansas and the #9 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas.

Arkansas started the year ranked #1 in the preseason polls, but quickly fell a few weeks into the season with an 0-4 week. After plummeting to #16, they have steadily risen in the polls and now sit in the top 10 as a hot LSU team comes to town.

LSU is off to the best start in school history at 30-2. They have won 12 straight games including nine SEC games and are atop the standings with Vanderbilt.

 2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (APRIL 8)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

North Carolina leads the NCBWA Division I Poll for the sixth week in a row once again going undefeated.

Two teams dropped out of the Top 10 this week with South Carolina (#13) and Old Miss (#12) both falling this week after dropping weekend series.

The Southeastern Conference is still dominating the poll by placing eight teams in the Top 30. The ACC and Pac-12 are tied with both having five teams. All three conferences have three teams in the Top 10 with only Cal State Fullerton (Big West) being the only non major conference team.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (MARCH 25)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

The University of North Carolina held on to the No. 1 spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Div. I Pool for the fifth week in a row despite dropping their first game of the year.

The Tar Heels first loss came over the weekend it its ACC Series against the Miami Hurricane. UNC dropped the first game of the weekend series 4-1 but came back with a vengeance on Saturday to take Game 2 14-2. Prior to taking 2-of-3 from Miami, the Heels easily took care of both Gardner-Webb and High Point.

The top nine spots in the poll were unchanged this week. Number 10 Mississippi State was the only one to drop out of the Top 10 by going 2-2 this week. They dropped 2-of-3 to SEC and third-ranked LSU over the weekend at home in Starkville.

Most of the rest of the Top 30 didn’t change much. A lot of teams did a little bit of shifting but only two teams fell out of the poll, UNLV and Miami. Jumping up to take their place were Houston and Indiana.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (MARCH 18)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

For the fourth consecutive week, North Carolina claimed the top spot in the NCBWA Division I Poll. Carolina went 4-0 again this week including a weekend sweep of Wake Forest. In the middle game of the series, UNC stomped Wake 20-6.

The top five from the previous week stayed unchanged.

The Southeastern Conference is dominating the top of the poll with six of the top ten and seven of the top eleven.

Stanford was the only team to the only team to fall out of the Top 10 after going 1-3 over the week falling to #16. Ole Miss jumped up seven spots to #8 after going 5-0 this week sweeping a two game series with Southeastern Louisiana and a three game series with Lipscomb.

2013 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (MARCH 11)

Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors the Pro-Line Athletic Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.

Mount Olive took over the top spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll.

Mount Olive went 4-0 during the week sweeping a three game series with Belmont Abbey (#18 at the time) over the weekend.

Delta St. dropped one spot in the poll after going 2-1 against #8 West Florida over the weekend. All three games were close between the two top 10 teams.

None of the top 10 teams changed, they just changed order a bit. Some of the teams with the biggest jump in the standings were Incarnate World (up 5 spots to #12), Dixie St (up 7 spots to #14), and #18 Florida Tech who wasn’t in the top 30 last week.

Also Receiving Votes: UC San Diego (10), Texas A&M-Int. (8), Montevallo (8), Cal Poly Pomona (8), Seton Hill (4), Francis Marion (4), Grand Canyon (4), Wayne St.-MI (4), St. Edwards (4), UNC Pembroke (4), Western Oregon (4), Carson-Newman (2), Colorado Mesa (2), Cal. St. Los Angeles (2), Cal. St.-Monterey Bay (2), Limestone (1), Nova SE (1), St. Leo (1), Franklin Pierce (1), Adelphi (1), LeMoyne (1), Kutztown (1), West Chester (1), Mercyhurst (1), Regis (1), West Texas A&M (1), Eastern New Mexico (1), Southern Indiana (1), Drury (1), Henderson St. (1), Harding (1), Pittsburgh St. (1).

North Carolina held onto the top spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30 Poll.

The Tar Heels improved to 10-0 on the year after winning the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston. In doing so, Carolina defeated Rice (#22), Texas A&M, and California. The Heels have a great team ERA so far of just 2.05 while their offense is scoring 9.7 runs a game.

There are several hot teams right now with extended winning streaks. Mississippi State (#6) has won 15 in a row, while Oregon State (#4) and Virginia (#19) have both won 12 in a row.

A few teams didn’t fare as well this week including Texas, who went 0-4 and dropped out of the poll, and preseason #1 Arkansas who dropped 4 games this week falling to #16.

2013 NCBWA Division I Poll – March 4

Only one team in the Preseason Top 10 dropped out over the first weekend as Stanford dropped 2-of-3 to Rice dropping from #9 to #11. With the wins, Rice jumped from #20 to #10.

Stanford’s top prospect Mark Appel (L, 0-1) took the loss in the opening game pitching five innings while giving up five runs (two earned). He was out pitched by Rice starter Austin Kubitza, a Preseason Second Team All-American, who struck out 12 in the win.

Another change in the Top 10 was the swap at the top as #1 and #2 changed spots with one another.

North Carolina, the new #1, took a pair of games from Seton Hall over the weekend to take over the top spot. They are now 3-0 after a win over Coastal Carolina on Monday. Arkansas, now #2, took 2-of-3 from Western Illinois dropping the third game of the series 7-5. After a double header sweep of New Orleans on Tuesday, the Razorbacks now sit at 4-1.

UNC and Arkansas were the number ones in pretty much every preseason poll as both teams look to have strong seasons on the way to Omaha.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER’S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OF Danny Collins, Troy: Collins had a monster week as he went 8-for-14 over four games with 9 RBI as he collected one homer, two triples, two doubles and 17 total bases. During the second game of the season, he hit for the cycle, Troy’s first since 2009. He also scored nine runs and didn’t strike out.

1B/LHP Clinton Freeman, East Tennessee St.: Freeman went 8-for-10 over three games with three homers, one triple, one double and five RBI. He also scored seven runs. In two relief appearances, he struck out three and earned a save in 1 1/3 innings on the mound.

1B Zack Powers, Florida: Powers went 3-for-6 at the plate with two grand slams and 9 RBI for the Gators. Powers hit both grand slams during a 16-5 win over Duke and also collected all 9 RBI as well. He joined Preston Tucker as the only Florida players in history to accomplish this feat in one game.

RHP Trevor Foss, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Foss recorded 15 strikeouts while allowing only three hits and no runs in a complete game shutout of Texas-Pan American. He only allowed one walk.

RHP Buck Farmer, Georgia Tech.: Farmer set a career high with 14 strikeouts in eight dominant innings during a 3-0 win over Akron on opening day. He scattered four singles, and just one runner advanced past first base.

RHP Jeremy Null, Western Carolina: Null struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings against Washington State. His 13 strikeouts were the most by a Catamount pitcher since Matt Benedict had 13 during the 2011 season.

Poll and Players of the Week courtesy Baseball Collegiate Newspaper

The NCAA Division I college baseball season kicks off this weekend with North Carolina ranked #1 by Baseball America for the first time in the programs history.

UNC has had a lot of success in recent years with five trips to Omaha in the past seven seasons. And this year they return perhaps the deepest pitching staff in the country.

The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with eight total teams in the Top 25, including five of the Top 10. They are led by #2 Vanderbilt and #3 Arkansas. Last season’s runner-up, South Carolina, starts the year at #7.

The Pacific-12 Conference isn’t too far behind the SEC with a total of five teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference ranks third with four teams.

Defending national champion Arizona enters the season after losing a lot of key players just cracking the Top 25 in at #24.

New Mexico is making its first ever appearance in the preseason polls. The last time it made the Baseball America Top 25 was back in early 2009.

2013 Baseball America Preseason Top 25

Baseball America released its High School Baseball Preseason Top 25.

Last season’s top team Parkview HS (Lilburn, GA) is once again at the top of the polls. They join two other schools from Georgia in the top 25 including Grayson HS (Loganville, GA) and Gainsville HS.

California leads all states with seven teams in the top 25 including three in the top 10. Florida put five schools in the top 25, while Texas placed four in the top 25 including three in the top 10.

Eight of the preseason top 25 teams will play in the USA Baseball National High School Invitational to take place in Cary, North Carolina. The NHSI features some of the top high school teams in the country playing at the USA National Training Complex. Last year, in its first year, the tournament featured some exciting baseball from some of the top programs.

Records below are from 2012 along with the 2012 rank in parenthesis.

Baseball America Preseason High School Top 25

1 Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.31-6 (1)
2 Campolindo HS, Moraga, Calif.23-4 (6)
3 Cathedral Catholic HS, San Diego 30-5 (NR)
4 Spruce Creek HS, Port Orange, Fla. 28-4 (8)
5 Dulles HS, Sugar Land, Texas 27-8 (NR)
6 American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla. 27-4 (4)
7 Carroll HS, Southlake, Texas 25-13 (NR)
8 Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif. 24-6 (17)
9 Grayson HS, Loganville, Ga. 27-9 (NR)
10 The Woodlands (Texas) HS 24-8 (NR)
11 Venice (Fla.) HS 24-8 (25)
12 Rancho Bernardo HS, San Diego 23-10 (NR)
13 Jenks (Okla.) HS 24-18 (NR)
14 Loganville (Ga.) HS 31-9 (23)
15 Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La. 35-6 (14)
16 Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif. 24-5 (26)
17 Cypress (Texas) Woods HS 21-9
18 Cherry Creek HS, Greenwood Village, Colo. 24-3 (27)
19 Gainesville (Ga.) HS 32-2 (49)
20 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS 23-5 (16)
21 Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz. 23-9 (NR)
22 Tullahoma (Tenn.) HS 27-13 (NR)
23 Jesuit HS, Tampa 28-2 (11)
24 North Florida Christian HS, Tallahassee, Fla. 17-10 (NR)
25 Coronado HS, Henderson, Nev. 29-10 (NR)

The 2013 Preseason College Baseball Coach’s Poll has been released with some of the major power conferences dominating.

The SEC placed 8 teams in the top 25 including 4 in the top 10. The Pac-12 followed with 4 in the top 10 and 6 total in the top 25.

The top 10 is made up of only 3 different conferences as the ACC picked up the last 2 spots not held by the SEC or Pac-12.

Rank…Team…First Pl. Votes…2012 Record

1. Arkansas (10) (46-22)

2. UCLA (4) (48-16)

3. LSU (3) (47-18)

4. North Carolina (4) (46-16)

5. South Carolina (49-20)

6. Oregon (46-19)

7. Stanford (1) 41-18

8. Vanderbilt (3) (35-28)

9. Florida St. (2) (50-17)

10. Arizona (3) (48-17)

11. North Carolina St. (43-20)

12. TCU (40-22)

13. Florida (1) (47-20)

14. Oregon St. (40-20)

15. Kentucky (45-18)

16. Oklahoma (42-25)

17. Rice (41-19)

18. T- Mississippi St. (40-24)

18. T- San Diego (40-17)

20. Arizona St. (36-20)

21. Georgia Tech (38-26)

22. Cal State Fullerton (36-21)

23. Baylor (49-17)

24. Texas A&M (43-18)

25. T- Virginia (40-18-1)

25. T – Louisville (41-22)

Others receiving votes: Mississippi (37-26) 92; Texas (30-22) 84; Kent State (47-20) 68; Clemson (35-28) 63; Miami (Fla.) (36-23) 61; St. John’s (40-23) 58; Stony Brook (52-15) 28; Central Florida (45-17) 27; Purdue (45-14) 26; Tulane (38-20) 19; UC-Irvine (31-25) 13; Pepperdine (36-23) 9; Missouri State (40-22) 8; California (29-25) 6; Oklahoma State (32-25) 6; Georgia (31-26) 5; New Mexico (37-24) 5; Southern Mississippi (32-24) 5; North Carolina-Wilmington (39-23) 3; Sam Houston State (40-22) 3; Cal Poly (36-20) 2; Coastal Carolina (42-19) 2; Dallas Baptist (41-19) 2; Fresno State (31-28) 2; Notre Dame (31-27) 1; Virginia Tech (34-21) 1; Wichita State (35-25) 1.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released their preseason poll for Division I baseball recently with Arkansas claiming the #1 spot.

Arkansas finished third in the polls last year after a strong run in the College World Series and are returning a strong lineup. The Razorbacks return five position player starters and quite a few pitchers.

Included in the returnees are three Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans in pitchers Ryne Stanek (8-4, 2.82), Colby Suggs (7-1, 1.38), and second baseman Dominic Ficociello (.290, 6 HR, 41 RBI).

Following up Arkansas in the polls are North Carolina, Vanderbuilt, Louisiana State, and UCLA. Last year’s champion Arizona starts the season off ranked at #18 just two spots behind its in state rival Arizona State.

The top 25 is full of powerhouses like South Carolina (#7), Stanford (#9), and Texas (#21).

The top 10 is dominated by two conferences and only has teams from three. The SEC leads the way with half of the top 10 while the Pac-12 has a total of four teams. The only other conference represented is the ACC (North Carolina).

Press Release Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

LOUISIANA ST. NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Louisiana St. (43-16) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.

In one of the craziest weeks in poll history, none of the top six teams from last week escaped with a winning record as each team posted at least two losses.

Oregon, previously ranked No. 1 after winning 14 of its previous 15 games, was swept in a 3-game series at Oregon St. and slipped to 10th this week. The Ducks finished third in the Pac-12 Conference with a 19-11 record after entering last week at the top of the league with a one game lead.

LSU moved up to No. 1 despite posting a 1-2 record in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Tigers won the regular season SEC title with a 19-11 record.

Poll Notes: Several teams have been red-hot. Kent St. has won 17 in a row, New Mexico nine straight while Oregon St. has captured seven of its last eight. Four teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Texas (0-2 last week), Louisville (1-2), Texas Christian (1-2) and Utah Valley (4-0).

New to the poll this week is New Mexico (captured the Mountain West Tournament with a 4-0 record), Vanderbilt (one of the hottest teams in the nation with nine wins in its last 10 games), St. John’s (won the Big East Tournament with four straight wins) and Georgia Tech. (36-24, won ACC Tournament as the eighth seed).

Three teams barely missed being ranked in Utah Valley (47-12, won 40 of last 41 games), Stony Brook (46-11, won 22 of its last 23), and Pepperdine (34-21, won West Coast Conference title after beating San Diego two of three at home).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

1B/LHP Jake Davies, Georgia Tech.: Davies had a monster 4-game stretch at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as he went 7-for-16 with 4 homers, one double, 7 runs scored, 11 RBI (2 shy of the ACC Tournament record), 1.250 slugging percentage and walked four times. In addition to his offensive numbers, he also pitched a career-long six innings as he allowed two hits and one run during a 5-1 win over Clemson that clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament championship game.

RHP Taylor Sewitt, Manhattan: Sewitt pitched 22 scoreless innings over three straight days at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament to guide the Jaspers to the league title. He struck out 20 batters, allowed 10 hits and won three games as he threw 296 total pitches. He began with a nine inning complete game, 1-0 victory over Fairfield on Friday with 12 strikeouts. The next day, he came out of the bullpen and held Canisius scoreless in the final two innings of a 5-4, 10-inning walk-off win. Then on Sunday, he pitched 11 scoreless innings to lead Manhattan to a 3-2 win.

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

OREGON NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER POLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Oregon (41-14) has been ranked No. 1 for the second straight week in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.

The Ducks, winners of eight straight and 14 of their last 15 games, sit on top of the Pac-12 Conference with a 19-8 record. Last week, Oregon beat Southern California one game and then swept a 3-game series against Seattle. The 41 wins is the most in school history.

Poll Notes: In key top 30 games over the past week, Mississippi St. swept a 3-game series against Kentucky. The Wildcats have now lost four straight and slipped from second last week to 13th this week. Louisiana St. took two of three at South Carolina, Florida St. won two of three at home against N.C. State, Baylor won two of three against Texas, Rice took two of three against Central Florida and Texas A&M swept a 3-game series against Oklahoma St. Several teams have been hot. North Carolina has won 13 in a row as has Kent St. Stanford has captured seven straight along with Texas A&M while UCLA has won seven of its last eight. Three teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Oklahoma St. (0-4 last week), St. John’s (1-2) and Mississippi (0-4). New to the poll is Mississippi St., Miami (Fla.), and Kent St.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Tyler Duffey, Rice: Duffey struck out 13 of the 17 batters he faced in three relief appearances last week. He threw a combined 5 1/3 innings and did not allow a run or a hit. Duffey fanned three batters in 1 2/3 innings against Sam Houston St. Then he turned in a pair of brilliant performances at Central Florida. In his first outing against UCF in game two of the series, he stuck out all five batters he faced. The next day, he struck out the side in the eighth and fanned the first batter in the ninth to give him nine straight strikeouts over a 2-game span.

RF/DH Ryan Mathews, N.C. State: Mathews hit four home runs over four games and went 6-for-14 at the plate with 5 runs scored and 9 RBI. He also upped his hitting streak to 21 games as he had at least one hit in each of the four games.

RHP Mark Appel, Stanford: Appel fired a 9-inning complete game against Utah with 13 strikeouts and one walk during a 6-0 win. He allowed four hits and retired 12 straight batters at one point.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

TUCSON, Ariz. — Oregon (37-14) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll.The Ducks, winners of 10 of their last 11 games and ranked sixth last week, vaulted to the top spot after previously No. 1 Florida St. went 1-3 last week as did No. 2 Baylor. None of the top six teams from last week went unbeaten except Oregon.

The Ducks, which lead the Pac-12 Conference with an 18-8 record, have a superb 3.06 ERA and have only allowed opponents 21 stolen bases in 45 attempts this season over 51 games. Last week, Oregon beat Oregon St. and took two from Southern California with game three scheduled for today. The No. 1 ranking for Oregon is believed to be a first in program history, according to Oregon’s sports information office.

Poll Notes: In key top 30 games over the past week, Florida St. was beaten by Maryland once, Stetson once and Clemson once. The final two games of the Clemson series are scheduled today. Baylor was swept in a 3-game series by Oklahoma. Florida won two of three against Mississippi St., Kentucky swept a 3-game series against Alabama, Arizona swept a 3-game series at California and Louisville beat St. John’s two of three. Several teams have been extremely hot. Utah Valley has the longest winning streak in the nation this season at 32 games. North Carolina has strung together a 9-game winning streak. Two teams fell out of the top 30 in Coastal Carolina (2-2 last week) and Mississippi St. (2-2). Two new teams in the poll are Oklahoma (33-19) and Mississippi (34-18).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

	RHP Ross Stripling, Texas A&M: Stripling threw the 11th no-hitter in Texas A&M history during a 1-0 win over San Diego State. He only allowed one walk while striking out seven during his 106-pitch outing. On the season, Stripling is 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA and has fanned 97 batters over 103 innings.
	RHP Preston Olson, Utah Valley: Olson set a school record with 16 strikeouts over eight innings during a 10-0 win against New York Institute of Technology. Olson only allowed two hits and walked two.
	DH Nick Backlund, Mercer: Backlund belted four home runs over five games last week with eight RBI. He also scored six runs as he went 5-for-16 at the plate. On the season, Backlund is hitting .379 with 16 homers, 16 doubles and 52 RBI.

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.

Press Release: Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

TUCSON, Ariz. — Baylor (38-8) has been ranked No. 1 for the second straight week in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll conducted by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The Bears, which have won 27 of their last 28 games and are 18-0 in the Big 12 Conference, saw their 24-game winning streak snapped early last week during a 4-1 loss at Texas-San Antonio. Baylor then beat Texas-Arlington one game and New Mexico St. twice.

Poll Notes: South Carolina (33-11) has won five consecutive Southeastern Conference weekend series as well as 11 straight conference games. In key top 30 action during the past week, Arkansas beat Florida two of three, Stanford beat UCLA two of three, Texas A&M knocked off Texas two of three, Mississippi St. beat Mississippi two of three and Virginia knocked off Miami, Fla. twice. Five teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Mississippi (lost 4 of last 5), Miami, Fla. (1-2 last week), New Mexico St. (0-2), Oregon St. (2-2), and Clemson (2-2). New to the poll is Virginia (30-14-1), Coastal Carolina (30-13, won six in a row), Oklahoma St. (26-17, won eight straight), Mississippi St. (27-17), and St. John’s (28-16, first in Big East Conference at 14-4).

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

	RHP Pat Light, Monmouth: Light struck out a career-high 15 batters and walked none over eight innings against LIU Brooklyn. He set the Monmouth single-game record for strikeouts in the process.
	LHP Marco Gonzales, Gonzaga: Gonzales struck out 15 batters over 11 innings without walking a batter but did not factor in the decision as Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount, 1-0 in 12 innings. Gonzales, who threw 139 pitches in the outing, struck out six straight from the end of the eighth through two out in the 10th.
	LHP Brandon Bixler, Florida Gulf Coast: Bixler fanned a career-high 14 batters against Kennesaw St. in seven innings of work. His strikeout total was one away from the single-game program record. He allowed only one hit, one walk and no runs as he tossed 105 pitches.
	1B Saxon Butler, Samford: Butler was 9-for-21 with 3 homers, 2 doubles, a triple and 11 RBI. In a game against Davidson, he was only a single away from hitting for the cycle as he went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, home run and 3 RBI.
	DH Bobby Brown, Arizona: Brown was 9-for-12 over three games against East Tennessee St. with 1 homer, 2 triples, 1 double and 9 RBI. In addition, he swiped 3 bases and scored 6 runs.

Press Release Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Kentucky (27-2) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

It marks the first time in the history of the poll, which goes back to 1957, that the Wildcats have been No. 1. In fact, no poll has ever ranked Kentucky as the top team in the nation until now.

Off to the best overall record in school history, the Wildcats are 7-2 in the Southeastern Conference for first place. Over the past weekend, Kentucky claimed its first series at Georgia since the 2000 season, winning two of three.

Florida, ranked No. 1 the previous seven polls, slipped to second after losing two of three at Mississippi. The Gators are 24-4 overall and 6-3 in the SEC (tied for second).

Poll Notes: Major changes took place in the poll this week after key games. Arizona swept a 3-game series at home against Stanford. The Cardinal has now lost four of their last five games. Louisiana St. swept a 3-game series against Arkansas. Oregon swept a 3-game series at home against Arizona St. Texas lost two of three against California. Several teams have been red-hot. UCLA has won 18 of its last 20 games, Central Florida 10 of its last 11, Baylor 11 in a row (leads the Big 12 Conference with a 9-0 record), New Mexico St. 13 in a row, Sam Houston St. 8 straight, LSU 5 consecutive and Arizona 5 in a row. Four teams fell out of the top 30 this week in Arizona St. (1-4 last week), Georgia (1-3), Missouri St. (2-2) and St. Louis (2-2). New to the poll is San Diego (23-7, 5-1 West Coast), New Mexico St. (22-8), U.C. Irvine (17-9, 3-0 Big West), and Florida Atlantic (19-10, 8-1 Sun Belt).
The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Chris Beck, Georgia Southern: Beck struck out 18 batters last week as he earned a save and a win in two appearances. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory over Georgia Tech last Tuesday. Then three days later, he fanned 16 batters against College of Charleston over six innings, two short of the school record and four away from the Southern Conference mark of 20, to earn his third win of the season. Sixteen of the 18 outs he recorded were via strikeouts.

LF/DH J.P. Maples, Central Oklahoma: During a 3-game span, Maples hit 5 home runs and went 6-for-12 at the plate. He also delivered 11 RBI and scored 7 runs. Prior to those three games, Maples had hit only five home runs on the season over 24 games. Overall in 2012, he is hitting .442 with 17 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBI.

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.

Central Missouri takes over the number 1 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Div. II Poll. Last weeks number 1, Tampa, dropped to 8th overall after losing 2 of 3 to Florida Tech over the weekend. Three teams dropped out of the top 10 with St. Mary’s (TX) dropping from 7th to 11th. Delta St went from 3rd to 14th, and Columbus St. dropped from 9th to 24th.

Also Receiving Votes: Cal Poly Pomona (16), Harding (14), Newman (14), E. Stroudsburg (14), Franklin Pierce (8), Cal. St. Monterey Bay (8), Florida Tech. (8), Montevallo (6), Flagler (4), West Texas A&M (4), Mesa (2), Georgia College (2), Sonoma (2), N.C. Pembroke (1), Belmont Abbey (1), Texas A&M-Kingsville (1), Missouri Southern (1), St. Edwards (1), S.E. Oklahoma (1), Florida Southern (1), Rollins (1), Rockhurst (1), Ashland (1), Wayne St., NE (1), Augustana (1), Concordia (1).

Not Reporting: LeMoyne, West Chester, Kutztown.

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Press Release

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Florida (19-1) has been ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division I baseball poll by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The Gators, ranked No. 1 six consecutive polls, have won a school-record 17 in a row. Over the past weekend, Florida swept a 3-game series against Vanderbilt.

Poll Notes: Several other teams have been impressive. Kentucky (21-0) is still unbeaten after winning three straight games at home against two-time defending national champion South Carolina (previously ranked No. 2) over the past weekend. The Wildcats now own the third longest winning streak in Southeastern Conference history behind only the 23-game streak from 2010 NCAA champion LSU and the 22-game streak from South Carolina’s 2000 team. Kentucky is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I baseball. After the impressive trio of wins, Kentucky jumped from 16th to second in the poll this week while South Carolina slipped to sixth. Arkansas and Texas Christian have each won 9 in a row while N.C. State has won 10 of its last 11.

Four teams fell out of the poll, including Oklahoma (5 straight losses), Wake Forest (2-3 last week), California (0-4), and Texas Tech. (2-4). New to top 30 this week is Texas Christian, Texas (won 5 in a row), Baylor (swept a 3-game series against Texas Tech.) and Appalachian St. (17-3 overall). In other key series over the past weekend, UCLA beat Arizona St. two of three, N.C. State swept a 3-game series against Wake Forest, Texas swept three from Oklahoma and Oregon St. swept three from California.

The Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll is the oldest college baseball poll. Its birth took place during the 1957 college baseball season.

(Top 30 Agate Follows)

“LOUISVILLE SLUGGER‘S“ NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

RHP Chris Stratton, Mississippi St.: Stratton struck out a career-best 17 batters against Louisiana St. over 8 2/3 innings in a no-decision start. He fanned all nine LSU starters in the lineup, struck out two Tiger batters three times and recorded a trio of 3-strikeout innings. His 17 strikeouts is the most by a Bulldog pitcher since 1992.

RHP Ben Bullard, Alabama Birmingham: Bullard tied a school record with 15 strikeouts during 8 2/3 innigs against Michigan. He struck out at least one batter in eight of the nine innings he worked.

RHP Matthew Reckling, Rice: Reckling struck out a career-high 13 batters over 6 innings during a 12-1 win over Grambling.

RHP Marcus Stroman, Duke: Stroman struck out 13 batters over 7 innings during a 5-1 win over Miami, Fla. From the fourth through the seventh innings, he struck out nine of the final 14 batters he faced.

	LF Zach Taylor, Armstrong Atlantic St.: Taylor hit .545 (12-for-22) with 19 RBIs over 5 games for the Pirates. He collected 2 homers, 2 doubles, 2 triples and 24 total bases on the week and scored 11 runs.
	1B Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech: Stephens hit 4 homers in 4 games last week as he collected 8 RBIs and scored 7 runs. Stephens has now hit a home run in his last five games.

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.

Also Receiving Votes: Cal. Poly Pomona (16), Fancis Marion (14), Wayne St., MI (14), Western Oregon (10), Mesa St. (10), Sonoma St. (8), Texas A&M-Kingsville (6), Winona (4), Flagler (4), Wayne St., NE (2), Cameron (2), Armstrong Atlantic (2), Mt. Olive (1), Belmont Abbey (1), Florida Southern (1), Barry (1), Rollins (1), Florida Tech. (1), Eckerd (1), Shippensburg (1), New Mexico Highlands (1).

Courtesy Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

Follow Baseball de World on Twitter or Facebook and don’t forget to join our Newsletter.