PEMBROKE, N.C. (NCBWA) A quiet week on the baseball diamond produced very little change in the NCBWA Division II Top 25 as Angelo State raked in 14 of a possible 19 first-place votes to retain its perch atop the listing in the first regular season edition of the national poll.
Teams listed in the Top 25 this week have combined to play just 35 games in the 2021 season thus far, while 14 squads have yet to lift the lid on the 2021 campaign. Central Missouri is the newest edition to the first-place-vote club as the Mules picked up a first-place nod despite enjoying an idle week. Tampa closed the gap on the front-running Rams in the points column despite losing a trio of first-place votes from their preseason tally. The top nine spots in the listing remained unchanged, while Southern Arkansas leapt six spots to No. 10 following a series win at Henderson State.
Four new teams entered the national ranking this week, including Missouri Southern who posted a season-opening sweep of Flagler on the road. Franklin Pierce and Lee are back in the NCBWA Division II Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 21, 2017 (Week 1), while UNC Pembroke makes its first appearance in the listing since Feb. 28, 2018 (Week 2).
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 Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.