PEMBROKE, N.C. (NCBWA) A fall from the top spot last week offered additional motivation to defending national champion Wingate, and the Bulldogs delivered with two wins on their way to collecting eight first-place votes to reestablish themselves as the top team in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 on Wednesday.
Wingate left itself little room for negotiation as Tampa picked up seven first-place votes as well and trail the Bulldogs by just four points in the race for the No. 1 position. Point Loma picked up four first-place votes to nestle into the No. 3 spot after pushing their win streak to eight games with a pair of victories over the weekend.
Lubbock Christian (No. 24) returned to the national rankings after a one-week hiatus, but two teams made their season debut in the listing this week. Cal State Monterey Bay (No. 19) is in the Top 25 for the first time since March 22, 2016 (Week 6), while Drury (No. 25) is nationally ranked for the first time since April 11, 2017 (Week 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 Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.