NCBWA News from Bo Carter News

2023 NCAA champion LSU remains No. 1 after winning two of three road games against South Carolina, while Texas still stands at No. 2. North Carolina edged ahead of No. 4 Florida State for the third position after a pair of wins in Tallahassee, Florida, last week. Arkansas is No. 5 for the second week in a row.

The Dick Howser Trophy Committee, in conjunction with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, has revealed the semifinalists for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear. This prestigious award in college baseball has been given to the top player based on two rounds of national voting by NCBWA members since 1987.

2023 NCAA champion LSU has become the fifth school – all from the Southeastern Conference – to gain the No.1 ranking after Arkansas topped the survey on May 5. The Tigers downed the Razorbacks twice in three games last weekend while Texas retained the No. 2 post. Florida State moved up to a season-high No. 3 ahead of North Carolina and Arkansas.

Texas, Clemson and Oregon State hold the top three positions against challenging opposition while LSU edged ahead of No. 5 Tennessee for the No. 4 position after winning two of three games from the Volunteers last week. No. 10 West Virginia saw its 14-game winning streak ended 3-2 at Penn State but then swept UCF to capture 17 of its last 18 contests. The Mountaineers also are tied with Texas and Arkansas for the most wins nationally in DI at 37-5.

Texas, Clemson and Oregon State hold the top three positions against challenging opposition while LSU edged ahead of No. 5 Tennessee for the No. 4 position after winning two of three games from the Volunteers last week. No. 10 West Virginia saw its 14-game winning streak ended 3-2 at Penn State but then swept UCF to capture 17 of its last 18 contests. The Mountaineers also are tied with Texas and Arkansas for the most wins nationally in DI at 37-5.

Michael Coker, founder and executive director of Black College Championships LLC and founder of the Black College World Series as well as lead contemporary reporter for the Black College Nines website, passed away Tuesday, April 22, after a lengthy battle with pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Texas and Clemson maintained the top two spots from last week while Oregon State reached a season-high No. 3 position. Previous No. 1 Tennessee is No. 4, while LSU holds down the No. 5 ranking. Streaking No. 10 West Virginia, NCAA-best current longest winning streak at 14 games, has the fewest setbacks of any Division I member at 34-4 overall. The Mountaineers climbed eight places from the April 14 survey.

Texas becomes the fourth different squad – all from the Southeastern Conference – to rank No. 1 this spring in the survey. Clemson jumped to a season-high No. 2, while Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia round out the top five, scrambled from last week after a whirlwind weekend of conference series activity.

Arkansas regained the No. 1 position for the second time in ’25 after sweeping four games and a Southeastern Conference series for the second week in succession to advance to 30-3 this spring. Texas moved up to a season-best No. 2 while LSU jumped from No. 5 to 3 ahead of Clemson at No. 4 (tying for its best ranking this year) and No. 5 Tennessee.

Arkansas has jumped into the No. 1 position for the first time this season after previous No. 1 Tennessee had a 2-2 week and ended a 22-game win streak with a loss to East Tennessee State, 7-6 in 10 innings on March 18. Southeastern Conference quad-leaders (with Texas) Georgia and Tennessee are now Nos. 2 and 3 nationally. Atlantic Coast Conference power Clemson now is No. 4 (with a jump from No. 7 last week) while Florida State at No. 6 follows No. 5 LSU of the SEC.

Arkansas has jumped into the No. 1 position for the first time this season after previous No. 1 Tennessee had a 2-2 week and ended a 22-game win streak with a loss to East Tennessee State, 7-6 in 10 innings on March 18. Southeastern Conference quad-leaders (with Texas) Georgia and Tennessee are now Nos. 2 and 3 nationally. Atlantic Coast Conference power Clemson now is No. 4 (with a jump from No. 7 last week) while Florida State at No. 6 follows No. 5 LSU of the SEC.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 28th year with its 2025 weekly surveys. Tennessee, of the Southeastern Conference, remains at No. 1 for the third week in a row after sweeping its four games last week. The Volunteers of coach, Tony Vitello, now have won 22 games in succession since capturing the 2024 NCAA World Series and 26 of their last 27 games since June 2024. LSU remains No. 2 in the survey ahead of Arkansas, Florida State and Georgia.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 28th year with its 2025 weekly surveys. Tennessee remains as No. 1 for the second week in succession as LSU moved up two places to No. 2. Rounding out this week’s top five are North Carolina, Florida State and Arkansas.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 28th year with its 2025 weekly surveys. Tennessee (11-0) has nailed down the No. 1 place in the poll after Texas A&M (now No. 2) was the top-ranked team for the first three polls. Some of the big movers from week three to week four were Oklahoma from receiving votes to No. 19 and Alabama from receiving votes to No. 23.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continues its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 28th year with its 2025 weekly surveys. Texas A&M remains No. 1 for the third week in succession as Southeastern Conference squads remain in the Nos. 1-4 places for the second week in a row.

The Texas A&M Aggies (3-0) hold down the top spot for the second week in succession, while defending NCAA champion Tennessee remains second among the top-25 teams.

Liberty’s Ryan Bomberger, one of the most experienced and top baseball publicity directors at the college level in the nation, is the 49th recipient of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Russell D. Anderson/Wilbur Snypp Award for national contributions to college baseball.

No. 1 Tennessee captured its first NCAA Baseball Championship this year after starting 2024 at No. 5 in the NCBWA polls while NCAA runnerup was preseason No. 10 Texas A&M.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has established a new award honoring student-athletes who are active in service and volunteerism in their communities and will honor nine finalists as part of a Tony Gwynn Community 9 Team in May 2025. A winner selected from the nine finalists will be dubbed the Tony Gwynn Community Service Trophy honoree and announced during the Men’s College World Series in June.

Todd Helton, the 1995 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear recipient, has another feather in his already-extensive baseball cap. Helton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last week in Cooperstown, New York, as the first Howser Trophy winner and first Tennessee alumnus to be recognized with this high baseball honor.