PEMBROKE, N.C. (NBCWA) – Despite absorbing its first setback of the season via a road loss inside league play, defending national champion North Greenville continued its 7-week reign atop the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll on Wednesday, raking in all 19 of the available first-place votes in the process.
The Crusaders saw their 19-game multi-season win streak come to a close with a 6-3 setback in the series finale at Conference Carolinas foe Francis Marion on Saturday, but held on to No. 1 thanks to losses by a handful of others among the top 5. MSU Denver proved to be the biggest mover in this week’s national ranking as the Roadrunners tacked up 36 runs in a weekend sweep of Mary to propel a 10-spot jump up to No. 13.
Hawaii Hilo jumped back into Wednesday’s national ranking, and was joined by three teams making their season debuts. Henderson State (No. 20) and Drury (No. 21) are back in the national spotlight for the first time since late-season appearance in 2022. West Georgia makes its first appearance in the NCBWA Top 25 since Feb. 21, 2018 (Week 1).
| 2023 NCBWA DIVISION II POLL (MARCH 1) | |||||
| Rk. | School [1st place] | Location | Record | Pts. | Pvs. |
| 1. | North Greenville [19] | Tigerville, S.C. | 13-1 | 475 | 1 |
| 2. | Tampa | Tampa, Fla. | 10-2 | 441 | 4 |
| 3. | Angelo State | San Angelo, Texas | 13-3 | 436 | 2 |
| 4. | Southern Arkansas | Magnolia, Ark. | 10-3 | 425 | 3 |
| 5. | Cal State San Bernardino | San Bernardino, Calif. | 9-1 | 387 | T6 |
| 6. | Columbus State | Columbus, Ga. | 11-3 | 370 | 5 |
| 7. | West Chester | West Chester, Pa. | 6-1 | 339 | 8 |
| 8. | Montevallo | Montevallo, Ala. | 12-1 | 337 | 10 |
| 9. | Southern New Hampshire | Manchester, N.H. | 7-1 | 318 | 9 |
| 10. | Central Oklahoma | Edmond, Okla. | 11-2 | 281 | 13 |
| 11. | Point Loma | San Diego, Calif. | 8-3 | 275 | 11 |
| 12. | Illinois-Springfield | Springfield, Ill. | 8-3 | 262 | 12 |
| 13. | MSU Denver | Denver, Colo. | 12-2 | 234 | 23 |
| 14. | Wingate | Wingate, N.C. | 11-4 | 216 | 22 |
| 15. | Cal Poly Pomona | Pomona, Calif. | 8-1 | 206 | 16 |
| 16. | Millersville | Millersville, Pa. | 10-3 | 182 | 18 |
| 17. | Valdosta State | Valdosta, Ga. | 10-4 | 158 | 24 |
| 18. | UNC Pembroke | Pembroke, N.C. | 10-3 | 139 | 14 |
| 19. | Molloy | Rockville Centre, N.Y. | 6-1 | 132 | 20 |
| 20. | Henderson State | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 10-4 | 114 | RV |
| 21. | Drury | Springfield, Mo. | 9-2 | 101 | RV |
| 22. | St. Edward's | Austin, Texas | 9-4 | 93 | 15 |
| 23. | Hawaii Hilo | Hilo, Hawaii | 10-2 | 64 | RV |
| 24. | Lenoir-Rhyne | Hickory, N.C. | 13-4 | 56 | 25 |
| 25. | West Georgia | Carrollton, Ga. | 9-3 | 35 | NR |
| Also receiving votes: East Stroudsburg (8-2) 30; Northwood (6-1) 22; Minnesota State (4-1) 9; Franklin Pierce (4-1) 7; Quincy (4-3) 7; San Francisco State (9-2) 7; UT Tyler (10-6) 7; Colorado Mesa (6-5) 5; Florida Southern (9-4) 4; Newberry (12-3) 3. | |||||
| Dropped out: Colorado Mesa (t6); West Florida (17); Quincy (19); Rogers State (21). | |||||
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.