PEMBROKE, N.C. (NCBWA) – A midweek road loss did nothing to dampen defending national champion North Greenville’s reign atop the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 Poll on Wednesday afternoon, as the Crusaders raked in all 20 first-place votes to assume their perch atop the ranking for the eighth-straight week.
The Crusaders’ 8-week reign atop the poll extends back into Week 14 of the 2022 campaign, and is tied for the fourth-longest perch atop the NCBWA Division II Top 25 in the 21-year history of the ranking. Tampa occupied the No. 1 spot for 18 weeks during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
North Greenville ranks among NCAA Division II’s top-15 teams in seven statistical categories, including the nation’s 6th-best hit total and 15th-best home run tally. The Crusaders are averaging 9.5 runs per game heading into this weekend’s Conference Carolinas home series against Erskine.
Two teams – East Stroudsburg (No. 18) and Quincy (No. 23) – re-entered the national rankings this week after varying lengths of absences. Arkansas Tech checked into the poll at No. 20 – its first appearance in the NCBWA Top 25 since Week 1 (February 16) last season.
| 2023 NCBWA DIVISION II POLL (MARCH 8) | |||||
| Rk. | School [1st place] | Location | Record | Pts. | Pvs. |
| 1. | North Greenville [20] | Tigerville, S.C. | 17-2 | 500 | 1 |
| 2. | Tampa | Tampa, Fla. | 13-3 | 463 | 2 |
| 3. | Angelo State | San Angelo, Texas | 17-3 | 456 | 3 |
| 4. | Cal State San Bernardino | San Bernardino, Calif. | 13-1 | 433 | 5 |
| 5. | Central Oklahoma | Edmond, Okla. | 13-2 | 401 | 10 |
| 6. | Columbus State | Columbus, Ga. | 14-3 | 388 | 6 |
| 7. | Montevallo | Montevallo, Ala. | 15-2 | 375 | 8 |
| 8. | Illinois-Springfield | Springfield, Ill. | 9-3 | 336 | 12 |
| t9. | Southern Arkansas | Magnolia, Ark. | 12-5 | 311 | 4 |
| t9. | Southern New Hampshire | Manchester, N.H. | 7-1 | 311 | 9 |
| 11. | Point Loma | San Diego, Calif. | 8-3 | 296 | 11 |
| 12. | Millersville | Millersville, Pa. | 15-4 | 292 | 16 |
| 13. | MSU Denver | Denver, Colo. | 15-3 | 273 | 13 |
| 14. | Lenoir-Rhyne | Hickory, N.C. | 16-5 | 203 | 24 |
| 15. | West Georgia | Carrollton, Ga. | 13-3 | 178 | 25 |
| 16. | Hawaii Hilo | Hilo, Hawaii | 10-2 | 170 | 23 |
| 17. | Molloy | Rockville Centre, N.Y. | 6-1 | 149 | 19 |
| 18. | East Stroudsburg | East Stroudsburg, Pa. | 11-2 | 145 | RV |
| 19. | St. Edward's | Austin, Texas | 12-5 | 130 | 22 |
| 20. | Arkansas Tech | Russellville, Ark. | 14-5 | 124 | NR |
| 21. | UNC Pembroke | Pembroke, N.C. | 13-4 | 121 | 18 |
| 22. | Valdosta State | Valdosta, Ga. | 13-5 | 99 | 17 |
| 23. | Quincy | Quincy, Ill. | 8-3 | 89 | RV |
| 24. | Cal Poly Pomona | Pomona, Calif. | 10-3 | 82 | 15 |
| 25. | West Chester | West Chester, Pa. | 8-3 | 63 | 7 |
| Also receiving votes: Indianapolis (6-0) 26; Colorado Mesa (9-6) 18; Franklin Pierce (4-1) 13; Newberry (14-4) 13; Minnesota State (7-3) 12; Florida Southern (11-4) 9; Ashland (5-1) 5; Rollins (11-4) 3; UT Tyler (13-7) 2; Southern Connecticut State (4-2) 1. | |||||
| Dropped out: Wingate (14); Henderson State (20); Drury (21). | |||||
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