PEMBROKE, N.C. (NCBWA) – It was déjà vu all over again in Wednesday's release of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 as defending national champion North Greenville raked in all 20 available first-place votes to retain the No. 1 spot for the 10th-straight poll.
The Crusaders matched Angelo State (2020-21) for the second-longest reign at No. 1 in the 21-year history of the NCBWA Division II Top 25 which debuted in time for the 2003 season. Tampa holds the record for longest reign as the Spartans stayed on top of the national ranking for 18-straight weeks during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Three teams – Azusa Pacific (19), Rollins (21) and West Texas A&M (25) – re-entered the NCBWA Division II Top 25 this week for the first time since the preseason edition of the poll, while three other squads – Franklin Piece (15), Wayne State (Mich.) (16) and New Haven (24) – made their season debut in the national ranking.
It is New Haven's first appearance in the listing since the Chargers locked up a No. 8 spot in the final poll of the 2018 campaign.
| 2023 NCBWA DIVISION II POLL (MARCH 22) | |||||
| Rk. | School [1st place] | Location | Record | Pts. | Pvs. |
| 1. | North Greenville [20] | Tigerville, S.C. | 24-2 | 500 | 1 |
| 2. | Tampa | Tampa, Fla. | 20-4 | 475 | 2 |
| 3. | Angelo State | San Angelo, Texas | 26-4 | 458 | 3 |
| 4. | Cal State San Bernardino | San Bernardino, Calif. | 19-3 | 424 | 4 |
| 5. | Montevallo | Montevallo, Ala. | 21-4 | 406 | 6 |
| 6. | Millersville | Millersville, Pa. | 21-4 | 384 | 8 |
| 7. | Missouri Southern State | Joplin, Mo. | 19-7 | 359 | 11 |
| 8. | Quincy | Quincy, Ill. | 15-3 | 331 | 15 |
| 9. | Newberry | Newberry, S.C. | 22-4 | 321 | 23 |
| 10. | St. Edward's | Austin, Texas | 19-6 | 307 | 12 |
| 11. | Southern Arkansas | Magnolia, Ark. | 18-7 | 284 | 14 |
| 12. | West Georgia | Carrollton, Ga. | 20-4 | 282 | 17 |
| 13. | UNC Pembroke | Pembroke, N.C. | 21-5 | 247 | 16 |
| 14. | East Stroudsburg | East Stroudsburg, Pa. | 17-3 | 204 | 18 |
| 15. | Franklin Pierce | Rindge, N.H. | 12-4 | 194 | RV |
| 16. | Wayne State | Detroit, Mich. | 12-2 | 171 | RV |
| 17. | Columbus State | Columbus, Ga. | 19-6 | 163 | 9 |
| 18. | Colorado Mesa | Grand Junction, Colo. | 15-7 | 141 | 24 |
| 19. | Azusa Pacific | Azusa, Calif. | 16-10 | 139 | NR |
| 20. | Arkansas Tech | Russellville, Ark. | 19-7 | 138 | 20 |
| 21. | Rollins | Winter Park, Fla. | 17-7 | 97 | RV |
| 22. | Hawaii Hilo | Hilo, Hawaii | 15-6 | 77 | 13 |
| 23. | Illinois-Springfield | Springfield, Ill. | 14-7 | 70 | 5 |
| 24. | New Haven | New Haven, Conn. | 11-3 | 61 | RV |
| 25. | West Texas A&M | Canyon, Texas | 19-7 | 50 | RV |
| Also receiving votes: Central Missouri (18-7) 40; USC Aiken (19-7) 34; Valdosta State (18-8) 34; West Chester (12-6) 27; Southern New Hampshire (11-7) 21; Maryville (15-6) 13; Shippensburg (16-8) 8; Cal State Monterey Bay (14-9) 7; Barry (19-6) 6; Pace (13-2) 3; Wingate (18-9) 2; Minnesota State (13-4) 1; MSU Denver (19-7) 1. | |||||
| Dropped out: Lenoir-Rhyne (7); Southern New Hampshire (10); Florida Southern (19); Indianapolis (21); Cal Poly Pomona (22); West Chester (25). | |||||
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.