North Greenville (44-8) tops NCBWA Division II Poll

PEMBROKE, N.C. (NCBWA) – Defending national champion North Greenville’s quick exit from the Conference Carolinas Tournament helped red hot Angelo State chip away at the foundation, but it was not enough to oust the Crusaders from the No. 1 spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 on Wednesday.

North Greenville staked claim to the No. 1 spot in the listing for the 17th-straight poll on Wednesday after logging a dozen first-place votes. The Rams pulled in seven of the remaining first-place votes to settle into the No. 2 spot – just four points behind the Crusaders – while Tampa raked in the remaining first-place vote to claim the No. 3 ranking for the sixth-straight week.

Having completed its 2023 regular season campaign, North Greenville will await its NCAA Tournament fate when the 56-team field is announced on Sunday evening at 10 p.m. ET at NCAA.com. Angelo State will battle Lubbock Christian for the Lone State Conference tournament title on Thursday at home. Tampa is scheduled to travel to central South Carolina for a marquee series against No. 9 Newberry.

Two teams – Young Harris (No. 20) and Mount Olive (No. 25) – re-entered Wednesday’s Top 25 poll after short hiatuses..

2023 NCBWA DIVISION II POLL (MAY 10)
Rk.School [1st place]LocationRecordPts.Pvs.
1. North Greenville [12] Tigerville, S.C. 44-8 490 1
2. Angelo State [7] San Angelo, Texas 44-8 486 2
3. Tampa [1] Tampa, Fla. 37-9 462 3
4. Central Missouri Warrensburg, Mo. 38-13 429 4
5. Colorado Mesa Grand Junction, Colo. 41-9 407 5
6. Quincy Quincy, Ill. 40-9 392 7
7. Millersville Millersville, Pa. 40-7 369 8
8. Rollins Winter Park, Fla. 34-13 337 9
9. Newberry Newberry, S.C. 39-10 332 10
10. Southern New Hampshire Machester, N.H. 37-10 308 11
11. Missouri Southern State Joplin, Mo. 40-13 282 T13
12. Cal State Monterey Bay Seaside, Calif. 33-15 279 T13
13. Wayne State Detroit, Mich. 38-10 266 12
14. St. Edward's Austin, Texas 38-13 230 T13
15. West Florida Pensacola, Fla. 34-15 203 17
16. Seton Hill Greensburg, Pa. 40-10 184 16
17. Point Loma San Diego Calif. 34-12 171 20
18. Southern Arkansas Magnolia, Ark. 36-16 146 18
19. Illinois-Springfield Springfield, Ill. 35-11 128 21
20. Young Harris Young Harris, Ga. 38-15 124 RV
21. Cal State San Bernardino San Bernardino, Calif. 35-15 91 6
22. UT Tyler Tyler, Texas 37-15 89 23
23. Montevallo Montevallo, Ark,. 38-15 69 22
t24. Charleston Charleston, W. Va. 39-9 56 24
t24. Mount Olive Mount Olive, N.C. 35-16 56 NR
Also receiving votes: MSU Denver (40-10) 36; Southern Connecticut State (29-15) 30; UNC Pembroke (38-15) 18; Ouachita Baptist (37-15) 12; East Stroudsburg (35-11) 6; Molloy (33-15) 8; Azusa Pacific (31-17) 3; Augustana (S.D.) (39-16) 1.
Dropped out: UNC Pembroke (19); MSU Denver (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.