2016 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll - Cascade Collegiate Conference Skip To Main Content

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2016 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll

2016 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll

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By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second-straight season, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) ranks No. 1 in the postseason edition of the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The Warriors, who won the 60th annual Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series last week, claimed all 15 first-place votes and 405 total points en route to their 57th top billing since 2000. 

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000)
• Lewis-Clark State won its second-straight and 18th all-time World Series title last Friday with a 12-11 victory over Faulkner (Ala.). The contest was a rematch of the 2013 championship game, which was won by the Eagles. 
• Lewis-Clark State and Faulkner combined for a NAIA World Series single-game record 11 home runs in the game. The previous record was eight set in 1987.
• The Warriors, who own the association’s longest active streak in the Top 25 at 156-consecutive polls, were ranked in the top five in every poll this season. Faulkner also boasts this distinction.
• Rounding out the top five are No. 2 Faulkner, No. 3 Bellevue (Neb.), No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan and No. 5 Sterling (Kan.). Sterling makes the largest jump among the group, leaping four spots from its perch at No. 9 on May 13.
• Three teams have been ranked No. 1 this season: Faulkner (twice), Georgia Gwinnett (seven times) and Lewis-Clark State (twice).
• Two newcomers joined the Top 25 – No. 6 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and No. 11 Point (Ga.). The Blue Raiders, who were receiving votes in the final regular-season edition, won five-straight elimination games in the Lawrenceville Opening Round Bracket to make their second-straight appearance at the World Series. Lindsey Wilson went 2-2 at the 60th annual event.
• Point became the only No. 5 seed in the eight-year history of the Opening Round format to advance to Lewiston. The Skyhawks won the Savannah Opening Round Bracket.
• Among teams ranked in the final regular-season poll, The Master’s (Calif.) highlights the positive movement, vaulting 16 spots from No. 24 to No. 8. The Mustangs won the Santa Barbara Opening Round Bracket and posted a 1-2 record at the World Series.
• Conversely, former No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett dropped a poll-high nine spots to No. 10.
• Middle Georgia State (No. 17), Texas Wesleyan (No. 21) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) (No. 23) fell out of the Top 25.
• The Golden State Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Southern States Athletic Conference and The Sun Conference lead all leagues with three teams represented each. 
• Outside of Lewis-Clark State, 10 other teams have been ranked No. 1 in at least two polls: Oklahoma City (32), former member Lubbock Christian (Texas) (13), former member Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (11), Faulkner (10), Georgia Gwinnett (8), LSU Shreveport (La.) (6), former member Lee (Tenn.) (6), Cumberland (6) and Tennessee Wesleyan (2).

Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on. 
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2016 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Postseason Poll (June 8)
RANK PRVS^ SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) RECORD TOTAL POINTS
1 4 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (15) 50-8 405
2 3 Faulkner (Ala.) 53-15 392
3 2 Bellevue (Neb.) 54-12 379
4 5 Tennessee Wesleyan 50-15 366
5 9 Sterling (Kan.) 52-16 352
6 RV Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 44-25 335
7 6 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) 46-17 323
8 24 The Master's (Calif.) 42-19 316
9 11 Science & Arts (Okla.) 48-13 301
10 1 Georgia Gwinnett 57-6 287
11 NR Point (Ga.) 35-30 257
12 10 Missouri Baptist 45-15 249
13 8 USC Beaufort (S.C.) 44-14 245
14 12 York (Neb.) 46-17 241
15 7 Westmont (Calif.) 42-13 231
16 13 Tabor (Kan.) 45-18 209
17 15 Campbellsville (Ky.) 38-15 193
18 14 Jamestown (N.D.) 52-11 185
19 16 Vanguard (Calif.) 40-17-1 179
20 T25 William Carey (Miss.) 40-21 157
21 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) 38-22 144
22 18 Madonna (Mich.) 41-17 130
23 T25 Keiser (Fla.) 40-22 104
24 19 IU Southeast (Ind.) 42-13 95
25 20 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 41-19 88

Dropped from Top 25: Middle Georgia State (No. 17); Texas Wesleyan (No. 21); Wayland Baptist (Texas) (No. 23) 

Others receiving votes: Texas Wesleyan 82; Davenport (Mich.) 62; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 55; Middle Georgia State 51; Central Methodist (Mo.) 23; Midland (Neb.) 14; Central Baptist (Ark.) 12; Taylor (Ind.) 10; Rio Grande (Ohio) 3. 

 

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