Reigning National Champion Tabbed No. 1 in the 2011 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll
Nov. 16, 2010
Contact: Amanda Dahl, NAIA Manager of Sports Information & Media Services, adahl@naia.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Reigning national champion Cumberland (Tenn.) has been tabbed No. 1 in the 2011 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Bulldogs were awarded 16 first-place votes for 556 points to earn the top spot. Lee (Tenn.), last season's national championship runner-up, tallied one first-place nod to check in at No. 2 with 526 points. California Baptist took two first-place votes for 511 points, while Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) took another and totaled 498 points, to rank third and fourth, respectively. No. 5 Lubbock Christian (Texas) rounds out the top-five on 492 points.
Fourteen conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups have at least one team represented in the preseason poll. The Southern States Athletic Conference leads all leagues with five ranked programs: Lee, No. 9 Southern Poly (Ga.), No. 12 Belhaven (Miss.), No. 20 Faulkner (Ala.) and No. 24 Brewton-Parker (Ga.).
The Golden State Athletic Conference boasts a trio of Top-25 squads in California Baptist, No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and No. 15 Fresno Pacific (Calif.). Four other conferences landed a pair of teams on the poll.
Despite being unranked in the final poll of the 2010 season, both William Jewell (Mo.) and Taylor (Ind.) qualified for the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round. The Cardinal were last ranked at No. 24 in the May 4, 2010, edition of the poll and open their season ranked 22nd. The Trojans check in at No. 23, matching their last ranking that came on March 23, 2010.
Cumberland's No. 1 ranking dethrones Lewis-Clark State's seven-poll hold on the top-ranking, dating back to the first 2010 regular-season poll. It also marks the first time since March 30, 2005 that the Bulldogs have occupied the top spot and the fourth time, dating back to 1998, that they have been ranked No. 1.
The Bulldogs return three key players from their 58-9 squad, including 2011 Preseason All-American Aaron Wilkerson. The right-handed pitcher posted a 14-1 mark on the mound in 101.1 innings of work as a junior. Wilkerson was also named to the 2010 Avista-NAIA Baseball All-Tournament Team.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the 25 conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The first-regular season poll of the 2011 season will be announced on March 29.
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2010 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Cumberland University (Tenn.) (16) | 58-9 | 556 |
| 2 | 4 | Lee University (Tenn.) (1) | 52-13 | 526 |
| 3 | 3 | California Baptist University (2) | 49-15 | 511 |
| 4 | 1 | Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) (1) | 48-5 | 498 |
| 5 | 5 | Lubbock Christian University (Texas) | 46-16 | 492 |
| 6 | 8 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) | 47-19 | 465 |
| 7 | 6 | Oklahoma City University | 50-16 | 464 |
| 8 | 17 | Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) | 41-20-1 | 431 |
| 9 | 13 | Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) | 49-13 | 400 |
| 10 | 7 | University of British Columbia | 41-13 | 377 |
| 11 | 10 | Madonna University (Mich.) | 48-11 | 365 |
| 12 | 14 | Belhaven University (Miss.) | 44-17 | 353 |
| 13 | 9 | LSU Shreveport | 48-13 | 340 |
| 14 | 24 | Tennessee Wesleyan College | 46-18 | 325 |
| 15 | 11 | Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) | 36-17 | 288 |
| 16 | 18 | Union University (Tenn.) | 42-17 | 267 |
| 17 | 21 | Campbellsville University (Ky.) | 42-22 | 246 |
| 18 | 20 | University of South Carolina - Beaufort | 38-13 | 228 |
| 19 | 19 | York College (Neb.) | 45-9 | 221 |
| 20 | 16 | Faulkner University (Ala.) | 39-21 | 212 |
| 21 | 15 | College of Idaho | 38-16 | 158 |
| 22 | RV | William Jewell College (Mo.) | 41-15 | 141 |
| 23 | NR | Taylor University (Ind.) | 38-17 | 131 |
| 24 | 22 | Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) | 40-18 | 130 |
| 25 | 25 | University of Rio Grande (Ohio) | 48-13 | 116 |
Others receiving votes: Northwood University (Texas) 97; Avila University (Mo.) 96; Wayland Baptist University (Texas) 85; Jamestown College (N.D.) 68; Mount Marty College (S.D.) 57; Lindenwood University (Mo.) 39; Oklahoma Baptist University 30; Malone University (Ohio) 27; Saint Thomas University (Fla.) 26; Bellevue University (Neb.) 18; University of Houston - Victoria (Texas) 12; Judson University (Ill.) 11; Indiana Institute of Technology 11; Concordia University (Calif.) 10; Northwestern College (Iowa) 10; Texas Wesleyan University 8; Union College (Ky.) 8; Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 5; Northwestern Oklahoma State University 4; Tabor College (Kan.) 3; Biola University (Calif.) 1; Warner University (Fla.) 1; Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) 1; Bethel University (Tenn.) 1; Indiana University Southeast 1; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 1; California State University-San Marcos 1; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 1.
^ Denotes May 12, 2010, poll
