April 5, 2011

Contact: Amanda Dahl, NAIA Manager of Sports Information & Media Services, adahl@naia.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma City held on to its No. 1 ranking in the second edition of the 2011 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. The Stars were awarded 21 of the 22 possible first-place votes to rack up 622 points. Second-ranked Lee (Tenn.) and third-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) also held on to their rank with 602 and 579 points, respectively. No. 4 Brewton-Parker (Ga.) and No. 5 Oklahoma Baptist switched positions from the previous poll to round out the top-five teams.

Twelve conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups have at least one team represented in the preseason poll, while six boast multiple Top-25 teams. The Southern States Athletic Conference leads the way with six listed squads in Lee, Brewton-Parker, No. 17 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), No. 20 Southern Poly Tech (Ga.), No. 23 Belhaven (Miss.) and No. 25 Faulkner (Ala.). The Sooner Athletic Conference landed four squads among the Top 25: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Baptist, No. 11 Rogers State (Okla.) and No. 16 Lubbock Christian (Texas).

Shifts in rank affected 18 teams, with 11 climbing in the poll and seven falling. Biola (Calif.) made the biggest leap, jumping a dozen from No. 19 to 7. Auburn Montgomery improved four spots to 17th and six squads improved by two spots. Steep falls were felt by four different teams. After going 1-2 last week, Faulkner dropped from No. 10 to 25. Stumbling back six spots were No. 12 Fresno Pacific (Calif.) and No. 13 Union (Tenn.).

Other than the top-three teams maintaining their ranking, No. 14 Union (Ky.), No. 22 York (Neb.) and No. 24 Tabor (Kan.) also held steady among the Top 25.

Belhaven (Miss.) owned the No. 12 spot in the preseason poll, but dropped in the first regular-season edition of the Top 25. The Blazers return at No. 23 with a 28-11 record, including a 4-1 mark since the March 29 poll. They knock out previously-ranked No. 25 Tennessee Wesleyan.

At 34-7, second-ranked Lee boasts the most wins among listed teams. The Flames held a 13-game winning streak dating back to March 12 before being upset by Bryan (Tenn.), 10-9. They have won their last three contests following the loss, two of which were decided by just one run. Five other ranked programs have eclipsed the 30-win plateau, including Embry-Riddle, LSU Shreveport (La.), California Baptist, Northwood (Texas) and Rogers State.

Oklahoma City (29-4) won its series against Oklahoma Baptist (27-7), but dropped an 11-10 decision in the 11th inning to have its six-game winning streak come to a halt on April 2. The Stars moved to 7-3 in games that are decided by one run. They boast one of the most productive offenses nationally, ranking among the top 10 in a dozen statistical categories, including the most hits per game with 11.4.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups. The next poll will be announced on April 12.

Others receiving votes: Campbellsville University (Ky.) 99; Tennessee Wesleyan College 84; Madonna University (Mich.) 79; Point Park University (Pa.) 77; Culver-Stockton College (Mo.) 66; Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 44; William Woods University (Mo.) 15; Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 14; Robert Morris University (Ill.) 11; University of Texas at Brownsville 7; Webber International University (Fla.) 5; California State University-San Marcos 5; Shorter University (Ga.) 4; Lindenwood University (Mo.) 4; Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) 3; Iowa Wesleyan College 3; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 1; Indiana Institute of Technology 1; Science and Arts of Oklahoma 1; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 1; Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) 1; University of Houston - Victoria (Texas) 1.