The Lewis-Clark State College baseball teams stands fourth in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll for the 2011 season, the NAIA released on Tuesday.
Defending Avista NAIA World Series champion Cumberland was selected as the top team. The Bulldogs received 16 first-place votes and 566 points and are followed by last year’s runner-up, Lee University, which had one first-place cote and 526 points.
Cal-Baptist was third with 511 points and two first-place votes, while LCSC had 498 points and the final first-place vote.
LCSC was the No. 1 team in the final seven polls during last season but went 1-2 in the Series.
The Warriors are under first-year coach Gary Picone, who replaced longtime coach Ed Cheff. Cheff coached at LCSC for 34 season and won 16 NAIA national titles.
Region I was well represented in the poll with the Warriors at No. 4, University of British Columbia at No. 10, and College of Idaho at No. 21. The Golden State Athletic Conference, with Cal Baptist, No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene, and No. 15 Fresno Pacific, was the only other league to put three teams in the Top 25.
The Warriors are scheduled to kick off their season at home in a tournament on Feb. 10-13 with Concordia, College of Idaho, and Corban
.
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.
