The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team climbed two spots to be ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll, announced on Tuesday by the national office.
LCSC, which went 42-14 on the year, received 358 points in the poll after garnering 352 points and being ranked No. 10 in the final regular season poll released in early May.
The Warriors made their 31st appearance at the Avista NAIA World Series and went 1-2 in tournament play for the fourth consecutive season. They finished tied for eighth overall.
The top ten spots in the poll were filled by World Series participants and, for the most part, the teams were listed in the order of how they finished in Lewiston. National champion Tennessee Wesleyan received the No. 1 spot, runner-up Rogers State was No. 2, and LSU Shreveport fell from No. 1 to No. 3.
Tennessee Wesleyan claimed all 17 first-place votes and 467 total points en route to landing the top spot. The Bulldogs finished the World Series with a 6-1 record, aided by a tournament-best 11.3 runs per game average and .325 batting average. Additionally, the squad set an NAIA championship record with 17 home runs.
Rogers State was the biggest mover in the poll, rocketing up 21 spots. The Hillcats, who were making their first appearance at the World Series, have never ranked higher than 11th. Rogers State quickly became a fan favorite in Lewiston, posting three come-from-behind victories en route to a 4-2 record.
The College of Idaho also made a large jump in the poll as it climbed from being unranked to the No. 10 spot. The Coyotes reached the World Series after winning the Azusa Bracket, but went 0-2 in Lewiston with losses against Point Park and Lewis-Clark State.
The poll was voted on by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independent/unaffiliated groupings.
|
RANK
|
LAST WEEK
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2012 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
6
|
Tennessee Wesleyan (17)
|
53-12
|
467
|
|
2
|
23
|
Rogers State (Okla.)
|
49-16
|
450
|
|
3
|
1
|
LSU Shreveport (La.)
|
54-6
|
477
|
|
4
|
2
|
Lee (Tenn.)
|
56-11-1
|
424
|
|
5
|
3
|
Oklahoma City
|
48-12
|
404
|
|
6
|
12
|
Point Park (Pa.)
|
53-11
|
394
|
|
7
|
15
|
South Carolina Beaufort
|
41-19
|
372
|
|
8
|
10
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
42-14
|
358
|
|
9
|
6
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
43-17
|
345
|
|
10
|
RV
|
College of Idaho
|
41-21
|
326
|
|
11
|
4
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
|
47-12
|
320
|
|
T12
|
7
|
Oklahoma Baptist
|
47-14
|
285
|
|
13
|
5
|
Faulkner (Ala.)
|
48-13
|
282
|
|
14
|
11
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
43-16
|
263
|
|
T15
|
12
|
St. Thomas (Fla.)
|
42-12
|
253
|
|
16
|
9
|
Concordia (Calif.)
|
38-18
|
249
|
|
17
|
15
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
|
38-24
|
211
|
|
18
|
21
|
Missouri Baptist
|
39-16
|
189
|
|
19
|
14
|
Georgetown (Ky.)
|
45-11
|
186
|
|
20
|
25
|
Sterling (Kan.)
|
45-14
|
181
|
|
21
|
17
|
Judson (Ill.)
|
47-14
|
157
|
|
22
|
19
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas)
|
35-22
|
150
|
|
23
|
RV
|
Union (Tenn.)
|
39-19
|
129
|
|
24
|
18
|
Shorter (Ga.)
|
38-18
|
123
|
|
25
|
23
|
Taylor (Ind.)
|
38-20
|
95
|
|
|
Others receiving votes: Tabor (Kan.) 94; Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 62; Avila (Mo.) 60; Bellevue (Neb.) 49; Doane (Neb.) 39; St. Francis (Ill.) 28; Campbellsville (Ky.) 27; Biola (Calif.) 10; Southern Poly (Ga.) 9; York (Neb.) 6; Bryan (Tenn.) 3; The Master’s (Calif.) 1; Peru State (Neb.) 1; Grand View (Iowa) 1; SCAD Savannah (Ga.); Arizona Christian 1; William Woods (Mo.) 1
