The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team was ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll for the 2013 season, the national office announced Tuesday.
The Warriors received 395 points in the poll to maintain the ranking they received in last year’s postseason poll. The program, which has won an unprecedented 16 national titles in the last 28 years, is seeking its first championship since 2008.
Defending national champion Tennessee Wesleyan received the top spot in the poll. The Bulldogs, who outscored their opponents 68-32 over six games en route to the program's first-ever Avista NAIA World Series title last season, were awarded 17 first-place votes and 528 points.
The top eight spots went to teams which advanced to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho last year.
LSU Shreveport (La.), which reached the semifinals before falling to Tennessee Wesleyan, jumped one position from the 2012 postseason poll to No. 2 with 501 points. Third-ranked Lee (Tenn.) tallied the two remaining first-place votes and 493 points, while No. 4 Oklahoma City and No. 5 Rogers State (Okla.) garnered 486 points and 454 points, respectively, to round out the top five.
Lewis-Clark State, under new head coach Jeremiah Robbins, will open its season on Feb. 8 at a home tournament. The Warriors will look to improve upon their 42-14 record of last year and to ultimately push deeper into the NAIA World Series. The team has gone 1-2 in tournament play in each of the past four seasons.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups. The first regular-season Top 25 will be announced on March 26, 2013.
2012-13 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (Nov. 13)
|
RANK
|
LAST TIME^
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2012 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Tennessee Wesleyan (17)
|
53-12
|
528
|
|
2
|
3
|
LSU Shreveport (La.)
|
54-6
|
501
|
|
3
|
4
|
Lee (Tenn.) (2)
|
56-11-1
|
493
|
|
4
|
5
|
Oklahoma City
|
48-12
|
486
|
|
5
|
2
|
Rogers State (Okla.)
|
49-16
|
454
|
|
6
|
6
|
Point Park (Pa.)
|
53-11
|
445
|
|
7
|
9
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
43-17
|
430
|
|
8
|
8
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
42-14
|
395
|
|
9
|
13
|
Faulkner (Ala.)
|
48-13
|
387
|
|
10
|
12
|
Oklahoma Baptist
|
47-14
|
372
|
|
11
|
16
|
Concordia (Calif.)
|
38-18
|
362
|
|
12
|
14
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
43-16
|
339
|
|
13
|
15
|
St. Thomas (Fla.)
|
42-12
|
325
|
|
14
|
18
|
Missouri Baptist
|
39-16
|
322
|
|
15
|
20
|
Sterling (Kan.)
|
45-14
|
250
|
|
16
|
22
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas)
|
35-22
|
239
|
|
17
|
RV
|
Bellevue (Neb.)
|
40-21
|
209
|
|
18
|
17
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
|
38-24
|
208
|
|
19
|
RV
|
St. Francis (Ill.)
|
40-17
|
207
|
|
20
|
19
|
Georgetown (Ky.)
|
45-11
|
192
|
|
21
|
7
|
South Carolina Beaufort
|
41-18
|
160
|
|
22
|
RV
|
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
|
36-23
|
140
|
|
23
|
RV
|
Doane (Neb.)
|
36-21
|
135
|
|
24
|
NR
|
Madonna (Mich.)
|
35-21
|
132
|
|
25
|
21
|
Judson (Ill.)
|
47-14
|
120
|
Others receiving votes: Taylor (Ind.) 115; Indiana Tech 68; York (Neb.) 65; Tabor (Kan.) 54; Peru State (Neb.) 44; Bryan (Tenn.) 39; British Columbia 34; Southern Poly (Ga.) 32; Biola (Calif.) 31; College of Idaho 23; Cumberland (Tenn.) 13; Texas Wesleyan 11; Avila (Mo.) 10; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 4; Indiana Southeast 3; Davenport (Mich.) 3.
^ Ranking indicated in 2012 Postseason Top 25 Poll (June 5, 2012)
