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FORT WORTH, TX: The NAIA has released its preseason baseball poll and Texas Wesleyan University, the defending Red River Athletic Conference champions, checked in at number-18.
The two-time defending NAIA Champion, Lewis-Clark State College (ID) was a unanimous choice in the top spot as they received all 22 first place votes and 550 total points.
The Rams who were ranked 13th in the final regular season poll a season ago will start out 18th. In 2007, the Rams went 41-10 and were one out away from a Super Regional appearance. Their 41 losses were the most by a Texas Wesleyan team in 27 years while their 10 losses were the fewest in 34 years. While five members of that team have begun their professional baseball careers, the 2008 Rams return one All-American in Hayden Lackey (Sr. RHP, Duncanville, TX) and two other All-Conference selections in Brandon Frazier (Sr. OF, Burleson, TX) and Caleb Thomas (Sr. RHP, Keller, TX).
Texas Wesleyan is ranked third in a power-packed Region VI. Lubbock Christian University, ranked number-1 in Region VI, checked in a 7th in the national poll, while Oklahoma City University was rated 9th.
The first regular season poll will be released on Wednesday, February 27. Texas Wesleyan opens its season on February 3, in Austin, TX, when they take on Concordia University. They will return to LaGrave Field the following weekend (February 7-8) with games against Tabor College and Lubbock Christian.
2007-08 NAIA Baseball Preseason Top 25 Poll - Nov. 14
RANK |
2007 FINAL RATING |
SCHOOL |
1ST PLACE VOTES |
2007
FINAL
RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
1 |
1 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (I) |
22 |
58-5 |
550 |
2 |
2 |
Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (II) |
|
51-10 |
500 |
3 |
5 |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) (VIII) |
|
48-5 |
468 |
4 |
8 |
Bellevue (Neb.) (IV) |
|
47-15 |
455 |
5 |
24 |
Lee (Tenn.) (XIII) |
|
51-14 |
447 |
6 |
6 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) (XIV) |
|
16-16 |
426 |
7 |
19 |
Lubbock Christian (Texas) (VI) |
|
37-17 |
419 |
8 |
11 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) (XI) |
|
48-20 |
393 |
9 |
3 |
Oklahoma City (VI) |
|
50-11 |
359 |
10 |
7 |
Tennessee Wesleyan (XII) |
|
46-14 |
338 |
11 |
21 |
Louisiana State-Shreveport (XIII) |
|
40-15 |
308 |
12 |
15 |
Ohio Dominican (IX) |
|
40-13 |
271 |
13 |
16 |
California Baptist (II) |
|
35-18 |
267 |
14 |
23 |
Lindenwood (Mo.) (V) |
|
41-26 |
259 |
15 |
10 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (XIV) |
|
46-11 |
247 |
16 |
4 |
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (XIII) |
|
51-13 |
232 |
17 |
12 |
Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) (XI) |
|
44-18 |
203 |
18 |
13 |
Texas Wesleyan (VI) |
|
41-10 |
140 |
19 |
NR |
Union (Ky.) (XII) |
|
46-17 |
135 |
20 |
18 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) (III) |
|
34-11 |
116 |
21 |
NR |
St. Ambrose (Iowa) (VII) |
|
28-18 |
96 |
22 |
14 |
Southern Polytechnic (Ga.) (XIII) |
|
47-18 |
88 |
23 |
17 |
Avila (Mo.) (V) |
|
38-17 |
71 |
24 |
25 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) (XI) |
|
42-17 |
54 |
25 |
NR |
Biola (Calif.) (II) |
|
30-24 |
46 |
Others receiving votes: Bethany (Kan.) 43; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 39; Warner Southern (Fla.) 35; Madonna (Mich.) 22; Belhaven (Miss.) 21; William Jewell (Mo.) 17; Friends (Kan.) 14; Walsh (Ohio) 13; Fisher (Mass.) 11; Northwestern (Iowa) 9; Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 8; St. Xavier (Ill.) 8; Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) 7; The College of Idaho 5; Indiana Tech 3; Cumberlands (Ky.) 2; Park (Mo.) 2; Concordia (Calif.) 1; Dakota State (S.D.) 1; York (Neb.) 1. |
