April 5, 2010

FMU cracks Top 10 again, hosts Saints on Tuesday

After a 4-1 week that saw the Patriots post a win over a Top-5 opponent and sweep a Peach Belt Conference road series, Francis Marion University moved up five spots to ninth in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Top 30 poll.

FMU will play host to Limestone College on Tuesday (April 6) at 6 p.m. on Cormell Field.

This will mark the program’s sixth week in the Top 10 during the 2010 regular season. Francis Marion was listed 12th in Collegiate Baseball’s 2010 preseason poll and has been ranked eighth, seventh, third, second, ninth, 13th, 11th, and 14th in the previous regular-season polls.

Dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have appeared in 88 of the past 94 national polls.

Southern Arkansas University (32-3) ascended to the top spot in this week’s poll, while six PBC squads are ranked among the Top 20 programs.

Francis Marion owns a 28-8 overall record and is tied for the lead in the PBC’s East Division standings with a 10-5 mark.

Limestone; coached by Chico Lombarbo, a 1979 Francis Marion graduate, a former Patriot outfielder, and a member of the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame; had a 12-25 record heading into a Monday game against Lenior-Rhyne University.  FMU beat the Saints 8-5 earlier this season in Gaffney.

This weekend, the Patriots will host a key three-game PBC series against 15th-ranked North Georgia College & State University.  The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

 

 

2010 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll - April 5, 2010

 

No.         Team                                                Record    Points   Previous 
1.            Southern Arkansas                          32-3       476         3 
2.            Central Missouri                               27-3       466         2      
3.            Tampa                                             34-5        446        4 
4.            UC San Diego                                   30-5       426         1 
5.            Florida Southern                              30-5        424        6 
6.            Abilene Christian                              32-8       384         9        
                West Chester                                  26-5       384        7      
                Columbus State                              27-7       384         8      
9.            Emporia State                                  24-8       342         T10         
                Francis Marion                             28-8      342         14        
11.          Mount Olive                                     32-7        324         5      
12.          Georgia College & State                    23-10      290         16 
13.          Valdosta State                                 27-11      282         13      
14.          New Mexico Highlands                      25-6       270         15        
15.          North Georgia                                  24-11      250         12        
16.          Cal State Dominguez Hills                27-10      244         22 
17.          Grand Valley State                           22-5        228         21 
18.          USC Aiken                                       24-12      202         T10        
19.          Delta State                                      24-10-1  194         18        
20.          UNC Pembroke                                24-9        184         17        
21.          Incarnate Word                               26-9        154         RV        
22.          Erskine                                           33-9        150         23        
23.          Cal State Chico                                23-11      94           25        
24.          Minnesota State Mankato                22-6        84           T30 
25.          Nebraska - Omaha                          20-8         64          26      
26.          Florida Tech                                    27-10       60          24      
                Catawba                                        28-7         60          RV        
28.          Southern Indiana                           25-8          54          T30        
29.          Kutztown                                       20-6          50          27        
30.          Adelphi                                          17-5          36          T30 

 

Also Receiving Votes: Concord 28, UT Permian Basin 28, Winona State 20, Northern Kentucky 6, Franklin Pierce 6, Cal State San Bernardino 6, Cameron 4, St. Cloud State 4, Carson-Newman 1, Mars Hill 1, Georgia Southwestern 1, Flagler 1, Southeastern Oklahoma 1, St. Mary's (Texas) 1, Fort Hays State 1, Rollins 1, Barry 1, West Florida 1, West Virginia State 1, Indianapolis 1, Ashland 1, Wayne State (Mich.) 1, Augustana (S.D.) 1, Mesa State 1, Northern Kentucky 1.