April 4, 2011

Patriots climb one rung on national poll

After a winning a weekend conference series, Francis Marion University moved up one position to No.15 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s NCAA Division II Top 30 poll, released on Monday.

Francis Marion has won 10 of its last 11 games to improve to 26-9 overall and 11-4 in the Peach Belt Conference.  The Patriots currently lead the PBC in team hitting (.323) and pitching (2.30 earned run average) and are second in team fielding (.969 percentage).  Opponents are hitting a league-low .212 against FMU hurlers and Patriot pitchers have issued a conference-low 66 walks (in 35 games).

FMU will return to action on Tuesday night (April 5) when the Patriots play host to St. Andrews Presbyterian College (8-28) at 7 p.m. on Cormell Field.

Admission to the contest is $6 for adults and $4 for students with FMU students being admitted free with a valid identification card.

This week’s national ranking means the Patriots have appeared in 102 of the past 110 national polls dating back to the 2005 season. Francis Marion was ranked 15th in the 2011 pre-season poll, dropped out of the first two rankings, but returned to the poll and has been 24th, 17th, 13th, 24th, 16th, and 16th (last week).

The University of West Florida (31-4) ascended to the No. 1 position in this week’s poll, while five Peach Belt squads also appear in the new rankings.

FMU will play at North Georgia College & State University this weekend for a three-game series.

 
 
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II Top 30 (April 4, 2011)

 

No.         Team                                 Record  Points   Previous
1.            West Florida                      31-4       478         3
2.            Central Missouri                22-4       466         4
3.            Mount Olive                       28-5       438         1
4.            Grand Valley St.                18-2        434         6
5.            Emporia St.                       22-3       424         2
6.            Southern Conn. St.           22-1        384         12
7.            Cal. St. Chico                     18-5       374         5
8.            Tampa                               24-9       362         9
9.            Georgia College                  24-10     360         7
10.          St. Mary's (Tex.)                27-7       354         10
11.          Armstrong Atlantic St.       25-7       312         8
12.          N.C. Pembroke                  27-7        292         12
13.          Franklin Pierce                  22-6        280         15
14.          Barry                                24-9        278         28
15.          Francis Marion                  26-9        270         16
16.          Florida Southern               21-7        232         14
                Sonoma St.                     20-7        232         19
18.          Harding                            28-6        198         20
19.          Belmont Abbey                 29-10      188         21
20.          Cal. St. Los Angeles         21-11      162         RV
21.          Catawba                          28-8        140         18
                U.C. San Diego               21-11      140         10
23.          Mass.-Lowell                   20-3        114         24
24.          St. Cloud St.                    15-3        106         23
25.          Tarleton St.                     24-7        84           27
26.          Millersville                       20-6        80           RV
27.          St. Josephs                     18-7        58           —
28.          North Alabama                25-9        48           30
29.          Columbus St.                  22-13      44           26
                Nebraska-Kearney          19-6        44           29

 

Also Receiving Votes: S.W. Oklahoma St. (28), Georgia S.W. (18), S. Indiana (18), Cal Poly Pomona (14), Nebraska-Omaha (14), Cal. St. Stanislaus (12), Wilmington (6), Mercyhurst (4), E. Stroudsburg (2), Mansfield (2), Erskine (1), Limestone (1), North Georgia (1). S.E. Oklahoma St. (1), West Texas A&M (1), Incarnate Word (1), Nova S.E. (1), Adelphi (1), Winona St. (1), Minnesota St.-Mankato (1), Mesa St. (1), Metro St. (1), Augustana (1), Wayne St., Mich. (1), Indianapolis (1), Seton Hill (1).