February 28, 2011

FMU Diamond squad ranked #17 and faces big week

FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University moved up seven spots to No. 17 in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s NCAA Division II Top 30 poll, released on Monday.

The Patriots, 11-3 and winners of their last nine contests, face an interesting week that will pit FMU against nationally ranked opponents in five consecutive road games.

Francis Marion will play a doubleheader at seventh-ranked Mount Olive College (13-2) on Wednesday at 4 p.m.  The Patriots will then open their Peach Belt Conference schedule with a three-game series at 16th-ranked USC Aiken (11-2) this coming weekend.  The series will start with a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader on Sunday at 1 p.m.

This week’s ranking means the Patriots have appeared in 97 of the past 105 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 last week at No. 24.

Fellow PBC member Georgia College (13-2) takes over the No. 1 spot in this week’s poll, and altogether seven Peach Belt squads are ranked among the Top 30 programs.

FMU’s next home game will be on March 9 – a doubleheader against Clarion University.

Freshman third baseman Michael Wilson, a Florence native and a second generation Patriot – his father was a Patriot infielder from 1976 to 1979, leads the Patriots with a .500 average and 20 runs scored in 14 games.  Senior first baseman Preston Shuey, who recently broke the school record for career RBIs, is batting .373 with three homers and 21 runs batted in.

The Patriot pitching staff has allowed only two earned runs over the past 50 innings and has a season ERA of 1.44 with 112 strikeouts in 119 innings.

 
 
 
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA II Top 30 Poll

 

For Immediate Release: Monday (Feb. 28, 2011)

 

Rank      Team                                               Record   Points   Previous
1.           Georgia College                                13-2       476         3
2.           West Florida                                    13-1       470         6
3.           U.C. San Diego                                12-4       428         1
              N.C. Pembroke                                14-1       428         17
5.           Central Missouri                               5-1        412         5
6.           Tampa                                            10-3       410         4
7.           Mount Olive                                    13-2       388         9
8.           Emporia St.                                      1-0       364         8
9.           Cal. St. Chico                                   7-1        336         14
10.         Franklin Pierce                                 0-0        326         11
11.         North Georgia                                  9-3        314         7
              Minn. St.-Mankato                           0-0        314         10
              North Alabama                               11-3       314         27
14.         Cameron                                         9-1        262         16
15.         Sonoma St.                                     9-0        258         18
16.         S.C. Aiken                                      11-2       246         21
17.         Francis Marion                            11-3      224        24
18.         St. Mary's (Tex.)                            12-3        206         20
19.         Columbus St.                                 10-4       194         RV
20.         Slippery Rock                                  4-0         166         22
21.         Grand Valley St.                              2-1         154         19
22.         Armstrong Atlantic St.                    8-2         136         28
23.         Catawba                                        12-3        100         RV
24.         Florida Southern                             7-5          98          2
25.         Northern Kentucky                         4-2          72         30
26.         Cal. St. Stanislaus                         10-2         64          —
27.         Limestone                                     10-4        50          RV
28.         Kutztown                                        5-3         48         29
29.         Southern Arkansas                         6-4         38         11
30.         Erskine                                         12-2         32         15
              Abilene Christian                            6-4          32         23

   

Also Receiving Votes: Southern Conn. St. (26), California, PA (14), Tarleton St. (14), Indianapolis (10), West Chester (4), Mesa St. (4), N.W. Nazarene (4), Mercyhurst (2), Winona St. (2), Belmont Abbey (2), Wingate (2), West Texas A&M (2), Tusculum (1), St. Edwards (1), Incarnate Word (1), Texas A&M International (1), W. Alabama (1), Nova S.E. (1), Rollins (1), Palm Beach Atlantic (1), West Virginia St. (1), Mansfield (1), Shepherd (1), Ashland (1), Bellarmine (1), St. Cloud St. (1), New Mexico Highlands (1), Northern Kentucky (1), New Haven (1), Mass.-Lowell (1), Adelphi (1).