2016 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Postseason Top 25 Poll
World Series champion Lewis-Clark State ends the season No. 1 for second-consecutive season.
By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second-straight season, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) ranks No. 1 in the postseason edition of the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The Warriors, who won the 60th annual Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series last week, claimed all 15 first-place votes and 405 total points en route to their 57th top billing since 2000.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000)
• Lewis-Clark State won its second-straight and 18th all-time World Series title last Friday with a 12-11 victory over Faulkner (Ala.). The contest was a rematch of the 2013 championship game, which was won by the Eagles.
• Lewis-Clark State and Faulkner combined for a NAIA World Series single-game record 11 home runs in the game. The previous record was eight set in 1987.
• The Warriors, who own the association’s longest active streak in the Top 25 at 156-consecutive polls, were ranked in the top five in every poll this season. Faulkner also boasts this distinction.
• Rounding out the top five are No. 2 Faulkner, No. 3 Bellevue (Neb.), No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan and No. 5 Sterling (Kan.). Sterling makes the largest jump among the group, leaping four spots from its perch at No. 9 on May 13.
• Three teams have been ranked No. 1 this season: Faulkner (twice), Georgia Gwinnett (seven times) and Lewis-Clark State (twice).
• Two newcomers joined the Top 25 – No. 6 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and No. 11 Point (Ga.). The Blue Raiders, who were receiving votes in the final regular-season edition, won five-straight elimination games in the Lawrenceville Opening Round Bracket to make their second-straight appearance at the World Series. Lindsey Wilson went 2-2 at the 60th annual event.
• Point became the only No. 5 seed in the eight-year history of the Opening Round format to advance to Lewiston. The Skyhawks won the Savannah Opening Round Bracket.
• Among teams ranked in the final regular-season poll, The Master’s (Calif.) highlights the positive movement, vaulting 16 spots from No. 24 to No. 8. The Mustangs won the Santa Barbara Opening Round Bracket and posted a 1-2 record at the World Series.
• Conversely, former No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett dropped a poll-high nine spots to No. 10.
• Middle Georgia State (No. 17), Texas Wesleyan (No. 21) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) (No. 23) fell out of the Top 25.
• The Golden State Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Southern States Athletic Conference and The Sun Conference lead all leagues with three teams represented each.
• Outside of Lewis-Clark State, 10 other teams have been ranked No. 1 in at least two polls: Oklahoma City (32), former member Lubbock Christian (Texas) (13), former member Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (11), Faulkner (10), Georgia Gwinnett (8), LSU Shreveport (La.) (6), former member Lee (Tenn.) (6), Cumberland (6) and Tennessee Wesleyan (2).