Nov. 17, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Defending national champion Lubbock Christian University (Texas) claims the No. 1 ranking in the 2010 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced by the NAIA on Tuesday. The Chaps, who finished last year with a 52-8 record and its second World Series title, gathered 23 of the possible 24 first-place votes and 684 total points.

Lubbock holds the top spot for the eighth straight poll, dating back to the second Top 25 poll last year (March 17). Lubbock heads into the season with two Preseason All-Americans in Ross Blondin and R.L. Eisenbach.

National runner-up Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) captures the No. 2 ranking with 649 total points. No. 3 Oklahoma City, one of three teams last year to hold the No. 1 position, tallied 642 points. No. 4 Southern Poly State (Ga.) and No. 5 Lee (Tenn.) round out the top five preseason clubs.

No. 6 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) was the 2009 coaches’ preseason favorite and finished the year as a World Series qualifier.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the 25 conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The first regular season Top 25 poll will be announced on March 30.

For more information on NAIA baseball, please click here.

NOTES:
Three teams earned the distinction of No. 1 status last year: Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (1 poll), Oklahoma City (2 polls) and Lubbock Christian (Texas) (7 polls)… Lubbock Christian has now been ranked No. 1 in 13 of the last 16 available polls, dating back to 2008… Lewis-Clark State has not been ranked lower than No. 10 going all the way back to the final poll in the 1989 regular season… Since 2000, LCSC has been No. 1 a total of 46 times which includes a stretch of 25 straight weeks which spanned during the 2006-2008 seasons.

2010 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll – (Nov. 17)

RANK	LAST WEEK^	SCHOOL	2009 RECORD*	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Lubbock Christian University (Texas) (23)	52-8	684
2	3	Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.)	45-13	649
3	2	Oklahoma City University	53-9	642
4	5	Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.)	53-10	609
5	10	Lee University (Tenn.)	53-14	568
6	7	Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) (1)	40-15	566
7	6	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.)	44-14	561
8	8	Campbellsville University (Ky.)	39-12	503
9	13	Fresno Pacific University (Calif.)	39-21	497
10	11	Bellevue University (Neb.)	41-12	495
11	9	Tennessee Wesleyan College	44-15	476
12	15	Lindenwood University (Mo.)	45-12	397
13	12	University of British Columbia	38-13	371
T14	21	William Carey University (Miss.)	36-22	341
T14	18	Wayland Baptist University (Texas)	43-15	341
16	14	Union College (Ky.)	44-12	310
17	RV	Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)	36-20	298
18	19	Louisiana State University-Shreveport	42-16	283
19	RV	Cumberland University (Tenn.)	33-25	254
20	NR	Warner University (Fla.)	37-18	245
21	16	Madonna University (Mich.)	39-12	242
22	17	Malone University (Ohio)	47-16	223
23	RV	Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.)	37-23	195
24	24	Saint Xavier University (Ill.)	41-15	180
25	RV	Northwood University (Texas)	36-19	132

Others receiving votes:

Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) 124; Union University (Tenn.) 94; Texas Wesleyan University 72; Taylor University (Ind.) 62; Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) 59; William Jewell College (Mo.) 59; McKendree University (Ill.) 56; California Baptist University 45; Belhaven College (Miss.) 35; Jamestown College (N.D.) 30; University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 24; University of Houston - Victoria (Texas) 24; Spring Arbor University (Mich.) 17; Bluefield College (Va.) 11; Nebraska Wesleyan University 8; Ohio Dominican University 8; Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 7; Oklahoma Baptist University 6; Biola University (Calif.) 6; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 3; Georgetown College (Ky.) 1; Indiana Institute of Technology 1; Lambuth University (Tenn.) 1; Mount Mercy College (Iowa) 1; Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) 1; Dickinson State University (N.D.) 1; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 1; Sterling College (Kan.) 1; Culver-Stockton College (Mo.) 1; William Woods University (Mo.) 1; Park University (Mo.) 1; Peru State College (Neb.) 1; University of Rio Grande (Ohio) 1; University of South Carolina - Beaufort (SC) 1

^ Rating from the 2009 final regular season poll.

* Final overall record from 2009 season, as submitted by the conference rater.