Jackson State (18-7) remains at No. 1 for the third week in a row in Black College Nines’ (BCN) 2021 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) regular season baseball poll announced on April 8, 2021.
Jackson State, 12-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), is the unanimous selection at the No. 1 spot in the HBCU Baseball large school Top 10 poll. The Tigers lead the nation in several NCAA Division I statistical categories – runs per game, stolen bases and stolen bases per game.
Both North Carolina Central and Alabama State retained their No. 2 and No.3 rankings in this week’s poll. SWAC conference members No. 4 Southern moved up four spots from its previous poll position of No. 8. Florida A&M climbed from No. 6 to No. 5. After receiving a pre-season ranking, Grambling State re-enters the poll at No. 6, North Carolina A&T falls from 5th to No. 7, Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) fellow members Norfolk State jumps back into the poll at No. 9 and Delaware State falls three spots to No. 10 to round out the large school top 10 ranking.
Xavier University of Louisiana, for the first time in school history, becomes HBCU baseball’s No. 1 ranked “small school” team. The Gold Rush are 15-3 overall and are on an 11 game winning streak. The 2021 season marks the first time in 61 years that Xavier is fielding a team on the baseball diamond.
Noteworthy changes took place from the previous poll rankings. West Virginia State falls to No. 2, Savannah State moved up to No. 3 this week ahead of Albany State who slipped two spots to No. 4, Kentucky State leaped from No. 7 to No. 5 in the March 25 poll. The rest of the small school top 10 poll includes Miles College which moved up three spots to No. 6, Bluefield State dropped one slot to No. 7 as Florida Memorial remains No. 8, Talladega College re-enters the ranking for the second time this season at No.9 while Rust College slipped from No. 5 to No. 10.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Won | Lost | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State (SWAC) Record Since Last Poll: 5-3 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 3 Current RPI: 232 | 11 | 13 | 3 | |
| Alcorn State (SWAC) Record Since Last Poll: 0-3 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 4 Current RPI: 272 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |
| Delaware State University (MEAC) Record Since Last Poll: 2-5 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 7 Current RPI: 288 | 6 | 12 | 10 | |
| Florida A&M University (MEAC) Record Since Last Poll: 5-0 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 6 Current RPI: 212 | 10 | 16 | 5 | |
| Grambling State University (SWAC) Record Since Last Poll: 6-2 Previous BCN Poll Rank: N/A Current RPI: 261 | 9 | 14 | 6 | |
| Jackson State University (SWAC) Record Since Last Poll: 7-2 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 1 Current RPI: 182 | 18 | 7 | 1 | |
| Norfolk State University (MEAC) Record Since Last Poll: 3-4 Previous BCN Poll Rank: N/A Current RPI: 281 | 7 | 17 | 9 | |
| North Carolina A&T University (MEAC) Record Since Last Poll: 2-8 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 5 Current RPI: 260 | 9 | 21 | 7 | |
| North Carolina Central University (MEAC) Record Since Last Poll: 0-0 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 2 Current RPI: 239 | 10 | 8 | 2 | |
| Southern University (SWAC) Record Since Last Poll: 4-2 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 8 Current RPI: 267 | 10 | 14 | 4 |
Coppin State, Prairie View A&M
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Won | Lost | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University (SIAC) Record Since Last Poll: 1-1 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 2 Current ISR: 200 | 11 | 6 | 4 | |
| Bluefield State College (USCAA) Record Since Last Poll: 0-0 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 6 Current ISR: 326 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
| Florida Memorial University (SUN) Record Since Last Poll: 2-5 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 8 Current ISR: 353 | 12 | 17 | 8 | |
| Kentucky State University (SIAC) Record Since Last Poll: 0-0 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 7 Current ISR: Not Indicated | 6 | 5 | 5 | |
| Miles College (SIAC) Record Since Last Poll: 2-3 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 9 Current ISR: 361 | 8 | 9 | 6 | |
| Rust College (AII) Record Since Last Poll: 1-6 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 5 Current ISR: 507 | 11 | 13 | 10 | |
| Savannah State (SIAC) Record Since Last Poll: 3-1 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 4 Current ISR: 438 | 10 | 5 | 3 | |
| Talladega College (GCAC) Record Since Last Poll: 6-6 Previous BCN Poll Rank: N/A Current ISR: 376 | 11 | 18 | 9 | |
| West Virginia State University (MEC) Record Since Last Poll: 5-3 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 1 Current ISR: 97 | 12 | 6 | 2 | |
| Xavier Univ of LA (GCAC) Record Since Last Poll: 7-0 Previous BCN Poll Rank: 3 Current ISR: 218 | 15 | 3 | 1 |
Edward Waters College
- In the large school division, the “RPI” referenced is Massey’s Composite Rankings which is a blending of a number of trusted ranking services. The entire NCAA Division I rankings can be found at masseyratings.com.
- In the small school division, the “ISR” referenced is Boyd Nation’s Iterative Strength Rating. For an analysis of his ISR, the link can be found at The College Baseball Ratings Page-Frequently Asked Questions. Please note, if a school’s ISR shows as “not indicated”, it is because the school has not played in enough qualifying games to give an accurate rating.
2021 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season
Week 1 (March 11, 2021)
Week 2 (March 25, 2021)
Week 3 (April 8, 2021)
Week 4 (April 22, 2021)
Week 5 (April 29, 2021)
Week 6 (May 6, 2021)
Week 7 (May 13, 2021)
Week 8 (May 20, 2021)
Week 9 (May 27, 2021)*
*Final Poll
The voting committee is made up of an informed and impartial group of individuals who follow college baseball on all levels, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) baseball. Included in the group are college athletic administrators and educators, college baseball writers and other sports journalists and broadcasters, former HBCU and other college ballplayers and above all else… college baseball enthusiasts who have an interest in promoting HBCU baseball.
As the college baseball season concludes, champions will be named in two divisions… the “large school” division will be composed of the 16 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of the 24 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and USCAA status.