At the conclusion of last season, when the pandemic shut down all of college baseball prematurely, Alabama State University received the final No. 1 ranking. The Hornets open the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) 2021 Large School Pre-Season Baseball Poll ranked number one this season ahead of No. 2 Jackson State University and No. 3 North Carolina A&T University. A mere one vote separated Jackson State and North Carolina A&T from each other.
Alabama State finished the shortened season with a 14-4 record overall and was named HBCU Baseball large school National Champions and is one of seven Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams in this year’s preseason top 10 poll. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) had three of its conference members ranked in the preseason poll presented by Black College Nines (BCN). The large school division represents NCAA Division I baseball programs.
Lane College sits atop the HBCU Pre-Season Small School Poll this year In the “small school” division, made up of NCAA Division II schools as well as those in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The Dragons lead the way, followed by Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) conference rival No. 2 Kentucky State University and DII Independent, No. 3 Virginia State University.
Lane started the 2020 season unranked winning it’s way into the No. 1 ranking and was crowned small school HBCU baseball national champion, the program’s first national title. Lane College finished the regular season with a 10-6 overall record.
Black College Nines is dedicated to preserving the tradition of baseball at historically black colleges and universities with our coverage of HBCU Baseball.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Division
1. Alabama State
2. Jackson State
3. North Carolina A&T
4. Texas Southern
5. Southern University
6. Grambling State
7. Florida A&M
8. North Carolina Central
9. Alcorn State
10. Prairie View A&M
Small School Division
1. Lane College
2. Kentucky State
3. Virginia State
4. Jarvis Christian
5. Benedict College
6. Bluefield State
7. Miles College
8. Savannah State
9. Florida Memorial
10. Edward Waters
For a preview of the large school season click here
For a preview of the small school season click here
2021 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season
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 26 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA, USCAA and independent status.
Here is the remaining schedule of our poll dates:
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)
When will the new rankings come out for season
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