Prairie View A&M University in the Large School Division and Edward Waters University in the Small School Division are ranked No. 1 in their respective Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Pre-Season Top 10 Polls.
The Prairie View A&M baseball team returns several starters at key positions. The Panthers brought in more pitching depth with a great group of veterans added a few more pieces to the lineup that will make an impact. Veterans will continue to lead the defense as they will have 25 returnees which includes pitching starters from last season will return along with some key bullpen guys will also return.
Coppin State University is No. 2, Alabama State University No. 3, Florida A&M University has garnered a preseason ranking of No. 4 and Bethune Cookman University is the No. 5 preseason pick.
In the small school division, Edward Waters concluded last season winning the Black College World Series earning its second HBCU national baseball title and will begin the 2023 season in the top spot in Black College Nines’ 2023 preseason Top 10 poll.
The Tigers returned key position players only losing 3 key members from the national title team. The collection of talent is extraordinary and with a talented recruiting group, the Tigers’ pitching staff is expected to be much stronger than last season.
The remaining teams in the small school poll, made up of NCAA Division II schools as well as those in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), includes Savannah State in the No. 2 position, followed by No. 3 Rust College, Florida Memorial University at No. 4, and another SIAC member, Albany State University, is preseason No. 5.
Black College Nines is dedicated to preserving the tradition of baseball at historically black colleges and universities with our coverage of HBCU baseball.
Staff selections for the two divisional preseason polls are as follows…
Large School Division
- Prairie View A&M University
- Coppin State State University
- Alabama State University
- Florida A&M University
- Bethune Cookman University
- Southern University
- Delaware State University
- Jackson State University
- Grambling State University
- Texas Southern University
Small School Division
- Edward Waters University
- Savannah State University
- Rust College
- Florida Memorial University
- Albany State University
- Miles College
- Kentucky State University
- West Virginia State University
- Bluefield State University
- Paine College
For a preview of the large school season click here
For a preview of the small school season click here
2023 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season (1/10/23)
Week 1 (March 7, 2023)
Week 2 (March 21, 2023)
Week 3 (April 2, 2023)
Week 4 (April 18, 2023)
Week 5 (April 25, 2023)
Week 6 (May 2, 2023)
Week 7 (May 16, 2023)
Week 8 (May 23, 2023)
Week 9 (May 30, 2023)
The voting committee during the 2023 season 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 composed of the 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of 35 HBCU schools from the NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NCCAA. The baseball programs in the small school division will compete for a national title in the Black College World Series scheduled for May 9 – 14, 2023, in Montgomery, Alabama.