Florida A&M edges out both Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T to take over the lead in the “large school”division while Albany State holds its lead in the “small school” division in Black College Nines’ fourth set of polls for the 2024 season.
Florida A&M is the No. 1 ranked team for the first time this 2024 season in the fourth edition of our Historically Black College and University (HBCU) regular season large school Top 10 HBCU baseball poll presented by Guardian Baseball as announced by Black College Nines on April 17, 2024.
Bethune-Cookman maintains No. 2 for the second consecutive ranking. North Carolina A&T dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 as Jackson State retains the No. 4 ranking.
Some of the moves from week three to week four include Southern University climbing from No. 7 to No. 5, Texas Southern jumping from No. 9 to No. 6, and Alabama State falling from No. 5 to No. 7. Delaware State moved up from No. 10 to No. 8, Prairie View A&M fell from No. 8 in the previous poll to No. 9, Texas Southern dropped one spot from No. 8 to No. 9, and Grambling State dropped from its previous No. 6 ranking to No. 10 to close out the “large School” HBCU baseball Top 10.
In the “small school” division, Albany State remains No. 1 for the second straight ranking followed by Talladega and Savannah State flipping spots as the Tornadoes moved to No. 2 and SSU fell to No. 3. West Virginia State preserves its No. 4ranking.
For the second time this season Bluefield State and Edward Waters swapping spots with the Tigers of EWU moving to No. 5 and Bluefield’s Big Blue dropping to No. 6.
The remaining small school Top 10 includes Florida Memorial holding onto No. 7, Wiley University moving up from No. 9 to No. 8, while previously unranked Xavier of Louisiana (LA) enters for the first time this season and climbs in at No. 9. Miles College holds on to No. 10 from the previous Black College Nines (BCN) HBCU Baseball Top 10 of April 3.
The small school Top 10 poll will have national implications throughout the 2024 regular season which will lead to HBCU baseball programs competing for a national title in the fourth annual Black College World Series scheduled for May 8-11, 2024, at Riverwalk Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A affiliate Montgomery Biscuits) in Montgomery, Alabama.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.
Records indicated are through April 14, 2024.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University | 16-17 | 0.485 | 7 | |
| Bethune Cookman University | 18-17 | 0.514 | 2 | |
| Delaware State University | 12-17 | 0.414 | 8 | |
| Florida A&M University | 17-18 | 0.486 | 1 | |
| Grambling State University | 12-20 | 0.375 | 10 | |
| Jackson State University | 23-11 | 0.676 | 4 | |
| North Carolina A&T University | 19-16 | 0.543 | 3 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 17-22 | 0.436 | 9 | |
| Southern University | 16-15 | 0.516 | 5 | |
| Texas Southern University | 14-18 | 0.437 | 6 |
Receiving Multiple Votes: Alabama A&M, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Coppin State
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University | 28-9 | 0.757 | 1 | |
| Bluefield State College | 22-14 | 0.611 | 6 | |
| Edward Waters University | 24-14 | 0.632 | 5 | |
| Florida Memorial University | 16-20 | 0.444 | 7 | |
| Miles College | 19-18 | 0.514 | 10 | |
| Savannah State | 23-11 | 0.676 | 3 | |
| Talladega College | 26-15 | 0.634 | 2 | |
| West Virginia State University | 21-13 | 0.618 | 4 | |
| Wiley University | 21-17 | 0.553 | 8 | |
| Xavier Univ of Louisiana | 16-16 | 0.500 | 9 |
Receiving Multiple Votes: Dillard University, Huston-Hillotson, Jarvis Christian, Kentucky State, Lane College, Paine College, Rust College, Virginia State
2024 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season
Week 1 (March 6, 2024)
Week 2 (March 20, 2024)
Week 3 (April 3, 2024)
Week 4 (April 17, 2024)
Week 5 (April 24, 2024)
Week 6 (May 1, 2024)
Week 7 (May 16, 2024)
Week 8 (May 23, 2024)
Final Poll (May 30, 2024)
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 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of the 36 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and NCCAA status.
Yes, Albany State is still an HBCU. It meets the definition established in 1965. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe an HBCU can be stripped of the designation.
Is Albany State still considered an HBCU?