North Carolina A&T in the “large school” division and Albany State in the “small school” division each eke out first place by a single vote in Black College Nines’ second set of polls of the 2024 season.
There were no changes at the top in the latest Black College Nines’ Historically Black College and University (HBCU) large school Top 10 baseball poll presented by Guardian Baseball on March 17, 2024.
North Carolina A&T and Jackson State remain No. 1 and No. 2 for the second week.
Some of the moves from last poll have Bethune-Cookman jumping from No. 4 to No. 3, Prairie View A&M from No. 5 to No. 4, and Florida A&M from No. 6 to No. 5. Among the other changes, Alabama State fell to No. 6, Norfolk State climbed into the Top 10 this week at No. 7, Texas Southern dropped to No. 8, Grambling State remains at No. 9 and Mississippi Valley State, previously No. 7, dropped to No. 10.
In the small school division, Albany State climbed to No. 1 followed by Florida Memorial remaining at No. 2, while Savannah State slips to No. 3. Talladega and Edward Waters remain at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions in the “small school” division. Among the other changes in the poll made up of NCAA Division II and NAIA schools, Bluefield State and West Virginia State climb into the Top 10 this week claiming the No. 6 and No. 7 spots, while Jarvis Christian falls from No. 7 to No. 8. Entering the poll for the first time this season are No. 9 Miles College and No. 10 Lane College.
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 March 17th.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State | 8-9 | 0.471 | 6 | |
| Bethune-Cookman University | 9-9 | 0.500 | 3 | |
| Florida A&M | 8-12 | 0.400 | 5 | |
| Grambling State University | 4-13 | 0.235 | 9 | |
| Jackson State University | 15-4 | 0.789 | 2 | |
| Mississippi Valley State | 8-8 | 0.500 | 10 | |
| Norfolk State University | 7-11 | 0.389 | 7 | |
| North Carolina A&T University | 14-5 | 0.737 | 1 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 11-10 | 0.524 | 4 | |
| Texas Southern Univsity | 5-14 | 0.263 | 8 |
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University | 16-7 | 0.696 | 1 | |
| Bluefield State College | 11-8 | 0.579 | 6 | |
| Edward Waters University | 14-10 | 0.583 | 5 | |
| Florida Memorial University | 14-6 | 0.700 | 2 | |
| Jarvis Christian College | 11-9 | 0.550 | 8 | |
| Lane College | 10-14 | 0.417 | 10 | |
| Miles College | 12-13 | 0.480 | 9 | |
| Savannah State | 14-4 | 0.778 | 3 | |
| Talladega College | 15-11 | 0.577 | 4 | |
| West Virginia State University | 9-8 | 0.529 | 7 |
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.