Florida A&M in the “large school” division and Talladega College in the “small school” division head Black College Nines’ third regular season top 10 polls of 2025.
The Rattlers of Florida A&M have claimed the No. 1 position in the Black College Nines’ large school poll after sweeping Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Prairie View A&M last weekend. Bethune-Cookman claims the No. 2 spot following a successful 2-1 series win against Southern University. Alabama State dropped to the No. 3 position, while Texas Southern University climbed from No. 6 to No. 4. North Carolina A&T made significant progress, rising four places from No. 9 to No. 5, to complete the top five rankings.
The remaining Historically Black College and University teams in the large school division top 10 poll, as announced on April 2, 2025, includes Jackson University, which fell four spots to No. 6, SouthernUniversity, which dropped to No. 7 and Grambling State, which dropped down one to No. 8. Mississippi Valley State entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 9 and Prairie View A&M fell two spots from No. 8 to No. 10.
In the small school division, composed of NCAA Division II schools as well as those in the NAIA and NCCAA, Talladega remains in the No. 1 position from the previous poll. The Tornadoes (24-10 overall and 18-2 in conference play) won two out of three games against Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference rival Stillman College over the past weekend.
Savannah State remains at position at No. 2. Edward Waters climbed to No. 3, Wiley retained its No. 4 ranking, and Miles dropped from No. 3 to No. 5. Dillard University rose two positions to No. 6, with Albany State at No. 7. Florida Memorial fell one spot to No. 8, Paine moved up one spot to No. 9, and Southern University at New Orleans, previously receiving votes, entered the top 10 for the first time at No. 10.
The small school Top 10 poll will have national implications throughout the 2025 regular season which will lead to HBCU baseball programs competing for a national title in the fifth annual Black College World Series scheduled for May 7-10, 2025, at Rockabillys Stadium (home of the Jackson Rockabillys) in Jackson, Tennessee.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.
Records indicated are through March 30th.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University | 13-16 | 0.448 | 3 | |
| Bethune Cookman University | 14-14 | 0.500 | 2 | |
| Florida A&M University | 14-12 | 0.538 | 1 | |
| Grambling State University | 10-16 | 0.385 | 8 | |
| Jackson State University | 16-10 | 0.615 | 6 | |
| Mississippi Valley State University | 8-10 | 0.444 | 9 | |
| North Carolina A&T University | 8-17 | 0.320 | 5 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 8-21 | 0.276 | 10 | |
| Southern University | 10-15 | 0.400 | 7 | |
| Texas Southern University | 11-17 | 0.393 | 4 |
Receiving Votes: Alabama A&M
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University | 17-16 | 0.515 | 7 | |
| Dillard University | 18-14 | 0.562 | 6 | |
| Edward Waters University | 21-13 | 0.618 | 3 | |
| Florida Memorial University | 14-16 | 0.467 | 8 | |
| Miles College | 17-13 | 0.567 | 5 | |
| Paine College | 12-4 | 0.750 | 9 | |
| Savannah State | 17-9 | 0.654 | 2 | |
| Southern University at New Orleans | 16-12 | 0.571 | 10 | |
| Talladega College | 24-10 | 0.706 | 1 | |
| Wiley University | 22-12 | 0.647 | 4 |
Receiving Votes: Benedict College, Huston-Tillotson University, Lane College, Morehouse College, West Virginia State University
2025 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season
Week 1 (March 5, 2025)
Week 2 (March 19, 2025)
Week 3 (April 2, 2025)
Week 4 (April 16, 2025)
Week 5 (April 23, 2025)
Week 6 (April 30, 2025)
Week 7 (May 14, 2025)
Week 8 (May 23, 2025)
Final Poll (May 28, 2025)
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 are named in two divisions… the “large school” division will is composed of the 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of the 37 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and NCCAA status.