Alabama State University and Talladega College claim Black College Nines 2026 Baseball Crowns.
Alabama State University and Talladega College sit atop the final Black College Nines Historically Black College and University (HBCU) “large school” and “small school” top 10 polls of 2026 as announced on May 27, 2026. With the top rankings each has secured an HBCU national baseball crown.
Alabama State, which last claimed a Black College Nines large school national championship in 2022, used a strong finish to the season and a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament crown to unseat 2025 national champion Bethune-Cookman University.
The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman held the top spot in each poll up until the final poll tally which dropped them to number two, followed by Florida A&M, the 2023 Black College Nines large school national champion. Rounding out the top five are Southern University and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The SWAC took eight of the ten top spots in the final large school top ten poll with Norfolk State of the Northeast Conference (NEC) and North Carolina A&T of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) securing the last two spots in the poll.
In the small school division, made up of HBCU schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Unites States Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Christian College Athletic Association, Talladega College has earned a second straight crown.
The Tornadoes began the season ranked eighth in the Black College Nines first poll, but moved up each poll while ultimately battling Albany State and Edward Waters University for the top spot.
Talladega College and Edward Waters University each won their conference tournament championships and advanced to the NAIA and NCAA Division II first round of playoffs, respectively, with both going 1-2.
Huston-Tillotson University finished third in final poll and if memory serves correct, made an appearance in the top ten final poll for the first time in the 12 years Black College Nines has been crowning national champions. Likewise, number six ranked Morehouse College also made its first appearance in the small school top ten final poll.
Another newcomer to the final rankings is Wilberforce University, having resurrected its baseball program in 2023 after an 80 year hiatus.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.
Records indicated are through May 24, 2026.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University (SWAC) | 34-21 | 0.618 | 1 | |
| Univ of Arkansas Pine Bluff (SWAC) | 25-34 | 0.424 | 5 | |
| Bethune Cookman University (SWAC) | 38-20 | 0.655 | 2 | |
| Florida A&M University (SWAC) | 30-23 | 0.566 | 3 | |
| Grambling State University (SWAC) | 21-32 | 0.396 | 6 | |
| Jackson State University (SWAC) | 26-27 | 0.491 | 7 | |
| Norfolk State University (NEC) | 20-31 | 0.392 | 9 | |
| North Carolina A&T University (CAA) | 14-38 | 0.269 | 10 | |
| Southern University (SWAC) | 29-23 | 0.558 | 4 | |
| Texas Southern University (SWAC) | 21-24 | 0.467 | 8 |
Receiving Votes: Prairie View A&M
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University (SIAC) | 28-18 | 0.609 | 4 | |
| Benedict College (SIAC) | 23-13 | 0.639 | 7 | |
| Edward Waters University (SIAC) | 33-21 | 0.611 | 2 | |
| Florida Memorial University (SUN) | 21-27 | 0.437 | 8 | |
| Huston-Tillotson University (HBCUAC) | 33-20 | 0.623 | 3 | |
| Morehouse College (SIAC) | 25-21 | 0.543 | 6 | |
| Savannah State (SIAC) | 27-20 | 0.574 | 5 | |
| Stillman College (HBCUAC) | 24-18 | 0.571 | 9 | |
| Talladega College (HBCUAC) | 33-19 | 0.635 | 1 | |
| Wilberforce University (HBCUAC) | 22-21 | 0.512 | 10 |
Receiving Votes: Bluefield State, Claflin University, Miles College, Southern University at New Orleans, Virginia State University, West Virginia State University
2026 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Week 1 (March 11 , 2026)
Week 2 (March 25, 2026)
Week 3 (April 8, 2026)
Week 4 (April 22, 2026)
Week 5 (May 6, 2026)
Week 6 (May 20, 2026)
Final Poll (May 27, 2026)
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 which is composed of the 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of the 38 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA NCCAA and USCAA status.