Bethune-Cookman in the large school division and Albany State in the small school division retain top spots in Black College Nines’ second top 10 polls of 2026.
Defending large school champion Bethune-Cookman University tops the rankings in the second edition of the Black College Nines’ Historically Black College and University regular season Top 10 baseball poll as announced on March 25, 2026. The large school classification is made up of NCAA Division I institutions.
Texas Southern University, sixth in the last Black College Nines poll, moves up to the second spot in this week’s poll while Alabama State drops from number two to the third spot this week
Florida A&M stays in the top five this week, but drops from the number three spot to number four while Grambling State University enters the poll for the first time at number five.
Rounding out the top ten are Jackson State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Southern University, Norfolk State University and North Carolina A&T University.
In the small school division, which includes NCAA Division II schools as well as those affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), Albany State University claims the top spot for the second straight poll.
Florida Memorial University remains ranked second followed by Talladega College which jumped from the eighth spot to number three with Huston Tillotson standing pat at number four. Edward Waters University moves up two spots from the last poll into the number five slot.
The remaining five include Savannah State University, Miles College, Benedict College, Wilberforce University and Wiley University.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.
Records indicated are through March 22nd.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University (SWAC) | 11-11 | 0.500 | 3 | |
| Univ of Arkansas Pine Bluff (SWAC) | 9-16 | 0.360 | 7 | |
| Bethune Cookman University (SWAC) | 17-7 | 0.708 | 1 | |
| Florida A&M University (SWAC) | 9-13 | 0.409 | 4 | |
| Grambling State University (SWAC) | 8-14 | 0.364 | 5 | |
| Jackson State University (SWAC) | 12-13 | 0.480 | 6 | |
| Norfolk State University (NEC) | 7-15 | 0.318 | 9 | |
| North Carolina A&T University (CAA) | 4-18 | 0.182 | 10 | |
| Southern University (SWAC) | 7-15 | 0.318 | 8 | |
| Texas Southern University (SWAC) | 10-10 | 0.500 | 2 |
Receiving Votes: Alabama A&M University, Prairie View A&M University
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University (SIAC) | 16-11 | 0.593 | 1 | |
| Benedict College (SIAC) | 12-8 | 0.600 | 8 | |
| Edward Waters University (SIAC) | 15-14 | 0.517 | 5 | |
| Florida Memorial University (SUN) | 14-13 | 0.519 | 3 | |
| Huston-Tillotson University (HBCUAC) | 18-13 | 0.581 | 4 | |
| Miles College (SIAC) | 17-9 | 0.654 | 7 | |
| Savannah State (SIAC) | 13-14 | 0.481 | 6 | |
| Talladega College (HBCUAC) | 11-13 | 0.458 | 3 | |
| Wilberforce University (HBCUAC) | 11-9 | 0.550 | 9 | |
| Wiley University (HBCUAC) | 12-12 | 0.500 | 10 |
Receiving Votes: Bluefield State University, Morehouse College, Southern University at New Orleans, Stillman College, 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 (TBA)
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.