Alabama State University baseball team has received votes in the NCAA Division I Preseason Top 35 Rankings compiled by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Tuesday, February 2nd.
Since the hiring of head coach Jose’ Vazquez, the Hornets baseball program, for the third straight season, finds itself garnering national attention as an HBCU baseball powerhouse. Vazquez has led the team to a raised profile since his hiring of July 2016.
In 2020, Alabama State was crowned Black College Nines’ HBCU Baseball Large School Nation Champion.
The ballclub opens the 2021 campaign in the MLB Andre Dawson Classic February 19th against the University of New Orleans. The game will be played at the Maestri Field in New Orelans. They will also face SWAC conference foes Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University Feb., 20-21 to close out the tournament. The Hornets are looking to climb the ladder into the Top 30 NCBWA NCAA Division I poll.
The 2021 poll voters come from among 40 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. After a preseason Top 35 listing, the remainder of the polls will feature a national Top 30 beginning with the Feb. 22 NCBWA DI regular season poll.
The 2021 season will feature 298 NCAA Division I baseball-playing schools.
| 2021 NCBWA DIVISION I PRESEASON POLL (FEB. 2) | ||||
| Rk. | School | Conference | Record | Pvs. |
| 1. | Florida | SEC | 0-0 | 1 |
| 2. | UCLA | Pac-12 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 3. | Vanderbilt | SEC | 0-0 | 8 |
| 4. | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 0-0 | 5 |
| 5. | Ole Miss | SEC | 0-0 | 4 |
| 6. | Louisville | ACC | 0-0 | 6 |
| 7. | Mississippi State | SEC | 0-0 | 12 |
| 8. | Arkansas | SEC | 0-0 | 15 |
| 9. | Texas | Big 12 | 0-0 | 29 |
| 10. | Miami | ACC | 0-0 | 3 |
| 11. | N.C. State | ACC | 0-0 | 11 |
| 11. | TCU | Big 12 | 0-0 | 28 |
| 13. | LSU | SEC | 0-0 | 19 |
| 14. | UC Santa Barbara | Big West | 0-0 | RV |
| 15. | Virginia | ACC | 0-0 | RV |
| 16. | Florida State | ACC | 0-0 | 13 |
| 17. | Arizona | Pac-12 | 0-0 | RV |
| 18. | Georgia Tech | ACC | 0-0 | RV |
| 19. | East Carolina | American Athletic | 0-0 | 18 |
| 20. | Tennessee | SEC | 0-0 | 23 |
| 21. | West Virginia | Big 12 | 0-0 | RV |
| 22. | Oklahoma | Big 12 | 0-0 | 10 |
| 23. | South Carolina | SEC | 0-0 | ” |
| 24. | Georgia | SEC | 0-0 | 7 |
| 25. | Auburn | SEC | 0-0 | 21 |
| 26. | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 0-0 | 27 |
| 27. | Duke | ACC | 0-0 | 16 |
| 28. | UCF | American Athletic | 0-0 | 14 |
| 29. | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 0-0 | 9 |
| 30. | Alabama | SEC | 0-0 | 21 |
| 30. | Wake Forest | ACC | 0-0 | ” |
| 32. | Clemson | ACC | 0-0 | 20 |
| 33. | Texas A&M | SEC | 0-0 | 17 |
| 34. | Michigan | Big Ten | 0-0 | RV |
| 35. | Dallas Baptist | Missouri Valley | 0-0 | 24 |
| Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama State (0-0), Baylor (0-0), Belmont (0-0), Cal State Fullerton (0-0), California (0-0), Coastal Carolina (0-0), Connecticut (0-0), Florida Atlantic (0-0), Georgia Southern (0-0), Indiana (0-0), Kansas State (0-0), Long Beach State (0-0), Louisiana (0-0), Minnesota (0-0), Notre Dame (0-0), Oregon (0-0), Oregon State (0-0), Pepperdine (0-0), Sacramento State (0-0), San Diego (0-0), San Diego State (0-0), South Alabama (0-0), Southern Miss (0-0), Stanford (0-0), Stetson (0-0), Texas State (0-0), Tulane (0-0), UC Irvine (0-0), UNCW (0-0), USC (0-0), Washington (0-0), Washington State (0-0), Wichita State (0-0). | ||||
| By conference: SEC 12, ACC 9, Big 12 6, Pac-12 3, American Athletic 2, Big Ten 1, Big West 1, Missouri Valley 1. | ||||