Grambling State University and Bluefield State University claim Black College Nines Baseball Crowns.
Grambling State University sits atop the final Black College Nines HBCU “large school” Top 10 poll of 2024 presented by Guardian Baseball and announced on May 30, 2024.
After another incredible season of HBCU baseball, Grambling State in the “large school” division has been crowned Historically Black College and University National Champions by the polling committee at Black College Nines. Bluefield State University in the “small school” division rightfully claimed the Black College World Series calling themselves Black College World Series winners. Both are HBCU baseball 2024 national champions.
Grambling State, with a 26-26 record, fought a tough regular-season conference and non-conference schedule and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship. The Tigers played lights out in its run through the tournament, winning five of the six games with a four-game winning streak, including a dramatic 6-5 ninth inning come from behind victory over Jackson State in the SWAC championship game to win the tournament.
Grambling’s 2024 championship is its first-ever HBCU baseball national title.
The Tigers have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I post-season regionals and will play the nation’s No. 3 ranked and No. 1 seed Texas A&M University in the Byran-College Station Regional scheduled to take place on Friday, May 31, 2024, in College Station, Texas, Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Bluefield State University’s 2024 Black College World Series title was the second in program history. Its first BCWS crown came in the 2021 season. The Big Blue finished the season with a 33-15 record while competing as an NCAA Division II Independent. Bluefield State is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), but competes unaffiliated for baseball. The Black College World Series was the program’s only post-season tournament.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools. The Black College World Series winner and runner-up automatically claim the the top two spots in the final small school poll.
Records indicated are through May 29, 2024.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University | 29-27 | 0.518 | 5 | |
| Bethune Cookman University | 32-27 | 0.542 | 4 | |
| Delaware State University | 22-27 | 0.449 | 10 | |
| Florida A&M University | 29-27 | 0.518 | 3 | |
| Grambling State University | 26-26 | 0.500 | 1 | |
| Jackson State University | 36-20 | 0.643 | 2 | |
| North Carolina A&T University | 25-28 | 0.472 | 8 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 29-26 | 0.527 | 7 | |
| Southern University | 22-29 | 0.431 | 9 | |
| Texas Southern University | 23-25 | 0.479 | 6 |
Receiving Multiple Vote: Alabama A&M
Small School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University | 37-12 | 0.755 | 4 | |
| Bluefield State University | 33-15 | 0.687 | 1 | |
| Edward Waters University | 31-19 | 0.620 | 3 | |
| Florida Memorial University | 21-26 | 0.447 | 8 | |
| Jarvis Christian University | 19-23 | 0.452 | 10 | |
| Miles College | 22-26 | 0.458 | 9 | |
| Savannah State | 31-17 | 0.646 | 5 | |
| Talladega College | 38-16 | 0.704 | 2 | |
| West Virginia State University | 31-20 | 0.608 | 6 | |
| Wiley University | 29-21 | 0.580 | 7 |
Receiving Multiple Votes: Huston-Tillotson, Kentucky State, Lane College, Morehouse College, Paine College, Xavier University of Louisiana
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 15, 2024)
Week 8 (May 22, 2024)
Final Poll (May 29, 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 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 36 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and NCCAA status.