Alabama State University remains atop the Black College Nines’ Top 10 Historically Black College and University (HBCU) large school baseball poll announced on May 17, 2016.
The Hornets, 34-15 overall and 24-0 in the SWAC conference, sit at the top spot for the sixth time this season. ASU won the East Division crown for the third straight year and is set to open SWAC Conference Tournament this week.
For the sixth consecutive week, Florida A&M University retains the No. 2 ranking. After a week’s worth of action on the diamond, there has been some minor shuffling amongst the other eight teams with four flipping places and four teams retaining their rankings from the previous week.
Bethune-Cookman University and Norfolk State University flipped spots at No. 3 and No. 4. As well, Jackson State University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff switch spots at No. 5 and No. 6 from the previous week. Grambling State University, North Carolina Central University, Texas Southern University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore retains their respective rankings from the previous week.
In the small school division, for the second week in a row, West Virginia State University maintains the No. 1 team in Black College Nines Top 10 poll. The Yellow Jackets, 32-15 overall and 24-8 in the Mountain East Conference, finished its season with a loss in the MEC tournament championship game.
In the rest of the small school poll, the top nine teams remain the same this week. Edward Waters College, Selma University, Winston Salem State University, Miles College, Claflin University, Stillman College, Benedict College, Paine College and Jarvis Christian College round out the Top 10.
The crowning of Black College Nines National Champions will be announced on Tuesday, May 24th, 2016 at 10 AM (EST) on the Black College Nines’ website.
The Voting Committee of Black College Nines determines the Top 10 rankings. Overall records do not include ties.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Division
| No. | School | Conference | W-L | Previous |
| 1 | Alabama State University | SWAC | 34-15 | 1 |
| 2 | Florida A&M University | MEAC | 30-19 | 2 |
| 3 | Bethune-Cookman University | MEAC | 25-25 | 4 |
| 4 | Norfolk State University | MEAC | 27-19 | 3 |
| 5 | Jackson State University | SWAC | 32-24 | 6 |
| 6 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | SWAC | 21-23 | 5 |
| 7 | Grambling State University | SWAC | 22-25 | 7 |
| 8 | North Carolina Central University | MEAC | 24-28 | 8 |
| 9 | Texas Southern University | SWAC | 21-25 | 9 |
| 10 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | MEAC | 16-32 | 10 |
Small School Division
| No. | School | Conference | W-L | Previous |
| 1 | West Virginia State University | MEC | 32-15 | 1 |
| 2 | Edward Waters College | GCAC | 31-13 | 2 |
| 3 | Selma University | Independent | 27-12 | 3 |
| 4 | Winston Salem State University | CIAA | 31-22 | 4 |
| 5 | Miles College | SIAC | 32-17 | 5 |
| 6 | Claflin University | SIAC | 24-29 | 6 |
| 7 | Stillman College | SIAC | 27-24 | 7 |
| 8 | Benedict College | SIAC | 27-19 | 8 |
| 9 | Paine College | SIAC | 27-20 | 9 |
| 10 | Jarvis Christian College | RRAC | 27-29 | 10 |
Previous Poll Results: (click on links below)
Week 1 (March 13, 2016)
Week 2 (April 5, 2016)
Week 3 (April 19, 2016)
Week 4 (April 26, 2016)
Week 5 (May 3, 2016)
Week 6 (May 10, 2016)
Week 7 (May 17, 2016)
Week 8* (May 24, 2016)
Question: How is Alabama St ranked ahead of Florida A&M? I have seen both teams play this year and FAMU is the better team, the MEAC is better than the SWAC this year. The RPI has FAMU ahead of Alabama St. The biggest factor FAMU beat Alabama St head to head this year.