Black College Nines is set to announce the crowning of its Historically Black College and University (HBCU) 2015 Baseball National Champions. One team from the “Large School Division”, made up of HBCU institutions that compete in the NCAA Division I classification and one team from the “Small School Division”, consisting of the HBCU schools that compete in the NCAA Division II, Division III, and NAIA will be selected champions.
Two national champions will be tapped following an eight week polling process, which was first released on March 17, 2015. The Black College Nines’ poll, a ranking of the top HBCU baseball programs, is a continuation of a previous poll administered by its predecessor, Black College Baseball, which began ranking teams in 2002.
Past national champions include Bethune Cookman University, West Virginia State University, St. Augustine’s College, Stillman College, Edward Waters College, North Carolina A&T State University, Southern University, Prairie View A&M University and Alcorn State University.
The voting committee is made up of a distinguished and distinctive group whose members continue to promote black college baseball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The group includes Ruffin Bell, originator of the former Black College Baseball HBCU National Championship poll and current Cheney State University Athletic Director. As well, the committee includes members of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Black College Legends and Pioneers Committee – Harold Michael Harvey, Jay Sokol, John Winters and the previously mentioned Ruffin Bell. Chuck Curti, national sports journalists and Michael Coker, political blogger, round out the voting panel. Bell, Harvey and Coker each played baseball at HBCU schools.
The crowning of Black College Nines National Champions will be announced on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 at 10AM (EST) on the Black College Nines website.
For more information on Black College Nines, other current and historical HBCU baseball news and to view weekly polls, please visit us at www.blackcollegenines.com.