Florida A&M and Florida Memorial claim Black College Nines National Championships.
After another tremendous season of HBCU baseball, Florida A&M University in the “large school” division has been crowned Historically Black College and University National Champions by the polling committee at Black College Nines. Florida Memorial University in the “small school” division rightfully claimed the Black College World Series calling themselves Black College World Series winners. Both Are HBCU Baseball 2023 national champions.
Florida A&M, with a 29-28 overall record, fought a tough regular-season conference and non-conference schedule and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship.
The Rattlers won thrilling games in the tournament, winning five of six games, including a 1-0 pitching duel over Prairie View A&M University. They took two or three games from Alabama State who was picked nationally to win the SWAC after posting a 41-win season. FAMU’s dramatic 9-6 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the SWAC championship game gave the Rattlers bragging rights in the HBCU baseball nation, in the SWWAC and in the state of Florida.
Florida A&Ms 2023 “Large School” championship is the first HBCU Baseball national title in schools history.
FAMU has earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I post-season regionals and will play the nation’s No. 2 seed Florida Gators in the Gainesville Regional scheduled to take place on Friday, June 2, 2023, in Gainesville, Florida.
In the “small school” the Florida Memorial University Lions were crowned the 2023 Black College World Series Champions with a thrilling 5-4 victory in 19 innings.
The Lions defeated Albany State in the championship game of the Black College World Series at Riverwalk Stadium this past May 13, 2023, in Montgomery, Alabama, climbed into the No. 1 spot and ultimately became the small school champion.
Upset-minded Florida Memorial defeated Albany State in a tension-filled, 19-inning, five-hour, five-minute affair championship game that saw both team’s outfielders make spectacular plays to extend each extra-innings on championship Saturday in the Black College Baseball World Series presented by Tyson Foods at Riverwalk Stadium. It was the longest collegiate baseball game this season.
The two tournament divisional winners (ASU in NCAA DII and Florida Memorial in NAIA) each notched a 3-0 mark prior to the title contest, and both were playing for their initial BCBWS crowns. Florida Memorial University’s title was the first in program history.
Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.
Records indicated are through May 29th.
The two divisional polls are as follows…
Large School Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama State University | 41-18 | 0.695 | 3 | |
| Bethune Cookman University | 33-27 | 0.550 | 2 | |
| Coppin State University | 21-31 | 0.404 | 10 | |
| Florida A&M University | 29-28 | 0.509 | 1 | |
| Grambling State University | 29-26 | 0.527 | 4 | |
| Jackson State University | 28-25 | 0.528 | 5 | |
| North Carolina A&T University | 19-34 | 0.404 | 8 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 20-37 | 0.351 | 9 | |
| Southern University | 23-28 | 0.451 | 7 | |
| Texas Southern University | 31-22 | 0.585 | 6 |
Small School Final Poll
| Rank | School | Current Record | Winning Pct. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany State University | 38-11 | 0.776 | 2 | |
| Bluefield State College | 25-25 | 0.500 | 6 | |
| Dillard University | 22-28 | 0.440 | 8 | |
| Edward Waters University | 26-24 | 0.520 | 5 | |
| Florida Memorial University | 21-24 | 0.467 | 1 | |
| Paine College | 15-15 | 0.500 | 10 | |
| Rust College | 25-25 | 0.500 | 9 | |
| Savannah State | 33-14 | 0.702 | 4 | |
| Talladega College | 28-18 | 0.609 | 3 | |
| West Virginia State University | 28-22 | 0.560 | 7 |
2023 Poll Dates (with links to poll results):
Pre-Season (1/10/23)
Week 1 (March 7, 2023)
Week 2 (March 21, 2023)
Week 3 (April 4, 2023)
Week 4 (April 18, 2023)
Week 5 (April 25, 2023)
Week 6 (May 2, 2023)
Week 7 (May 16, 2023)
Week 8 (May 23, 2023)
Final Polls (May 30, 2023)
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 will be named in two divisions… the “large school” division will be composed of the 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a “small school” division made up of the 35 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and NCCAA status.