The Jackson State baseball program received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) 2022 Preseason NCAA Division I Poll. The Tigers are among the nation’s top rank teams receiving votes in the annual poll.
Jackson State’s 2021 campaign ended the season with an overall record of 34-9, including a 24-0 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). JSU was crowned Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Baseball National Champion in 2021, the program’s first-ever national title.
The Tigers’ big bats return for the 2022 season. Last year, Jackson State led the nation with 133 SBs, finished in the top five in the nation in team batting average, scoring margin, runs scored per game, and on base percentage.
Returning players include Chenar Brown, who batted .366 and hit eight home runs with 49 runs batted in as a freshman, Ty Hill who hit .432 last year to go along with his 3 home runs and 43 runs batted in, Jatavious Melton who stole 23 bases a season ago and Nikelle Gala who had a 3.12 earned run average with a 9-2 record on the hill and 89 strikeouts.
The Tigers will face a challenging schedule in 2022 including No. 3 Mississippi State and No. 24 Georgia Tech, both of which are ranked in the NCBWA Preseason Poll.
Opening Day for the 2022 season is set for February 18th in New Orleans, LA in the MLB Classic against Grambling State. Jackson State’s home opener is a non-conference HBCU game with Tugaloo College on February 22. Games against ranked teams include March 15-16 Georgia Tech and April 19 in Starkville, MS visiting national champion Mississippi State.
Last year, Jackson State University was listed in the NCBWA poll throughout the season.
The NCBWA 2020 Preseason list:
A total of 83 schools (NCBWA poll record) received votes or are rated among the first Top 35 in ‘22, and 13 of the 14 SEC baseball teams (all except Missouri) were ranked or received notes.
| 2022 NCBWA DIVISION I PRESEASON POLL (FEB. 3) | ||||
| Rk. | School | Conference | Record | Pvs. |
| 1. | Texas [15] | Big 12 | 50-17 | 4 |
| 2. | Vanderbilt [7] | SEC | 49-18 | 2 |
| 3. | Mississippi State [3] | SEC | 50-18 | 1 |
| 4. | Arkansas [5] | SEC | 50-13 | 9 |
| 5. | Stanford [1] | Pac-12 | 39-17 | 5 |
| 6. | Ole Miss [1] | SEC | 45-22 | 11 |
| 7. | Florida | SEC | 38-22 | 23 |
| 8. | LSU | SEC | 38-25 | 12 |
| 9. | Notre Dame | ACC | 34-13 | 10 |
| 10. | Arizona | Pac-12 | 45-18 | 7 |
| 11. | N.C. State | ACC | 37-19 | 3 |
| 12. | East Carolina | American Athletic | 44-17 | 13 |
| 13. | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 36-19-1 | 27 |
| 14. | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 39-17 | 15 |
| 15. | Florida State | ACC | 31-24 | RV |
| 16. | Tennessee [1] | SEC | 50-18 | 8 |
| 17. | Virginia | ACC | 36-27 | 6 |
| 18. | Oregon State | Pac-12 | 37-24 | 26 |
| 19. | UC Irvine | Big West | 43-18 | 21 |
| 20. | TCU | Big 12 | 41-19 | 24 |
| 21. | UCLA | Pac-12 | 37-20 | 19 |
| 22. | Georgia | SEC | 31-25 | – |
| 23. | Dallas Baptist | Missouri Valley | 41-18 | 14 |
| 24. | Georgia Tech | ACC | 31-25 | RV |
| 25. | Nebraska | Big Ten | 34-14 | 20 |
| 26. | Miami | ACC | 33-21 | RV |
| 27. | Old Dominion | Conference USA | 44-16 | 17 |
| 28. | Oregon | Pac-12 | 39-16 | 18 |
| 29. | Long Beach State | Big West | 28-15 | – |
| 30. | Duke | ACC | 33-22 | RV |
| 31. | Southern Miss | Conference USA | 40-21 | 25 |
| 32. | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | 42-20 | 22 |
| 33. | UC Santa Barbara | Big West | 41-20 | RV |
| 34. | Gonzaga | West Coast | 34-19 | 29 |
| 35. | Liberty | ASUN | 41-16 | RV |
| Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Abilene Christian (36-21), Alabama (32-26), Arizona State (33-22), Auburn (25-27), Baylor (31-20), Cal Poly (31-25), California (29-26), California Baptist (40-16), Campbell (37-18), Central Michigan (41-18), Charlotte (40-21), Clemson (25-27), Coastal Carolina (27-24), Connecticut (34-19), Creighton (24-15), Fairfield (39-5), Grand Canyon (39-21-1), Hawaii (17-26), Indiana (26-18), Indiana State (31-21), Iowa (26-18), Jackson State (32-9), Kansas State (34-23), Kentucky (29-23), Louisville (28-22), Maryland (30-18), Michigan (27-19), Middle Tennessee (24-29-1), Nevada (25-20), North Carolina (28-27), Northeastern (36-12), Oklahoma (27-28), Oral Roberts (31-23), Pepperdine (20-25), South Alabama (36-22), South Carolina (34-23), Stetson (26-23), Texas A&M (29-27), Troy (27-26), Tulane (31-24), USF (31-30), VCU (38-16), Virginia Tech (27-25), Wake Forest (20-27), Washington State (26-23), West Virginia (25-27), Wichita State (31-23), Xavier (28-26). | ||||
| By conference: SEC 8, ACC 7, Pac-12 5, Big 12 3, Big West 3, Conference USA 3, American Athletic 1, ASUN 1, Big Ten 1, Mid-American 1, Missouri Valley 1, West Coast 1. | ||||
| Records are from the 2021 season | ||||