The Jackson State University baseball team finished the season receiving votes in the final National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) national rankings for 2021, the publication announced on Thursday, July 1st.
Jackson State received votes in nearly every week’s NCBWA poll this past season before dropping their final game of the season to eventual SWAC Conference champion Southern University in the championship game on May 23rd.
The season ending poll left no voters doubting that the Tigers were the HBCU’s best NCAA Division I team. No other HBCU school received votes.
Throughout the season, the Tigers were the cream of the crop in HBCU large school baseball. Ranked as preseason No. 2 teams behind No. 1 Alabama State in Black College Nines top 10 poll on February 8, Jackson State became the top team on March 11th’s first poll, held the No. 1 spot until season’s end, and emerged HBCU baseball national champions.
JSU votes came from among 33 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation.
The Tigers’ 34-9 overall mark included a perfect 24-0 record in the SWAC. As a team, JSU completed the season batting .325 with 287 RBI and a team .453 slugging percentage. Jackson State led the NCAA with 120 stolen bases and pitching held up the entire season finishing with a 4.43 team earned run average, while limiting opponents to a .226 batting average.
| 2021 NCBWA DIVISION I POLL (FINAL) | ||||
| Rk. | School | Conference | Record | Pvs. |
| 1. | Mississippi State | SEC | 50-18 | 8 |
| 2. | Vanderbilt | SEC | 49-18 | 3 |
| 3. | NC State | ACC | 37-19 | 12 |
| 4. | Texas | Big 12 | 50-17 | 2 |
| 5. | Stanford | Pac-12 | 39-17 | 9 |
| 6. | Virginia | ACC | 36-27 | 14 |
| 7. | Arizona | Pac-12 | 45-18 | 5 |
| 8. | Tennessee | SEC | 50-18 | 4 |
| 9. | Arkansas | SEC | 50-13 | 1 |
| 10. | Notre Dame | ACC | 34-13 | 7 |
| 11. | Ole Miss | SEC | 45-22 | 11 |
| 12. | LSU | SEC | 38-25 | 15 |
| 13. | East Carolina | American Athletic | 44-17 | 10 |
| 14. | Dallas Baptist | Missouri Valley | 41-18 | 13 |
| 15. | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 39-17 | 6 |
| 16. | USF | American Athletic | 31-30 | 16 |
| 17. | Old Dominion | Conference USA | 44-16 | 17 |
| 18. | Oregon | Pac-12 | 39-16 | 20 |
| 19. | UCLA | Pac-12 | 37-20 | 24 |
| 20. | Nebraska | Big Ten | 34-14 | 18 |
| 21. | UC Irvine | Big West | 43-18 | 19 |
| 22. | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | 42-20 | 21 |
| 23. | Florida | SEC | 38-22 | 25 |
| 24. | TCU | Big 12 | 41-19 | 22 |
| 25. | Southern Miss | Conference USA | 40-21 | 23 |
| 26. | Oregon State | Pac-12 | 37-24 | 26 |
| 27. | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 36-19-1 | 28 |
| 28. | Charlotte | Conference USA | 40-21 | 29 |
| 29. | Gonzaga | West Coast | 34-19 | RV |
| 30. | South Carolina | SEC | 34-23 | RV |
| Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama (29-19), Arizona State (30-16), California (26-22), California Baptist (35-13), Campbell (30-14), Central Michigan (31-16), Connecticut (25-16), Duke (24-20), Fairfield (32-1), Florida State (28-19), Georgia Tech (25-20), Grand Canyon (34-17-1), Jackson State (29-8), Liberty (35-12), Louisville (26-18), Maryland (24-14), Miami, Fla. (29-16), Nevada (21-17), San Diego (28-10), South Alabama (28-18), UC Santa Barbara (31-18), VCU (32-14). | ||||
| Dropped out: Fairfield (27), UC Santa Barbara (30). | ||||
| By conference: SEC 7, Pac-12 5, ACC 4, Big 12 4, Conference USA 4, American Athletic 2, Big Ten 1, Big West 1, Missouri Valley 1, West Coast 1. | ||||