Black College Nines (BCN) has ranked the Lane College baseball team preseason number one after crowing the Dragons HBCU national champions at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Patrick Barbour‘s squad returns most of its production in 2021, including BCN Second Team All-Americans Chris O’Neal and Zach Elias as well as 2019 All-SIAC selection Treviz Brown. First Team All-American Keishaun Clark will return as an assistant coach for Lane.
In the COVID shortened 2020 campaign, Clark played in all 16 games, batting .356 with 15 RBI and 10 runs scored.
O’Neal led the team in batting average at .385 and runs scored with nineteen. Elias was 3-0 with a save in six appearances while carrying a 3.72 ERA.
Barbour was named 2020 National Coach of the Year by the publication.
“We feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to play ball this season,” said Barbour. “After last season was cut short, and we lost Courtney [Joyner], the guys just want to get back on the field and play together for one more run.”
Joyner, who lost his life in a motorcycle accident last May, is the source of inspiration for this year’s group.
“This season is dedicated to our brother Courtney Joyner,” stated Senior outfielder and relief pitcher Treviz Brown. “We hope to give the same tenacity to the game as Courtney brought and play as one and through him.”
Brown led the team in doubles last season and ended the year with a .300 batting average.
From Michael Coker at BCN:
Lane College sits atop the HBCU Pre-Season Small School Poll this year in the “small school” division, made up of NCAA Division II schools as well as those in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The Dragons lead the way, followed by Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) conference rival No. 2 Kentucky State University and DII Independent, No. 3 Virginia State University.
Lane started the 2020 season unranked winning its way into the No. 1 ranking and was crowned small school HBCU baseball national champion, the program’s first national title. Lane College finished the regular season with a 10-6 overall record.
Small School Division
1. Lane College
2. Kentucky State
3. Virginia State
4. Jarvis Christian
5. Benedict College
6. Bluefield State
7. Miles College
8. Savannah State
9. Florida Memorial
10. Edward Waters
Black College Nines is dedicated to preserving the tradition of baseball at historically black colleges and universities with our coverage of HBCU Baseball.
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