Week 9 of Dr.Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid Major Division Baseball Top 5 saw no new teams enter the fray, as every team is a holdover from the previous week.
Here’s this week’s countdown from No. 5 to No. 1.
5. Savannah State Tigers ( 27-20 , 23-10)
The Tigers of Savannah State remain at no.5 in the weekly rankings. SSU’s time in the SIAC Tournament was short lived as they fell 9-4 to top-seeded Spring Hill in their opening round matchup . Savannah State was outslugged 13-10 by Benedict in the elimination game, thus ending their season.
4. Albany State Golden Rams (31-18, 27-6)
Albany State holds on to the No. 4 spot in the weekly rankings. The Golden Rams rolled into the SIAC Baseball Tournament fresh of a three-game sweep of Tuskegee, but they were unfortunately unable to carry that momentum into the tourney. Albany State was defeated in a high scoring affair, 15-11 to Miles College in the opening round and then came up short against Benedict 8-5 in the elimination game. Although the season did not end how they hoped, the Golden Rams racked up 31 wins, their fifth consecutive campaign of at least 30 victories . .
3. Huston-Tillotson Rams (33-18 ,18-3)
The Rams continue their impressive season at No. 3 in this week’s poll. Although the Rams came up short in the HBCUAC Tournament championship game, as they were blanked 8-0 by Talladega College, they had already secured a position as an automatic qualifier in the NAIA Baseball Championship. They were beaten 8-0 by Oklahoma Wesleyan in the opening round of the Shreveport regional, They were then defeated 9-0 by Loyola (LA), thus ending their Rams’ season.
2. Edward Waters Tigers ( 33-19, 24-9)
Edward Waters stays at the penultimate position in the weekly rankings. After claiming the SIAC Baseball Tournament crown, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. EWU faced the University of West Florida in the opening round , where they were soundly bested by the Argonauts 16-6. The Tigers were nipped 3-2 by Delta State 3-2 in the elimination game, ending their season.
1. Talladega Tornadoes ( 32-27, 19-2)
Holding down the top spot this week once again are the Tornadoes of Talladega College. The HBCUAC Tournament Champions moved on to the NAIA Baseball Tournament, where they were the No.5 seed in the Lawrenceville bracket. In their opening round matchup, Talladega defeated No.4 seed Northwestern Ohio 12-2. Talladega was bested 11-1 by No.1 seed Georgia Gwinnett in their next outing. Northwestern Ohio returned the favor in the elimination game by defeating the Tornadoes, 9-5, ending Talladega’s season. overall record paired with a dominant 19-2 conference performance earned them four first-place votes and the No. 1 ranking in Week 9. As the postseason approaches, the Tornadoes remain the team everyone is chasing.
