NAIA coaches' poll for March 24, 2015, with Boyd Nation's ISR. Recaps below.
RANK |
ISR |
PRVS |
SCHOOL |
2015 |
TOTAL |
1 |
9 |
1 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
28-0 |
591 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
Faulkner (AL) |
29-5 |
556 |
3 |
11 |
3 |
Missouri Baptist |
22-2 |
555 |
4 |
15 |
4 |
Tabor (KS) |
28-3 |
542 |
5 |
42 |
5 |
Georgia Gwinnett |
27-5 |
512 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
Davenport (MI) |
20-2 |
484 |
7 |
4 |
7 |
Northwood (FL) |
28-7 |
480 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
The Master's (CA) |
27-7 |
474 |
9 |
35 |
10 |
LSU Shreveport (LA) |
19-5 |
430 |
10 |
29 |
11 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
23-6 |
428 |
11 |
31 |
T13 |
Oklahoma City |
25-6 |
378 |
12 |
10 |
T13 |
Westmont (CA) |
25-8 |
364 |
13 |
7 |
16 |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
20-7 |
356 |
14 |
2 |
9 |
Lewis-Clark State (ID) |
19-7 |
348 |
15 |
13 |
12 |
Bellevue (NE) |
22-6 |
336 |
16 |
16 |
19 |
Auburn Montgomery (AL) |
22-9 |
321 |
17 |
8 |
18 |
Concordia-Irvine (CA) |
26-9 |
280 |
18 |
14 |
RV |
Embry-Riddle (FL) |
21-12 |
231 |
19 |
5 |
RV |
Campbellsville (KY) |
13-4 |
224 |
20 |
19 |
17 |
St. Thomas (FL) |
23-8 |
199 |
21 |
40 |
15 |
Sterling (KS) |
23-8 |
196 |
22 |
36 |
25 |
Mobile (AL) |
20-8 |
184 |
23 |
30 |
24 |
Point Park (PA) |
15-4 |
179 |
24 |
43 |
RV |
Union (KY) |
18-5 |
135 |
25 |
22 |
RV |
Northwestern Ohio |
18-6 |
122 |
|
12 |
20 |
British Columbia |
15-8 |
|
|
17 |
|
Concordia-Portland (OR) |
12-16 |
|
|
18 |
|
Bryan (TN) |
26-8 |
|
|
20 |
|
Lindsey Wilson (KY) |
17-12 |
|
|
21 |
|
Judson (IL) |
17-5 |
|
|
23 |
|
Madonna (MI) |
20-7 |
|
|
24 |
|
Vanguard (CA) |
25-12 |
|
|
25 |
|
York (NE) |
20-10 |
|
Oklahoma Baptist received all 21 first place votes.
Concordia-Portland (ISR #17) is #1 in strength of schedule.
#1 Oklahoma Baptist got two wins against non-NAIA Dallas Christian, one of them a seven-inning shutout pitched by Jinny Parra and Brad Adams. They got a 5-4 win against Division III Austin College, and it took a bases-loaded walk by CF Shakeel Newton in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to get that win.
The Bison then defeated #4 Tabor 5-4. The Bison got four runs in the top of the first inning, then got the winning run in the third when C Garrett Gallacher reached on a fielder's choice, and 3B Landon Coon scored. The Bison used six pitchers; Taylor Hearn, who pitched four innings, and allowed one hit and recorded six strikeouts, got the win.
The Bison are #119 in strength of schedule (not including the game against Tabor), but that will change very soon. They host #11 Oklahoma City March 26 and 28, and visit Oklahoma City March 27. They visit Division II Southern Nazarene March 30, and host Division II Arkansas Tech March 31.
#2 Faulkner lost two of three to William Carey, 2-3, 12-0, and 5-9. Gavin Culpepper held the Eagles to four hits in the first game, and pinch-hitter Cody Christian hit an RBI single for the winning run. The Eagles got all the runs they needed in the second game with a two-run home run by C Robert Liera. Victor Arche got the seven-inning shutout, allowed five hits, struck out eight. In the third game, Mason Woodrow and Larson Barkum combined to hold the Eagles to four hits, and Kurt Lipscomb got his first loss of the season. 1B Michael Wells went 2-for-5 with three RBI for the Crusaders. Story
#16 Auburn-Montgomery leads the Southern States Athletic Conference with a 14-1 conference record. The Eagles are second with a 12-3 record. The Eagles visit Martin Methodist March 27-28.
#3 Missouri Baptist won two of three at Benedictine-Springfield, losing 8-4, then winning 5-0 and 6-3. The Spartans were held to six hits by the Bulldogs in the first game. SS Chris Day went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Bulldogs. Randy Wynne pitched a seven-inning, two-hit shutout in the second game, struck out seven, didn't walk a batter. Brandon Zywicki got the win in the third game. The Spartans visit Park March 27-28.
#4 Tabor won three of four games against Kansas Wesleyan, 6-1, 16-11, 10-8, and 1-11. Dustin Hurlbutt pitched a seven-inning three-hitter in the first game, struck out seven, didn't walk a batter. Seven of the Bluejays' 16 runs in the second game were unearned. The Bluejays trailed the third game 8-6 going into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, and a fly ball that should have ended the game was dropped. The next batter, 2B Gadiel Baez of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, hit a grand slam home run. In the forth game, the Bluejays could manage only one run on nine hits off Nathan Hancock, who went the seven-inning distance for the Coyotes. Story
The Bluejays lost a midweek game to #1 Oklahoma Baptist 5-4 (see above). The Bluejays host Friends March 27, and visit Friends March 28.
#5 Georgia Gwinnett swept four games against non-NAIA Ohio State-Lima, 21-1, 13-0, 18-2, and 7-5. Four Grizzlies pitchers combined for the four-hit shutout in the second game, and C Brady Shoppe batted in five runs. 1B Ty Abbott went 3-for-3 with two home runs in the third game. Story RF Arsenio Watlington hit a home run in the fourth game. Story
Abbott is batting .457, 11th in the NAIA, and leads the NAIA with 51 RBI. The Grizzlies visit Talladega March 27-28, and Division II Georgia Regents March 30.
#6 and ISR #1 Davenport swept four games against Concordia-Ann Arbor, 13-3, 3-1, 7-3, and 4-0. 2B Jordan Zylstra went 4-for-4 with a triple, a double, and four RBI in the first game. Starter Brendan Bender got the win, allowed three hits over five innings, and got two hits at the plate, one of them a home run. Bender played first base in the second game, hit an RBI single for the winning run; the Panthers scored all three of their runs in the third inning. Story The Panthers trailed the third game 3-0 after four innings, but tied it 3-3 in the sixth inning, then put it away with four runs in the seventh. RF Zac Wilson hit an RBI single for the winning run. The Cardinals out-hit the Panthers 7-4 in the fourth game, but Anthony Alarcon and Jonathan Cheshire combined for a shutout. Zac Wilson scored the winning run on a wild pitch, and C Nolan Wilson batted in two runs. Story The Panthers host Lourdes March 28-29 (video).
#8 The Master's continues to lead Golden State Athletic Conference, but Westmont has moved into second place, 1 ½ games behind. The Mustangs dropped their series opener at Biola 4-2, but won the remaining two games 7-4 and 7-3. In the first game, Garrett Picha and Jimmy Gallarda held the Mustangs to four hits. 3B Andres Rodriguez and SS/1B Julian Jarrard had big games for the Eagles. Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with two home runs, and Jarrard went 2-for-3 with a home run. They both made several good defensive plays. Story 3B Nick Covello went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and three RBI for the Mustangs in the second game. Jarrard hit another home run for the Eagles. The Mustangs won the third game with a five-run fifth inning. 1B Collin Nyenhuis scored the winning run on a passed ball.
The Mustangs host San Diego Christian March 27-28 (video).