Francis Marion climbs back into NCAA II Baseball Poll

FLORENCE, S.C. – The Francis Marion University baseball team opened its conference schedule by winning a series against UNC Pembroke and the Patriots climbed back into the 2009 Collegiate Baseball Magazine NCAA Division II Top 30 poll at the No. 29 slot.
The Patriots, now 8-4-1, will play a non-conference game at Barton College (9-7) on Tuesday at 2 p.m., before heading to Savannah, Ga., for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series against Armstrong Atlantic State University this weekend.
Francis Marion was ranked 33rd in the 2009 pre-season poll.
Dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have appeared in 66 of the past 71 national polls.
Four PBC squads are listed in this week’s poll, while Lynn University (11-1) occupies the top spot.
Senior third baseman Keon Graves, a Dillon native, leads the Patriots in hitting with a .447 average and two home runs and 12 runs batted in. Freshman outfielder Tyler Boyd, a native of Lamar, is hitting .406 with a nine-game hitting streak.


Collegiate Baseball Magazine NCAA Division II Poll (2-23-09)

No. Team Record Points Last Week
1. Lynn 11-1 480 1
2. Cal. St. Stanislaus 11-2 464 2
3. Southern Arkansas 12-3 448 4
4. Mesa St. 8-2 432 5
5. Franklin Pierce 1-0 406 T-7
6. Grand Valley St. 0-0 400 T-7
7. West Chester 2-1 394 9
8. Abilene Christian 10-3 362 15
9. Tampa 10-4 348 10
10. North Georgia 8-4 346 13
11. Cameron 11-4 312 —
12. North Alabama 13-4 302 16
13. Central Missouri 5-1 298 18
14. Florida Southern 10-4 248 30
15. Lenoir-Rhyne 11-4 242 —
16. Saint Joseph's (IN) 5-2 228 28
17. Ouachita Baptist 11-5 224 3
18. Georgia Coll. & St. 9-4 210 27
19. Cal. St. Chico 7-5 196 T-19
Angelo St. 9-6 196 14
21. Texas-Permian Basin 12-3 168 RV
22. Lander 10-3 140 22
23. Anderson (SC) 10-4 122 —
24. St. Mary's (TX) 11-3 102 RV
25. Western Oregon 4-4 76 24
26. Nova Southeastern 11-2 72 —
27. U.C. San Diego 7-3 56 25
28. Nebraska-Omaha 6-1 54 26
29. Francis Marion 8-4-1 36 RV
30. Emporia St. 7-2 24 RV

Also Receiving Votes: Cal. St. Los Angeles (20), Mount Olive (12), Wayne St., NE (12), Wayne St., MI (10), Catawba (4), Cal. St. Dominguez Hills (4), Barry (2), Sonoma St. (2), West Alabama (1), Hawaii-Pacific (1), Ft. Hays St. (1), Bellarmine (1), Indianapolis (1), Erskine (1), Tusculum (1), North Carolina-Pembroke (1), Massachusetts-Lowell (1), Concord (1), Indiana, PA (1), West Virginia St. (1), Colorado St.-Pueblo (1), New Mexico Highlands (1).

Michael G. Hawkins