2021 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll 1 (March 17, 2021)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tennessee Wesleyan, thanks in large part to a 21-0 record to begin the year, takes top billing in the first Top 25 of the regular season. Southeastern (Fla.) dropped one spot to No. 2 while Cumberlands (Ky.) went from No. 8 to No. 3. Vanguard (Calif.) jumped from No. 18 to No. 4 while Central Methodist (Mo.) rounded-out the top five.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
- Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
- The frequency of the polls is bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) prior to the 2016-17 academic season. This change allows raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work between rating periods.
- For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
2021 NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll 1 (March 17, 2021)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] | RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 5 | Tennessee Wesleyan [16] | 21-0 | 527 |
| 2 | 1 | Southeastern (Fla.) [13] | 24-1 | 514 |
| 3 | 8 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 19-3 | 484 |
| 4 | 18 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 23-3 | 468 |
| 5 | 10 | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 16-2 | 467 |
| 6 | 7 | Faulkner (Ala.) | 10-1 | 441 |
| 7 | 3 | Georgia Gwinnett | 16-6 | 433 |
| 8 | 15 | Keiser (Fla.) | 20-6 | 394 |
| 9 | 24 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 14-2 | 390 |
| 10 | 23 | Hope International (Calif.) | 14-6 | 349 |
| 11 | 22 | Middle Georgia State | 17-6 | 344 |
| 12 | 4 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 15-9 | 325 |
| 13 | 6 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 7-5 | 313 |
| 14 | NR | William Carey (Miss.) | 15-2 | 273 |
| 15 | 21 | Bryan (Tenn.) | 16-7 | 260 |
| 16 | NR | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 16-3 | 257 |
| 17 | NR | McPherson (Kan.) | 16-1 | 239 |
| 18 | 19 | Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) | 14-6 | 227 |
| 19 | 9 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 11-8 | 218 |
| 20 | NR | Taylor (Ind.) | 19-6 | 201 |
| 21 | 16 | Oklahoma City | 12-9 | 192 |
| 22 | 2 | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 10-5 | 167 |
| 23 | 17 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 14-8 | 158 |
| 24 | RV | Concordia (Neb.) | 13-2 | 146 |
| 25 | RV | Webber International (Fla.) | 17-9 | 113 |
Dropped from the Top 25: MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Westmont (Calif.), IU Southeast (Ind.), Mobile (Ala.), Lyon (Ark.), Indiana Tech
Others Receiving Votes: Indiana Wesleyan 110, Bellevue (Neb.) 74, Friends (Kan.) 65, Columbia (Mo.) 43, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 39, Warner (Fla.) 38, Westmont (Calif.) 37, IU Southeast (Ind.) 36, Benedictine (Kan.) 20, Bethel (Tenn.) 17, Huntington (Ind.) 15, Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 13, Point (Ga.) 11, Mobile (Ala.) 6.
