Despite a season-high 14-game winning streak, the Lewis-Clark State baseball team dropped one spot to number 4 in the final NAIA National Top-25 Poll. The Warriors (48-7) maintain four straight shutouts heading into the NAIA World Series. Georgia Gwinnett continues to hold down the number one spot in the poll, followed by Bellevue of Nebraska and Faulkner of Alabama. Tennessee Wesleyan is ranked 5th, with Auburn Montgomery of Alabama, Westmont of California, South Carolina Beaufort, Sterling of Kansas and Missouri Baptist rounding out the top-10.
The National Opening Round Tournament featuring 45 teams at 9 sites across the country begins Tuesday. Two teams from the NAIA West will be among those competing in the opening round tournaments. As a 5 seed, the College of Idaho will play in the Santa Barbara Bracket hosted by Westmont, and the University of British Columbia is the 5th seed in the Lawrenceville, Georgia bracket hosted by top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett. The nine winners of the opening round tournaments will join Lewis-Clark State in the 60th Annual Avista NAIA World Series at Harris Field in Lewiston beginning Memorial Day Weekend, May 27th.
