AU Baseball Takes Jump To No. 8 In ABCA Poll

Thanks to a 5-0 showing last week, Ashland University's baseball team has moved up to its highest ranking in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NCAA Division II Coaches Poll.
 
As announced by the ABCA on Tuesday (April 16) morning, the Eagles are No. 8 in the latest poll – marking their best slot in the poll since also being picked No. 8 in the 2020 preseason. This also ties for AU's best spot in the ABCA Coaches Poll since at least 2015.
 
Ashland is 29-5 overall, and, with a 15-3 record in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, leads the league by 1½ games over second-place Findlay, and three games over third-place Walsh and Kentucky Wesleyan. The Eagles will play six road conference games this week – two on Tuesday starting at 1 p.m. vs. Ohio Dominican (17-15, 8-8), then four on Saturday and Sunday (April 20-21) at the Panthers (14-21, 12-6).
 
The Eagles continue to be the only Great Midwest team in this week's poll, as well as the highest-ranked Midwest Region team.
 
Through Sunday (April 14), Ashland had the third-best winning percentage in NCAA Division II (.853), and was second in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9), third in batting average (.350), and seventh in runs scored per game (9.9).
 
2024 ASHLAND UNIVERSITY ABCA DIVISION II COACHES POLLS: No. 14 (March 19), No. 11 (March 26), No. 9 (April 2), No. 13 (April 9), No. 8 (April 16).