Delta STate, ACU top regional poll
ACU just behind defending national champion in first poll
ABILENE -- Abilene Christian is ranked No. 2 in the first NCAA Division II South Central Region baseball poll of the season, right behind Delta State (Miss.), the Wildcats' regional rival and top team in the nation.
The Statesmen, who won the NCAA Division II national title last year and moved to the top of the Division II rankings on Monday, are 43-5 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the region. ACU is 38-13 and ranked No. 2. ACU's Lone Star Conference North Division rival, Central Oklahoma, is third at 38-12, while Gulf South Conference member West Florida (32-18) is fourth.
Only the top four teams in the final regional poll of the season will earn bids to the tournament, which is scheduled for the weekend of May 20-22. Delta State has hosted the tournament at Ferris Field in Cleveland, Miss., each of the last three years. ACU, which won the tournament in 2003 to make its only College World Series appearance, hosted the tournament in 2000 and 2001.
