FORT WORTH, TX: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has released its 2018 Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Texas Wesleyan University checked in at No. 23 in the rating.
This marks the sixth consecutive NAIA Coaches' Poll that has featured the Rams, while the team has been rated in 10 of the last 13 polls.
Defending National Champion, Lewis-Clark State (ID), topped the poll, receiving all 17 first place votes. Faulkner (AL), Oklahoma City, Southeastern (FL), and Oklahoma Wesleyan round out the top-five. The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) featured three teams in the rating, in No. 3 Oklahoma City, No. 11 Science & Arts (OK), and No. 23 Texas Wesleyan.
Last season, the Rams were rated as high as 12th in the final regular season poll before dropping to 23rd in the postseason poll. The team finished with an overall record of 47-15, recording the third-highest win total in the 48-year history of the program.
Texas Wesleyan finished second in the SAC standings and reached the final of the SAC Tournament where they were defeated 15-14 in a dramatic 9th inning finish at Oklahoma City. They went on to make the program's 5th appearance in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round since the Association moved to the Opening Round format in 2009.
The team batted .329 while belting 66 home runs, marking the highest home run total in the 16-year tenure of Head Coach
Mike Jeffcoat.
The Rams will open the 2018 season with a three-game series against Bethany College (KS) at Sycamore Park Feb. 3-4. The team will play 15 home games before hitting the road for a conference series at Southwestern Christian University (OK) Feb. 23-24.
Ramblings
- Last season's ranking of 12th was the program's highest rating since 2007 (8th).
- Texas Wesleyan's 47 wins last season trail only the 1980 (53) and 1978 (51) teams.
