STARKVILLE, Miss.—The Barry Buccaneers continued their climb up the NFCA Division II Top 25 poll in the latest edition of the weekly rankings, the Association announced on Wednesday, coming in this week tied for sixth.
The Bucs (25-5, 8-1 SSC) began the season outside the Top 25, but have steadily moved up each of the last weeks. The Bucs are tied for sixth with the Wildcats of Chico State who garnered one of the 16 first-place votes in the poll.
Angelo State became the third team in three weeks to occupy the top spot in the poll. At 25-3, the Rambelles received 11 of the 16 first-place votes in the most recent poll to top the rankings for the first time since March 23 of last season. Valdosta State (19-2) followed behind Angelo at No. 2 this week and received two first-place votes, while previous No. 1, North Georgia (28-6), fell to third despite receiving one first-place vote.
Indianapolis (22-1) jumped up two spots to fourth and also received a first-place vote, while Winona State (19-2) moved from seventh to fifth to round out the top five.
The Bucs are 4-2 against team currently ranked in the poll. They split doubleheaders against #2 Valdosta State and #10 Alabama-Huntsville and took single games against #3 North Georgia and #20 Augusta State.
The Bucs continue to win with pitching and defense, ranking 13th in the country in ERA at 1.51 and eighth in fielding at .977. Senior Brianna Smith has led the pitching staff. The lefty is 13-3 with two saves in 18 appearances with a 1.37 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 107.2 innings. Defensively, the left side of the infield has been outstanding. Third baseman Sarah Broeseker has 53 assists against only two errors, while shortstop Natalia Ojeda leads the team with 56 assists and only six errors. Both had started every game.
The Bucs continue to improve offensively. Hitting just .261 on Feb. 25, the Bucs have hit .322 over the last 15 games to raise their average to .292. Centerfielder Amber Durkin paces the squad with a .389 average, with Ojeda right behind at .384. The two are tied with 18 runs scored to lead the team. Leftfielder Alyssa Goldsmith, who is hitting .355, leads the team with 19 RBI and had 11 doubles, while Broeseker has 15 RBI and leads the team with two homers and 12 doubles. Smith has also swung a big stick, tying Broeseker with two homers and hitting .314 with 11 RBI.
The Bucs travel to Davie, Fla., to face the Nova Southeastern Sharks in a key Sunshine State Conference series this weekend.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
| Angelo State (11) | 25-3 | 389 | 2 |
2 |
| Valdosta State (2) | 19-2 | 374 | 3 |
3 |
| North Georgia (1) | 28-6 | 351 | 1 |
4 |
| Indianapolis (1) | 22-1 | 346 | 6 |
5 |
| Winona State | 19-2 | 316 | 7 |
6 |
| Cal State Chico (1) | 20-5 | 306 | 9 |
|
| Barry | 25-5 | 306 | 8 |
8 |
| Kutztown | 20-1 | 285 | 12 |
9 |
| Missouri Western State | 25-4 | 270 | 10 |
10 |
| Alabama-Huntsville | 20-7 | 260 | 5 |
11 |
| Rollins | 23-4 | 198 | 13 |
12 |
| Central Oklahoma | 23-3 | 180 | 17 |
13 |
| Minnesota State-Mankato | 18-5 | 169 | 16 |
14 |
| UC San Diego | 24-8 | 159 | 21 |
15 |
| Cal State Dominguez Hills | 27-6 | 156 | 18 |
16 |
| Armstrong Atlantic State | 27-8 | 152 | 11 |
17 |
| Tampa | 25-3 | 132 | 19 |
18 |
| Grand Valley State | 17-3 | 126 | 15 |
19 |
| Cal State Monterey Bay | 22-6 | 120 | 4 |
20 |
| Augusta State | 25-7 | 109 |
|
21 |
| Southern Conecticut State | 13-1 | 106 | 22 |
22 |
| Augustana (South Dakota) | 20-3 | 101 | 23 |
23 |
| West Texas A&M | 19-8 | 91 | 20 |
24 |
| Bloomsburg | 13-5 | 82 | 14 |
25 |
| California (Pennsylvania) | 15-3 | 30 |
|
Dropped Out: No. 24 Abilene Christian, No. 25 Columbus St.
Others Receiving Votes: Tarleton St. 22, Flagler 16, Ashland 12, Montana St. Billings 10, Lenoir-Rhyne 9, Abilene Christian 7, Concordia-St. Paul 5, Adelphi 4, Sonoma St. 1
