Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for April 20, 2010, and Boyd Nation’s Iterative Strength Rating. (poll below)
#1 Lewis-Clark State won two of three against #4 British Columbia, and swept three games against Corban. Against British Columbia, the Warriors got an excellent start from Colby Hawk, and two excellent relief efforts by Henry Buenrostro. Freshman Zach Hull, making only his third appearance of the season, pitched a complete-game shutout against Corban. He allowed four hits, struck out six, and had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning. Upcoming: Concordia-Portland April 22-24, webcast by KOZE.
#2 Cumberland swept three games against Freed-Hardeman, 16-5, 4-1, and 5-1. In the first game, Max Kautz hit two home runs and batted in five runs, and Shawn Schaefer ran his record to 9-0, 1.41 ERA, 63 strikeouts. Aaron Wilkerson pitched a four-hit complete game in the second game, and his record is 7-1, 2.10 ERA. The Bulldogs lead the TranSouth Conference with a10-2 record, but have only a one-game lead over #13 Union U. (TN). Upcoming: at Martin Methodist April 23-24, Milligan April 27. Audio webcasts available for all games, video webcast for the Milligan game; click here for the schedule.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | ISR | SCHOOL | 2010 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Lewis-Clark State (ID) | 33-3 | 684 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | Cumberland (TN) | 37-8 | 662 |
| 3 | 3 | 5 | Oklahoma City | 32-8 | 629 |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | British Columbia | 31-8 | 593 |
| 5 | 5 | 8 | Cal Baptist | 34-11 | 590 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | Lee (TN) | 38-10 | 584 |
| 7 | 7 | 7 | Lubbock Christian (TX) | 30-10 | 543 |
| 8 | 8 | 17 | Bellevue (NE) | 30-6 | 539 |
| 9 | 10 | 15 | Embry-Riddle (FL) | 32-14 | 484 |
| 10 | 11 | 16 | Belhaven (MS) | 34-11 | 481 |
| 11 | 13 | 13 | Vanguard (CA) | 30-10 | 454 |
| 12 | 13 | 11 | LSU-Shreveport | 35-9 | 438 |
| 13 | 12 | 6 | Union U. (TN) | 32-9 | 431 |
| 14 | 15 | 23 | Madonna (MI) | 30-6 | 385 |
| 15 | 9 | 10 | Point Loma Nazarene (CA) | 30-11-1 | 367 |
| 16 | 18 | 19 | Faulkner (AB) | 35-16 | 346 |
| 17 | 17 | 34 | York (NE) | 35-7 | 309 |
| 18 | 22 | 4 | Southern Polytechnic (GA) | 42-9 | 302 |
| 19 | 20 | 45 | Avila (MO) | 30-9 | 264 |
| 20 | 21 | 50 | Campbellsville (KY) | 31-15 | 204 |
| 21 | 23 | 9 | College of Idaho | 29-11 | 199 |
| 22 | RV | 24 | Missouri Baptist | 30-10 | 169 |
| 23 | 16 | 21 | Brewton-Parker (GA) | 34-15 | 162 |
| 24 | 19 | 14 | Fresno Pacific University (CA) | 24-12 | 151 |
| 25 | RV | 39 | University of South Carolina – Beaufort | 35-10 | 138 |
| 18 | Cal State San Marcos | 29-12 | |||
| 20 | Tennessee Wesleyan | 32-13 | |||
| 22 | Lindenwood (MO) | 35-13 | |||
| 25 | Oklahoma Baptist | 32-12 |
Lewis-Clark State received all 24 first-place votes.
#3 Oklahoma City had no trouble with Saint Gregory’s, outscoring them 35-6 in three games. Dustin Williams, Cody Crabaugh, and Mike Richard got the wins. Steve Vitale has 17 home runs and 63 RBI for the Stars, and is batting .421. The Stars have a 2 ½ game lead over #7 Lubbock Christian in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, and they travel to Lubbock for a three-game series April 23-24. Audio and video webcasts will be available from Stretch Internet.
#4 British Columbia won one of three against #1 Lewis-Clark State. The win was 4-1, on an excellent combined effort by Eric Brown and Sheldon McDonald, who held the Warriors to six hits, and had a shutout going into the ninth inning. The Thunderbirds got behind early in the other two games, and good comback efforts fell short. Brown leads the Thunderbirds with seven wins and 46 strikeouts. Upcoming: Oregon Tech April 24-25, webcast by CITR.
#5 Cal Baptist won three of four against Biola, and continue to hold a three-game lead over #11 Vanguard in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. OF Brian Sharp was 9-18 against the Lions, batted in 11 runs, scored six more, hit two home runs, and stole two bases. He was named GSAC Player of the Week. Upcoming: at Vanguard April 21-22, Vanguard April 24. Live video is available for the April 24 games from nmnathletics.com for a $9.95 fee.
#6 Lee swept three games against Shorter. Matt Gilson got a win in the first game, and he is 8-0, 1.56 ERA with 51 strikeouts on the season. RF Michael Brown hit two home runs in the second game, and Scott Swinson pitched a three-hitter in the third game. Brown was named Southern States Athletic Conference Player of the Week. The Flames have a one-game lead over #16 Faulkner in the SSAC; #23 Brewton-Parker is 1 ½ games back, #18 Southern Polytechnic is two games back. Upcoming: Auburn-Montgomery April 23-24.
#7 Lubbock Christian got two wins at Mid-American Christian, and a third game was rained out. Upcoming: #3 Oklahoma City April 23-24.
#8 Bellevue swept four games against Oklahoma Wesleyan, one of them a no-hitter pitched by RHP Chris Williamson. Williamson struck out nine, walked two. He is 6-1, 2.93 ERA on the season, and leads the Bruins with 57 strikeouts. The Bruins have won 24 straight. Upcoming: at #17 York April 23-24.
#9 Embry-Riddle won two of three against Saint Thomas. Justin Zinkovich pitched a two-hitter and Aaron Glaum hit an inside-the-park home run in a 7-1 win. Austin Quinn got his eighth win of the season in the other win. Upcoming: at Northwood (FL) April 23-24.
#10 Belhaven swept three games against Tougaloo. All three games were mercy-ruled, and Tougaloo scored a total of one run. The Blazers have a one-game lead over #12 LSU-Shreveport in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Upcoming: William Carey April 23-24.
#25 South Carolina-Beaufort has made its first-ever appearance in the top 25. The Sand Sharks have won 11 straight.
