The LaGrange baseball team continued its rise in the Divsion III national rankings. The Panthers (26-2) are now ranked second by ABCA/Collegiate News and third by D3baseball.com/NCBWA in their Top 25 polls. LC received five first place votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll. It marked the fifth straight week the Panthers moved up in the poll.
LC went 4-0 last week, including a 9-4 win at then third-ranked Emory. The Panthers have won 12 straight heading into tonight's Top 5 matchup at No. 5/7 Birmingham-Southern (19-5). The top five of the ABCA/Collegiate News poll has Cortland State (16-3) at No. 1, followed by the Panthers, Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-1), Texas-Tyler (21-4) and Shenandoah (18-1). Shenandoah, Cortland State, the Panthers, Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Birmingham-Southern make up the Top 5 of the D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll.
Birmingham-Southern beat the Panthers 8-5 at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium on Feb. 14. BSC pushed across three runs in the top of the ninth to win a game where the two teams combined for 11 errors.
After tonight's game, the Panthers play a three-game USA South series at Methodist. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and close out the series with a game Sunday.
