CUC Baseball #1 in Latest National Poll

First-Ever Top Ranking for Cougars' Program

March 26, 2019 - For the first time in the history of the program, Concordia University Chicago baseball sits atop a national poll. The Cougars (11-1) are ranked first in this week's American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) poll with 471 points and eight of a possible 18 first-place votes. Concordia-Chicago also ranks second this week in the other significant national poll, conducted by D3baseball.com and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA).

The Cougars were eighth in ABCA's preseason poll. They shot up to second in last week's poll, the first conducted during the regular season, after winning eight in a row following a season-opening loss. The streak included wins over Webster University and The College of New Jersey, ranked 12th and 13th respectively in this week's poll, and a win over Spalding University, a team in the "also receiving votes" category. Since last week's poll, the Cougars went 3-0 with wins over St. Mary's (MN) University, Concordia College Moorhead and Wheaton College.

"It's very exciting to be recognized as number one, especially for the first time," said fourth-year CUC head coach Mike Stawski. "This is what everyone strives for, we all want to be the best. It means a lot, because it shows how much work we've put in to get to this point. We know there's a long way to go, but it's nice to have the recognition for what we've accomplished so far."

Winners of the last six regular-season conference championships, the Cougars are used to having a target on their backs. Does a number one ranking add a new dimension to that?

"Well, after two D-III World Series appearances and graduating a lot of guys from those teams, I thought this was the year we might fly under the radar, but I guess that's out of the question now," quipped Stawski. "But seriously, our team is used to playing with a lot of teams taking aim at us. We know it's a better feeling being at the top than being one of the teams doing the chasing, whether it's a conference title or a poll ranking. So, like the string of conference titles, we're happy to be recognized as the top team nationally, and we will focus on keeping that as long as we can."

The defense of both the top ranking and the conference title begins on Saturday when the Cougars open Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play with a doubleheader at Edgewood College. The first home games follow on Sunday when CUC hosts Marian University for two games.

This week's ABCA poll can be viewed here.

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