Complete Poll

DAHLONEGA, GA – For the sixth straight week the North Georgia baseball team is ranked in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 30 poll released on Monday afternoon, dropping three spots to No. 15 in the country.

Following a week that saw the Saints split four games and drop two of three over the weekend at Columbus State, North Georgia rounds out the top 15 in the latest poll, relinquishing three spots from last week’s ranking. The Saints are currently 24-11 overall on the season, and sit second in the Peach Belt Conference’s west division at 12-6 in league action.

Six Peach Belt Conference squads continue to hold strong in the latest poll as Columbus State’s stock went up last week with a pair of wins over the Saints, moving the Cougars up a spot to No. 7 in the poll, while Francis Marion moves back up inside the top 10, currently tied for the 9th position in the poll. Georgia College & State University is up four spots to No. 12, while North Georgia is No. 15, USC Aiken is No. 18, and UNC Pembroke rounds out the league teams in the poll at No. 20.

Southern Arkansas is the new No. 1 team in the latest poll, jumping two spots to claim the top spot in the nation, while Central Missouri is No. 2, followed by Tampa at No. 3, and UC San Diego and Florida Southern round out the top five respectively.

Kenny Bellavance continued to pace the offense last week as the freshman hit safely in all four games with a .471 batting average, two runs batted in, and six runs scored. Chris Rearick (6-2) will look to rebound this weekend and pick up his seventh win of the season against the Patriots as the senior is currently in a two-game slide that has seen his earned run average jump nearly a point.

North Georgia will continue to have a tough schedule in the coming days, welcoming Southern Wesleyan to town on Wednesday evening for a 7:00 p.m. match-up with the Warriors, before another top-15 battle is scheduled for as the No. 15 Saints travel to No. 9 Francis Marion for a key Peach Belt Conference showdown over the weekend. The Patriots and Saints will clash in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.