COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College baseball team is ranked fourth in the preseason poll published by Black College Nines, while outfielder
David White Jr. was named to the 2017 Black College Nines’ Elite Pre-Season baseball team.
The Tigers received 112 points and two first-place votes in the poll, and were the highest-ranked team from the SIAC.
Edward Waters was the top-ranked team in the poll, with 160 points and seven first-place votes, followed by West Virginia State and Winston-Salem State. Benedict will face Winston-Salem State on March 14. Behind Benedict are SIAC rivals Miles and Claflin, while Paine came in eighth.
White was selected a first-team preseason All-American. As a sophomore last year, White hit .409 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Black College Nines is dedicated to preserving the tradition of baseball at historically black colleges and universities in our coverage of HBCU Baseball.
The Benedict College Tigers open the 2017 on Feb. 11 at home against Bluefield State College.
2017 HBCU Small School Division (DII/DIII/NAIA) Preseason Poll
| No. |
School |
Conference |
Points * |
2016 Record |
| 1. |
Edward Waters College |
GCAC |
160 (7) |
31-13 |
| 2. |
West Virginia State University |
MEC |
160 (6) |
32-15 |
| 3. |
Winston-Salem State University |
CIAA |
126 (1) |
31-22 |
| 4. |
Benedict College |
SIAC |
112 (2) |
27-19 |
| 5. |
Miles College |
SIAC |
102 (2) |
32-17 |
| 6. |
Claflin University |
SIAC |
77 (1) |
24-31 |
| 7. |
Selma University |
Ind. |
77 |
27-12 |
| 8. |
Paine College |
SIAC |
63 |
27-20 |
| 9. |
Stillman College |
Ind. |
61 (1) |
27-24 |
| 10. |
Jarvis Christian College |
RRAC |
61 |
27-29 |
|
* First place votes |
|
|
|
First Team:
1B Carlos Andrade (Jarvis Christian College)
2B Randy Norris (Winston Salem State University)
3B Rashad Bivens (Claflin University)
SS Reginald Rogers (Claflin University)
OF Miguel Beltre (Edward Waters College)
OF Josh McDaniel (Stillman College)
OF David White, Jr. (Benedict College)
C Michael McNamara (Winston Salem State University)
P Tyler Hall (West Virginia State University)
P Evan Krenz (Paine College)
P Emmanuel Pantaleon (Wiley College)
RP Richard Edwards (Edward Waters College)
DH Jose Duran (Selma University)
Second Team:
1B Jalen Luter (Tuskegee University)
2B Jordan Pontious (Edward Waters College)
3B Fentress Henderson (Paine College)
SS Ricky Caruajal (Paine College)
OF Lyndale Mosley (Claflin University)
OF DeAndre McGuire (Jarvis Christian College)
OF Darione Adkison (Miles College)
C Oswaldo Palacios (Wiley College)
P Marquis Johnson (St. Augustine’s University)
P Austin Pate (Miles College)
P Frederick Belz (Edward Waters College)
RP Jordan Johnson (Clark Atlanta University)
DH Payton Durham (Bluefield State College)
