TU Baseball Stays Inside Top-25 in First In-Season NAIA Poll

TU Baseball Stays Inside Top-25 in First In-Season NAIA Poll
March 13, 2024

NAIA Baseball Top-25 Coaches' Rating (March 13) | TU Honors Page 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Taylor baseball team (13-9, 6-2 CL) remains inside the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top-25 Poll as the 21st-ranked team in the nation. The NAIA released the first in-season ratings on Wednesday, March 13.

Ranked ninth heading into the season, TU got off to a slow 2-7 start, though all but one of those games came against teams ranked inside the top 25 in the current poll.

Since the Trojans' 11-9 upset victory over first-ranked Southeastern – who remains No. 1 and now has a 19-2 record – on Feb. 16, however, No. 21 Taylor has boasted a perfect 6-0 record at home and has won 11-of-13 games.

That 13-game span includes a 6-2 record versus the Crossroads League, and it has Taylor as the lone CL team within the top-25, with previously ranked Indiana Wesleyan (12-5, 7-1 CL) dropping in status to receiving votes. 

TU's lineup has been amongst the most productive in the Crossroads League, as it stands as the only CL team with more than 200 hits on the season, of which 75 have been for extra bases, or 21 more than the next-closest CL team in that department (Goshen).

Coming off a combined no-hitter tossed by Matt Dutkowski, Jack Ross and Jake Boyer on March 11, Taylor's pitching has also been strong. The staff has the lowest WHIP in the Crossroads League at 1.48 and has produced the most strikeouts with 180 on the season.

Sophomore Gabel Pentecost leads TU's starting pitchers with a 2.90 ERA, while Ross and Nick Crabtree have matching 2.45 earned-run averages in relief roles.

Offensively, Kaleb Kolpien is batting .349 to lead the Trojans' qualifying hitters, but the production has come from up and down the order with nine players boasting an on-base percentage of at least .400 (minimum 15 at-bats).

No. 21 TU looks to keep its hot streak going with a pair of home series upcoming on the schedule. Taylor is slated to open a series versus Grace (7-11, 1-5 CL) on Thursday, March 14 at 1 p.m.