Taylor Baseball Climbs to No. 18 in Coaches’ Rating

NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 (March 27)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the midst of a 10-game winning streak and a Crossroads League-best record of 14-2, the Taylor baseball team climbed three spots to stake its claim as the 18th-ranked team in the nation in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, released March 27.

A perfect 14-0 record at Winterholter Field and some dominant pitching of late has lifted the Trojans back into the conversation as one of the elite teams in the country. Taylor's pitching staff is currently 24th in the NAIA with a 1.42 WHIP.

Anchored by starting pitchers Gabel Pentecost, who leads the CL in WHIP and ERA, and Alec Holcomb, as well as back-end relievers Jack Ross and Dalton Swinehart, TU has allowed four or fewer runs in 16 of its past 20 games, and it has thrown two shutouts in its past four contests.

The Trojans' lineup has also gotten continued production as it nears a .300 batting average while holding an impressive .426 on-base percentage. Among regular players, Kaleb Kolpien, Ben Kennedy and Mason David all headline TU's bats with slugging percentages above .500.

TU looks to continue its run of success as it takes to the road beginning with a series at Huntington on Thursday, March 28. First pitch of Thursday's doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m.