WINGATE, N.C. (Feb. 20) – After winning the first Conference Carolinas series of the season, the University of Mount Olive baseball program jumped two spots and entered the top 10 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll at No. 9 overall, which was released on Wednesday afternoon.

The Trojans entered this week coming off a home series victory over previously undefeated Francis Marion in Conference Carolinas play. Mount Olive held the Patriots to just six runs over a three-game set while securing its fourth one-run win of the season. UMO continues to rank among the top 15 in NCAA Division II with a 2.85 ERA over 98.0 innings pitched. At the plate, redshirt sophomore Jon Howard is off to a stellar start with a .375 batting average behind four homers and 12 RBIs.

The top five of the national poll featured its biggest shake-up of the year, as North Greenville (10-1) leaped two positions to the No. 1 spot after receiving 10 first-place votes. Angelo State, the national runner-up from 2024, remains second overall after a 10-2 mark to begin the year. Central Missouri (5-2) sits third in the rankings while Florida Southern (9-1) climbed eight slots to No. 4. UIndy (3-0) rounded out the top five following a three-game sweep over the weekend.

The Southeast Region features six total teams in the poll, led by NGU at No. 1 while Mount Olive holds the No. 9 slot following the initial three weeks of the season. Catawba moved up to No. 17 with a 7-3 record and Lenoir-Rhyne was right behind at No. 18 with a 10-1 mark. Additionally, Carson-Newman (10-0) of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is receiving votes.

The NCBWA Region polls will be announced every Monday throughout the season, while national polls will come out every Wednesday.

Mount Olive continues Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, Feb. 22 with a doubleheader at Southern Wesleyan to start a three-game series with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.