DALLAS (NCBWA) The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association continued its tradition of NCAA Division I polls for the 18th year with its 2015 weekly surveys. This season's polls have been circulated from Feb. 16-June 25 following the 69th annual NCAA World Series in Omaha, Neb., as Virginia captured the 2015 NCAA championship and top spot in the survey.
In a rematch of the 2014 title series in Omaha, Virginia outdueled Vanderbilt 2-1 in games and won its first NCAA baseball crown. It also was the Atlantic Coast Conference's first NCAA diamond championship since Wake Forest in 1955. Both finals' opponents were not among the Top Eight seeds in '15 brackets. However, UVa and Vandy were Nos. 1-2 in the preseason NCBWA poll.
The NCBWA poll actually had Virginia No. 1 in four surveys from Feb. 16-March 9 before the Cavaliers captured NCAA kudos. LSU was No. 1 nationally for seven consecutive weeks from (March 23, April 20-27-May 4-25-June 3) while Vanderbilt (preseason No. 1, March 30-April 6), TCU (March 16) and Texas A&M (April 13) also held top positions in the 2015 surveys. The five different teams at No. 1 in 2015 equal the total from the 2013 season, and there were six different top-ranked squads in 2014.
The poll voters come from 42 college baseball writers and related media persons from throughout the nation. The final poll has representation by 13 different conferences among the 302 baseball-playing schools in the 2014 NCAA Division I ranks, and 16 total circuits were ranked in at least one '15 NCBWA Top 30/35.
The preseason 2016 NCBWA DI Top 35 poll will be released in February, 2016 after the 19th annual pre-'16 NCBWA All-America team is denoted in January 2016.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. Members receive a membership card, directory, newsletter updates and official votes in the Dick Howser Trophy, Regional Players of the Year and NCBWA All-America voting. The NCBWA also sponsors Division I Players of the Week, the Stopper of the Year, and publication and writing contests.