The College of Idaho will return to the NAIA World Series for the first time since the 2002 season, thanks to earning one of 14 at-large berths to the tournament based on their No. 15 ranking in the final Top-25 poll of the season, released this afternoon by the national office in Kansas City, Mo.
The Coyotes (37-14), coming off a third-place finish at the NAIA West Postseason Tournament, fell two spots in the final poll, receiving 376 voter points 23 fewer than a week ago.It marks the sixth-straight Top-25 appearance for The C of I and the third-straight week in the Top-20.
Lewis-Clark State sits atop the poll for the seventh-straight week, followed by Cumberland (Tenn.), Cal Baptist, Lee (Tenn.), and defending national champ, Lubbock Christian (Texas).NAIA West champ, British Columbia, climbed one spot to finish No. 7 in the final poll.
The at-large berths are allotted to the highest ranked teams that fail to earn automatic berths through their conference tournaments. Currently, only Lee, Southern Poly State (Ga.), and Belhaven (Miss.) are ranked higher than the Yotes giving C of I the No. 4 at-large spot (while Cumberland , Madonna (Mich.), and Fresno Pacific (Calif.), who are ranked ahead of the Coyotes, still alive in their conference tourneys).
It will be the fifth time that the Yotes have advanced to the NAIA World Series and the first under the current format.The C of I finished fifth-overall in 2000, third in 2002, second in 1999, and won the 1998 NAIA National Championship.
The NAIA will officially release the 46-team field for the NAIA World Series tomorrow afternoon, with the revealing of the nine five-team Opening Round brackets (to be played May 18-21) which the winners will join host Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston for the Avista NAIA World Series, released on Friday afternoon.
