MURFREESBORO-  The first NCCAA National Rankings were released this afternoon and the Chowan University Baseball team found themselves near the top of every category.

Aside from the statistics, the Hawks are ranked number one in the South Region and are ranked number five in the nation.  Some of the most notable statistics include the Hawks being ranked number three in team batting average, hitting .337.  The Hawks rank number one in the nation in runs per game, scoring just under 9 runs per game.  The Hawks also sit on the top of the rankings in RBI/game with 7.33.  The Hawks also average just over 10 hits a game which is good for number four in the nation.  As a team, the Hawks are ranked in the top 10 nationally in every statistical category in which the NCCAA reports.

Individually,the Hawks were also near the top in almost every category.  PJ Sadler ranked number sixteen in Slugging Percentage with a .667 mark.  Sadler also ranked number one in runs per game with 1.44, and number eighteen in Hits per game with 1.52.

Joey Ryder ranked number thirteen in Batting Average with a .437 average.  Ryder ranked number eleven in Slugging Percentage with a .701 percentage and number eleven in Hits per Game with 1.41.

Justin Hollingsworth ranked number eight in Batting Average with a .478 average.  He also ranked number four in On Base Percentage with a .583 percentage.  Hollingsworth also ranked number two in RBI's per Game with 1.30 and number two in Walks per Game with .85 per game.

Two Hawks pitchers were also in the rankings.  BJ Byerly ranked number four in wins with 5 and Chris Nelson ranked number nine in strikeouts with 33 total and 8.41 strikeouts per 9 innings.

The Hawks record stands at 17-10 on the season and will travel to St. Andrews on March 26th for two games beginning at 1:00 PM.