SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University, fresh off four wins last weekend at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio, to open the 2011 season, was ranked among the top 25 NCAA Division II teams in the nation in polls released this week.

The Rock, under the guidance of 26-year head coach Jeff Messer, were ranked 19th in the first National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association regular-season national poll of the season and held the No. 22 spot in this week's American Baseball Coaches Association national poll.

SRU, which had received votes in last week's ABCA national poll, was ranked second in the first NCBWA Atlantic Regional poll of the season, which was released Monday. The ABCA does not release a regional poll but SRU earned the highest national ranking among Atlantic Region teams in voting by the coaches' panel.

Nine of The Rock's 2011 foes received votes in the ABCA national poll, led by fourth-ranked Tampa and 10th-ranked Minnesota State, two teams the Green and White will face on their annual spring-break trip to Florida.

Tampa was ranked fifth and Minnesota State ninth in the Writers' poll to lead a list of four Rock foes that received votes in that poll. West Chester, which only received votes in the ABCA poll, was ranked 12th in the NCBWA poll.

The Rock returns to action Saturday, when it will take on in-state rival Shippensburg (0-9) in a noon doubleheader at the Ripken Baseball facility in Aberdeen, Md. The Rock and Red Raiders close out their three-game weekend series with a 1 p.m. single game Sunday in Shippensburg.

SRU then turns its sights towards the Sunshine State and an 11-game schedule in the Lakeland-Winter Haven area March 4-12.

The Rock's home schedule is slated to open March 18 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament champion Californa (Pa.), which was among the teams that received votes in this week's ABCA national poll.

Here are this week's national polls:

Rank	Writers Top 25 poll	Coaches Top 30 poll
1	UC San Diego (10-2)	UC San Diego (10-2)
2	Central Missouri (2-1)	Florida Southern (7-1)
3	Florida Southern (7-1)	Georgia College (8-2)
4	Georgia College (8-2)	*Tampa, Fla. (8-2)
5	*Tampa, Fla. (8-2)	Central Missouri (2-1)
6	Grand Valley State, Mich. (2-1)	West Florida (10-1)
7	Abilene Christian, Texas (4-2)	North Georgia (8-1)
8	Franklin Pierce, N.H. (0-0)	Emporia State, Kans. (1-0)
9	*Minnesota State (0-0)	Mount Olive, N.C. (8-2)
10	West Florida (10-1)	*Minnesota State (0-0)
11	UNC Pembroke (11-0)	(tie) Franklin Pierce, N.H. (0-0)
12	*West Chester, Pa. (0-0)	(tie) Southern Arkansas (5-2)
13	Sonoma State, Cal. (9-0)	Tusculum (8-1)
14	Northern Kentucky (2-1)	Cal State Chico (6-1)
15	Erskine, N.C. (9-0)	Erskine, N.C. (9-0)
16	St. Mary's, Texas (8-3)	Cameron, Okla. (6-1)
17	Southern Arkansas (5-2)	UNC Pembroke (11-0)
18	Southern Indiana (2-3)	Sonoma State, Cal. (9-0)
19	SLIPPERY ROCK (4-0)	Grand Valley State, Mich. (2-1)
20	Emporia State, Kans. (1-0)	St. Mary's, Texas (8-3)
21	Cal State Chico (6-1)	USC-Aiken (8-2)
22	Cal State Los Angeles (9-3)	SLIPPERY ROCK (4-0)
23	Southern Connecticut State (4-0)	Abilene Christian, Texas (4-2)
24	St. Cloud State, Minn. (2-1)	(tie) Southern Indiana (2-3)
25	North Georgia (8-1)	(tie) Nova Southeastern, Fla. (7-2)
26		(tie) Francis Marion (7-3)
27		North Alabama (9-1)
28		Armstrong Atlantic St., Ga. (6-2)
29		Kutztown, Pa. (5-3)
30		Northern Kentucky (2-1)
Dropped Out	#5 Kutztown, #11 Columbus State, #12 Valdosta State, #T13 Francis Marion, #17 Mount OIive, #20 Cal State Dominguez Hills, #21 Mesa State, *#24 California, Pa.	Not listed
Also Received Votes	Kutztown, Pa. (5-3) 48 points; Mount Olive, N.C. (8-2) 33 points; Catawba, N.C. (9-2) 27 points; Nova Southeastern, Fla. (7-2) 27 points; North Alabama (9-1) 24 points; Francis Marion, S.C. (7-3) 12 points; Cal State Stanislaus (6-0) 10 points; Valdosta State, Ga. (3-6) 9 points; Columbus State, Ga. (6-4) 8 points; Mesa State, Colo. (2-4) 8 points; Texas A&M-Kingsville (6-3) 8 points; California, Pa. (3-3) 6 points; New Mexico Highlands (3-1) 5 points; Nebraska-Omaha (0-0) 3 points; USC-Aiken (8-2) 3 points; Incarnate Word, Texas (5-4) 2 points; Stonehill, Mass. (0-0) 1 point; Tusculum, S.C. (8-1) 1 point.	Texas A&M-Kingsville 14 points; Columbus State, Ga. 12 points; *California, Pa. 12 points; Western Oregon 6 points; Catawba, S.C. 4 points; Delta State, Miss. 4 points; Indianapolis, Ind. 2 points; Wingate 1 point; Belmont Abbey 1 point; Limestone, S.C. 1 point; Incarnate Word, Texas 1 point; St. Edwards, Texas 1 point; Rollins, Fla. 1 point; Florida Tech 1 point; Palm Beach Atlantic, Fla. 1 point; New Haven, Conn. 1 point; UMass-Lowell 1 point; Adelphi 1; Mesa State, Colo. 1;, New Mexico Highlands 1 point; St. Cloud State. Minn. 1 point; Winona State, Minn. 1 point; Nebraska-Kearney 1 point; *Ashland, Ohio 1 point; Wayne State, Mich. 1 point; Bellarmine, Ky. 1 point; *West Chester, Pa. 1 point; West Virginia State 1 point; *Mercyhurst, Pa. 1 point; *Seton Hill, Pa. 1 point; *Mansfield, Pa. 1 point; *Shepherd, W. Va. 1 point.
	* 2011 Rock opponent	* 2011 Rock opponent