By Matt Vines March 07, 2025
SHREVEPORT – LSUS baseball typically finds itself near the top of NAIA national rankings, but in the first rankings released since the season began, the Pilots were at the top.
LSUS (20-0) is the No. 1 team in the NAIA for the first time since 2012.
The Pilots have won their first 20 games of the season heading into today’s road doubleheader with Xavier, a team which LSUS handled 10-1 in the series opener Thursday.
“The key has been nothing more than consistency with this group every day,” said LSUS baseball coach Brad Neffendorf. “There has been zero panic with them during any game, and I believe that comes from their consistency of preparation.
“It’s been all around balance for us. Pitching and defense has been superb, and our offense has found different ways every game to produce runs. One of the real strengths of this team is their grit. They’re tough, they play extremely hard, and they have the same common goal in mind. That’s the main component of why we’ve started this way.”
That one goal is to get back to Lewiston, Idaho, for the NAIA World Series.
The Pilots are a regular attendee in the World Series, but a 44-win LSUS team didn’t advance out of their home opening round tournament this past season.
“We haven’t talked about the 20-game winning streak or a perfect record,” Neffendorf said. “Just about getting better every day, getting back to Lewiston, and competing to play for a national title.”
The 2025 schedule was designed to prepare the Pilots for championship baseball as LSUS has six wins against ranked teams, a reason why LSUS earned 14 of the 18 first-place votes.
LSUS leapt from its No. 4 preseason ranking into the top spot.
The Pilots are hitting .307 as a team, scoring nearly nine runs per game and boasting a staff ERA of 2.54.
LSUS is home for the next three weekends, facing Huston-Tillotson in a three-game series starting March 14 with home series against LSU Alexandria and Texas College in the next two weekends.
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