Northwest Missouri State baseball is receiving votes after reeling off four straight wins over teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, but not enough to crack the top 25.
That's not slowing the Bearcats down, though.
Northwest is sitting at 23-9 as March comes to a close after taking three straight from then No. 2 Pittsburg State over the weekend followed by a late-inning victory over No. 7 Central Missouri. It is a major leap after not reaching their 23rd victory in 2025 until May 1.
But their best baseball is still ahead of them.
"This game is imperfect and we did not play great, honestly," Bearcat head coach Tony Jandron said of his teams wins over Pitt State and UCM, "but we found a way to win and that's a quality of good teams."
Northwest boasts a high-powered offense averaging 8.1 runs per game. It helps having one of the best one-two punches in the MIAA with Frank Gall's .361 batting average and team-high 49 hits in the lead-off spot, followed by Jeremiah Cabuyaban. The power hitter from Kansas City is second in the MIAA with 12 home runs and a 1.386 OPS.
While Gall and Cabuyaban have headling the batting order, Jandron looks at the length of the lineup that makes the team dangerous.
"We feel like one through nine it's awfully tough. Wilmer Jimenez has done a tremendous job. John Connors has been raking in the RBIs and some clutch at-bats for us. Jordi Ventura's really turned it up another notch. Those guys rely on one another to pass the torch throughout the lineup."
The relentlessness of the group has pushed Northwest into the top three of the MIAA standings with a month remaining in the regular season and the opportunity to crack the 30-win mark for only the third time in 19 years well within reach.
Northwest is on the road this weekend with three games against Arkansas Fort Smith beginning Thursday.
