NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The representation of Little East Conference members remains strong in the latest edition of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Division III poll. Keene State College, Eastern Connecticut State University, and the University of Southern Maine each made progress in the fourth rankings of the season. The Owls sit in the second position, while the Warriors and Huskies are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively.

Trinity College (Conn.) continues to sit atop the NEIBA poll for the fourth week in succession, earning all six first-place votes for a total of 48 pts. The two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference selections, Babson College and Wheaton College (Mass.), follow Keene State College, while Suffolk University is sandwiched between Eastern Connecticut and Southern Maine.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Ken Howe, Keene State College (24-5) recently won its 11th straight game, putting an additional victory between the previous program standard for consecutive wins in a single-season. The Owls began their current win streak on April 9, defeating intra-state rival Colby Sawyer, 15-9. Howe has led his charges to the No. 14 ranking in the latest D3Baseball.com national poll, raising five spots from the previous week. Senior outfielder Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) has supplied the power in the Keene State line-up, leading the squad in home runs (6), RBI (35), and slugging percentage (.612), while ranking second in triples (4) and third in total bases (63). The Owls return to action at 3:30 p.m. on April 23, when they travel for a non-conference game at Western New England.

Eastern Connecticut State University has been streaking down the stretch, winning 10 of its past 12 games to raise its overall record to 20-11-1. The Warriors are 4-2 against the eight-team regional field during their current win streak, owning victories over No. 8 Roger Williams, the Beavers, the Huskies, and the Rams. Head Coach Bill Holowaty and his team recently swept then-Little East Conference leader, Rhode Island College, this past weekend to remain alive in the hunt for the conference regular season championship. Sophomore shortstop Melvin Castillo (Danbury, Conn.) has been filling out the box score, pacing Eastern Connecticut in doubles (77), on-base percentage (.469), RBI (38), runs scored (39), stolen base percentage (.882), triples (2) and walks (19), while ranking second in batting average (.370), hits (44), slugging percentage (.647). The Warriors return to the diamond at 7 p.m. on April 23 to host Wesleyan College.

The University of Southern Maine (18-9) has earned recognition in the past three regional polls, climbing as high as No. 4 in the April 8 listing. Head Coach Ed Flaherty has led his charges to wins in seven of the past nine games, including a Little East Conference doubleheader split with Eastern Connecticut. The University of Southern Maine enters the final two weekends in the conference circuit in second place, trailing Keene State College by just a game and a half with a 6-2 record. Junior Chris Burleson (Portland, Maine) leads the Huskies in batting average (.413), hits (38), on-base percentage (.522), and walks (21), while ranking second in runs scored (29). The University of Southern Maine enters a crucial weekend in the Little East Conference action with four games in two days. The Huskies will host the Owls on April 26 and UMass Boston the following afternoon.

The fifth edition of the NEIBA Division III poll is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 29.