For the second time in school history, the Central College baseball team has cracked the national rankings, debuting in a tie for No. 30 in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III poll. The Dutch are 23-6 after suffering a 3-1 setback in Tuesday’s non-conference game with Grinnell College. The squad has a four-game lead in the Iowa Conference standings with a 13-2 mark, but has a pivotal three-game series with second-place Coe College Friday and Saturday in Pella.

Central is the only Iowa Conference school in the top 30. Defending champion Marietta College is No. 1. The Dutch share 30th with William Paterson University. Central was last ranked at No. 16 in 2006, when the Dutch captured a share of the Iowa Conference title, finishing 26-14 overall and 11-5 in the league. Central also shared the crown in 1975 but hasn’t won an outright championship since 1948.

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