FLORENCE, S.C. – After extending its best-ever season start with nine consecutive wins, Francis Marion University jumped up 11 positions to ninth in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Magazine NCAA Division II Top 30 poll released late Monday (Feb. 18).

The 11-1 Patriots play host to Barton College (5-6) on Wednesday (Feb. 20) at 2 p.m. Freshman right-hander Ricky Kalgstein, with a 0-0 record and a 4.50 earned run average, is FMU’s probable starter.

Francis Marion will open its Peach Belt Conference slate this weekend with a three-game series at UNC Pembroke.

The Top 10 listing is the highest for the Patriots since they were ranked seventh in the initial poll of the 2007 regular season.

Dating back to the 2005 season, the Patriots have now appeared in 53 consecutive national polls. This season, FMU has been ranked 25th, 24th, 20th and 9th.

Unbeaten University of Tampa (8-0) still occupies the No. 1 position in the poll, while in addition to FMU, four other Peach Belt Conference schools appear in this week’s rankings.