Pacific Lutheran moved up two spots to No. 17 in this week's American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Division III Top 25 national poll.

The Lutes, who received 101 total points, improved their season record to 19-6 with a three-game sweep of the Whitman Missionaries in Walla Walla last weekend. Defending national champion St. Thomas (Minn.), 15-1 this season, received all eight first-place votes, 240 points and is ranked No. 1. Chapman (Calif.), 20-4 this season, received 232 total points and is ranked second in this week's poll.

PLU's sweep of Whitman didn't mean as much to the voters on the d3baseball.com national poll as the Lutes dropped from No. 25 to second in the "others receiving votes" category.

Pacific Lutheran, in first place in the Northwest Conference with a 10-2 record, returns to conference play this weekend when it hosts Whitworth, 5-7, in a three-game series. The teams play a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday and complete the series with a single nine-inning game beginning at noon on Sunday.

- PLU -