March 6, 2008
The Rattlers, who have won a school record 22 straight games, had been ranked ninth the last three weeks. With the regional ranking the Rattlers have now put themselves in a position where they could advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament. The top eight teams in the South Central Region advance to the tournament, which will be played at a site to be announced on Sunday night when the NCAA Division II Tournament field is revealed.
West Texas A&M University is the top ranked team in the region, while Washburn University is second. The University of Central Oklahoma is third, Emporia State University is fourth, Southwest Baptist University is fifth and Missouri Southern State University is sixth. Behind the Rattlers is Angelo State University in eighth, Northeastern State University in ninth and Texas A&M University-Commerce.
On Tuesday it was announced that the Rattlers had broken into the WBCA top-25 rankings for the first time this season. The Rattlers were ranked 24th in that poll.
St. Mary’s has completed regular season play with a 23-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in Heartland Conference competition, just the second time in school history that the Rattlers have gone through the regular season undefeated in conference play. The Rattlers will return to action on Friday when they travel to Denton to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State University in the first round of the Heartland Conference Tournament. The game tips off at noon and will be broadcast live over “Sounds from the Snakepit”.
| South Central Region | |||
| Rank | Team | Overall | In-Region |
| 1 | West Texas A&M | 23-4 | 22-1 |
| 2 | Washburn | 19-5 | 18-5 |
| 3 | Central Oklahoma | 21-6 | 20-6 |
| 4 | Emporia State | 19-5 | 18-5 |
| 5 | Southwest Baptist | 16-8 | 15-8 |
| 6 | Missouri Southern State | 15-9 | 15-9 |
| 7 | St. Mary’s | 22-3 | 19-2 |
| 8 | Angelo State | 22-7 | 21-7 |
| 9 | Northeastern State | 16-10 | 16-10 |
| 10 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 17-8 | 16-8 |