ALBANY, GA --

Darton State College has jumped to No. 16 in the NJCAA poll, the NJCAA announced Wednesday. 

And the 18-4 Cavaliers, cruising on 12 straight wins, are getting fired up.

“I hung the poll on the bulletin board in the locker,” Darton head baseball coach Scot Hemmings said in the release. “I could hear some excitement in there, and some motivation to get higher, to continue to win… and they want to win a conference championship.”

Hemmings added that while some coaches may say that polls don’t have a lot of meaning, his ideas are a total opposite.

“I think this means the world,” he said. “This is what you play for. This is what guys come to Darton for… to be among the best in the nation.”

Right now the Cavaliers are the best in the GCAA/Region 17, having overcome a challenging schedule to grasp a No. 1 conference ranking.

“It’s huge to stay in first place and make everybody want to catch up,” Hemmings said.