ELON, N.C. -- Sitting at 36-14 overall and having clinched its second straight Southern Conference regular season title, the Elon Phoenix baseball team earned its highest-ever NCAA Division I national ranking in the four major polls on Monday, premiering at No. 22 in the Baseball America poll.  The Phoenix also climbed from No. 28 to No. 25 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.

The team is also just outside the top-25 of the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, sitting first among others receiving votes.

The 22nd-place ranking tops the 25th-place showing by the Phoenix in Baseball America's May 22, 2006 poll.

Ping!Baseball also kept the Phoenix in its top 25 as Elon held steady at No. 20.

UC Irvine ranks first in all four polls (Collegiate Baseball being the other) with a record of 37-11.

Elon foes in the Baseball America poll include: North Carolina (8th; 38-13), Clemson (19th; 34-17) and East Carolina (20th; 37-15).  The NCBWA poll features Phoenix opponents North Carolina (5th), Clemson (16th), East Carolina (20th) and Coastal Carolina (22nd; 39-13).  The coaches' poll also rates Coastal Carolina (23rd) among Elon opponents in its top-25 while Collegiate Baseball rates North Carolina (4th), Clemson (17th) and East Carolina (30th).

The Phoenix is coming off of a 3-1 week and a sweep of SoCon rival Western Carolina as Elon clinched the 2009 SoCon regular season title with a league mark of 22-4.  The Phoenix has won 16 of its last 18 contests and concluded SoCon play with 17 consecutive league victories.

Elon finishes up its regular season with a 1 p.m. game against Triad rival High Point from Latham Park on Tuesday afternoon.