The DII baseball season has begun, and we are that much closer to the DII baseball championship finals in Cary. Not every team has even thrown a pitch yet, so it seems like a good time to look into the crystal ball and see if we can make some predictions.
⚾️ 📊 Tampa, Angelo State top the DII baseball preseason Power 10 rankings
If you follow my DII Report, you know I already made a ridiculously early prediction on what the 56-team bracket will look like. Well, now it’s time to make a ridiculously early guess on which are the final eight teams standing when the finals head to Cary to decide a national champion. Here’s a region-by-region look at which is the team to beat and a potential sleeper to watch out for this season.
Atlantic: West Chester. The Atlantic Region is tough this year. Only six teams go to the bracket, and there are six teams in the PSAC alone — West Chester, Indiana (PA), Millersville, Seton Hill, Slippery Rock and East Stroudsburg — that can make it all the way to Cary. So, why the Golden Rams? Let’s not forget this was the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic last year before they, like almost everyone else in the tournament, were stunned by IUP. The Golden Rams return their top two starters and closer from a year ago and probably have revenge on their mind.
Sleeper watch: Slippery Rock. I really like The Rock this year. They had one of the best pitching staffs in DII — and arguably the best in the PSAC — and return almost every single one of those pitchers. Along with the talent, they now have the experience of playing with each other.
Central: Augustana (SD). This was really tough because I like Central Missouri this year. The top of that lineup and pitching depth is dangerous, but the returning experience on Augustana (SD) is too deep to overlook. The bats looked just fine on their weekend opener in Arkansas as the team left hitting .324 with 46 runs scored in four games. Three of the Vikings’ four starting pitchers looked sharp as well. The Central Region is going to be tough, but Augustana has the big pieces to survive and advance.
Sleeper watch: It is really hard to be a sleeper in this region when you consider how strong teams like Central Missouri, Missouri Southern, Augustana (SD) and Minnesota State are. But check out the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. They return their top four starting pitchers and have a senior-laden lineup which includes returning All-American Bennett McCollow making them a squad to keep on your radar.
East: Southern New Hampshire. I sound like a broken record, but the Penmen are the only team that can beat themselves in the East. The numbers prove it: Four trips to Cary in a row, five in the past six years. They return their two top home run hitters and RBI makers, the bulk of their rotation and head coach Chris Shank brought in six transfers ready to make an impact. The Penmen are geared up for another long season.
Sleeper watch: I always like to keep an eye on what Goldey-Beacom does and the Lightning do return their top two hitters and ace. However, I think a nice sleeper in this region is New Haven. The Chargers return an experienced and deep lineup with a slew of pitching back as well.
Midwest: Grand Valley State. The Lakers accomplished so much under first-year head coach Jordan Keur last year that, with what is returning, you have to imagine they will continue to build off that success. The top four hitters are back as are some important pitching pieces — like Mike Morawski who I have tabbed as preseason GLIAC pitcher of the year — and transfers like two-way star Jovan Gill just provide more depth. UIndy is the current king of the Midwest and Ashland, under John Schaly, is as consistent as it comes, but it simply feels like a changing of the guard is in order.
Sleeper watch: If there was a time to make a move and knock UIndy from its perch, it’s now, as the Greyhounds lost a lot of their lineup from the past two dominating seasons. That’s why I like Missouri-St. Louis here. UMSL returns a ton of talent — including their top four hitters from 2024 — and righty Jacob Arndt has the stuff (topping out at 97 mph this fall) to be one of DII’s elite shutdown relievers.
South: Tampa. It seems silly to have to explain this. Tampa won it all for the ninth time last season, tying for the most in DII history. The Spartans return the SSC pitcher of the year Skylar Gonzalez and as always bring in some huge transfers — like Florida State’s Jordan Williams and the return of J.D. Urso from Miami (FL). The Spartans aren’t simply the team to beat in the South — they are the team to beat in DII.
Sleeper watch: Florida Southern brought in Rick O’Dette after a successful run as head coach at Saint Leo and is off to an impressive 5-1 start, which included a series win against nationally ranked West Florida. There are 12 transfers, so the Mocs are hardly recognizable from a year ago, which may be their biggest advantage.
South Central: Angelo State. Another easy pick. That’s not to say the South Central is an easy region to win, because it’s not. It is to say that Angelo State is simply that good. Head coach Kevin Brooks has created a South Central dynasty with two-straight trips to the national championship game and four-straight trips to Cary. He brought in some great pitching transfers like Ryan Free from Texas Tech and Nick Wilson from DBU that give this team pitching depth that wins national championships.
Sleeper watch: If you follow the DII Report, you know I think Adam Paniagua is an absolute monster at the plate and leads a potent Regis (CO) lineup that could surprise many this season. But I am going with UT Tyler. The Patriots have looked sharp already, splitting a series with Angelo State, and have the pitching depth to make a deep run in the tournament.
Southeast: North Greenville. Let’s preface this by saying the Southeast Region is the best in DII baseball and they’re 10-12 legitimate contenders for Cary here. But I am picking the Trailblazers because they have been a model of consistency. They have also jumped out to an 8-0 start by scoring 95 runs along the way. While head coach Landon Powell will always throw together a potent lineup, I think the pieces he’s brought in for the rotation are the key, giving North Greenville depth like they had in 2022.
Sleeper watch: Like I said, this region is 10 teams deep with potential contenders, and that makes it hard to find a true sleeper. I suppose we can pick Lenoir-Rhyne, who was picked to finish fifth in the SAC preseason poll, although I had the Bears winning the conference in my preseason preview. They are already off to a 6-1 start and look like a run-scoring machine.
West: Cal State Monterey Bay. Let me start by saying the West Region should be amazing this year. Teams like San Francisco State, Cal Poly Pomona and Chico State are all teams that can make some noise and show how deep this region is. Point Loma and Westmont will not only duke it out atop the PacWest, but both should be top 25 teams all season.
All this is to show just how good I think the Otters are. Head coach Walt White has a mini-dynasty in the making with two-straight CCAA tourney titles and super regional appearances and returns four of his top five hitters from a year ago. The pitching is deep as well. The question is can they navigate what is looking like a very deep CCAA this year?
Sleeper watch: The list here is deep. Cal Poly Pomona has already hung with two powerhouses to open 2025 — and that’s with losing a ton of its pitching. You can say the same about Chico State, which has taken two series from preseason conference favorites in Point Loma and Northwest Nazarene. But I’ll pick San Francisco State. Ryan Garza could be CCAA pitcher of the year and have five of their top six hitters back from a year ago.
