March is the time of year when another sport takes the spotlight, but don’t overlook DII baseball. This is the month when pitchers begin to get stretched out and hitters begin to heat up (unless you are Lubbock Christian’s Brevin McCool, who has yet to cool off). The Power 10 rankings are beginning to take form, and with so much parity among the top 35, I’d expect a market correction in the coming weeks and a lot of movement.
The top 10 for this week remains relatively familiar, although several teams have moved around. Tampa is locked in at No. 1, and North Greenville, DII baseball’s first 20-win team, is climbing the ladder.
DII BASEBALL 2025
📊 The preseason Power 10
🔮 Wayne’s way-too-early guesses on the eight for Cary
Remember, these Power 10 rankings are mine alone, based on conversations with coaches and what I am watching. Selection metrics play a role, but they really are just beginning to take shape. As I have said before, college baseball is the longest sport. It spans five months, with most teams playing four to five games a week. Losses are going to happen; early season “upsets” are going to happen; but at the end of the day, baseball is a grind, and you have to look much deeper than the wins and losses than in any other sport. That is what I try to explain below.
The DII baseball Power 10 rankings (Week ending March 9)
No. 1 Tampa | Previous: No. 1. North Greenville is tough, but Tampa still holds the No. 1 spot this week. The Spartans traveled across the country and took three of four from a Cal State San Marcos team that was in the tournament last year. Jordan Williams is a monster atop the lineup, and J.D. Urso is a nightmare in the middle. Ace Skyler Gonzalez is 23-0 in his career. Tampa remains the team to beat.
No. 2 North Greenville | Previous: No. 4. The Trailblazers have 20 wins, and it isn’t even halfway through March. They pummeled Emmanuel (GA) this past weekend in a four-game sweep, and as a team, they are hitting .333 with a .967 OPS and are scoring more than 10 runs per game. The top of the Southeast Region is tightly contested right now between North Greenville, Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne, but the consistency of this program is what gets the Trailblazers up high this week.
No. 3 Central Missouri | Previous: No. 3. The Mules are rolling and had little issue taking the weekend series against Arkansas-Fort Smith. They have won 11 of their last 12, and the pitching is not even in midseason form yet. Jacob Steele is on a seven-game hitting streak with three four-hit games mixed in. The key, it feels, has been the Mules’ bullpen, which is six or seven deep in arms that do not like to allow runs.
No. 4 Westmont | Previous: 6. It is early, but the Warriors are looking good. Like, make it to Cary good. Taking three of four from Point Loma — which was No. 5 last week in the Power 10 — puts the exclamation point on that statement. They now have series wins against San Francisco State and the Sea Lions — two tournament contenders — and metrically speaking are the best team in the West by far. Freshman Jesse Di Maggio is one to watch — he’s hitting a team-high .375 with six home runs and has walked more than he has struck out this year. This is one of the best teams in DII.
No. 5 (tie) Angelo State, UT Tyler | Previous: 2, 7, respectively. These two teams split their four-game series earlier this season, and that’s what makes it hard for me to separate the two. Metrically speaking, UT Tyler is far ahead — the Patriots won a series against nationally ranked St. Edward’s (TX) two weekends ago and then split with nationally ranked West Texas A&M this past weekend. But Angelo State is Angelo State. Four straight trips to Cary, two straight trips to the championship game, and even after losing this past weekend to Lubbock Christian — a sneaky good team with arguably the best player in DII — the Rams lost all three games by one run and are 18-6 through 24 games. They are plenty of the amazing Rams they have been.
No. 7 Catawba | Previous: No. 8. You know how many series Catawba has lost this year? None — and that’s what keeps the Indians ahead of Lenoir-Rhyne for the time being. The reigning Southeast Region champs are looking tough and are near the top of the Southeast in RPI, which speaks volumes. Not to sound like a broken record, but I still think the experience of the starting pitching staff could be the difference maker in this tough region.
No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne | Previous: First five out. The Bears were picked to finish fifth in the SAC (even though I picked them to win the SAC in my conference preview back in October), and right now, not only are they the best in the conference, but by the metrics, the best in the Southeast Region. Mackenzie Wainwright makes the offense go, but how about Sal Carricato? The infielder has homered in four straight, five of his last six, and six of his last eight games. This team has some pop in that lineup.
No. 9 Point Loma | Previous: No. 7. The Sea Lions did lose three of four, but it was to one of the best teams in DII baseball. With Westmont out of the way, I don’t foresee many more losses for Point Loma, though. The Sea Lions have the hitting, and they definitely have the bullpen. If they can tighten up the starting pitching, which usually starts to turn this time of year, this is a well-rounded — and dangerous — team.
No. 10 West Chester | Previous: 10. The Golden Rams were in the preseason Power 10, and at 9-3, I can understand why some people question why I still have them here when, by the metrics, East Stroudsburg and even Millersville are a little better. The impressive part for me is this team has yet to play at home, taking three of four from MEC stalwart Charleston (WV), three of four at the DII Baseball Challenge in Cary, North Carolina, and then taking three of four on its New York trip this past weekend. The Golden Rams are going to be tough.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
- Augustana (SD). The metrics aren’t there yet, but the experience is. Once the Vikings get their groove going, they will be hard to beat.
- East Stroudsburg/Minnesota State. These two are very close. East Stroudsburg, by the numbers, may be the best team in the Atlantic. The Mavericks haven’t played the toughest schedule but are 12-1 and just pummeling teams. They look strong.
- Florida Southern. The Mocs dropped a tough series to Carson-Newman (which says more about how the Eagles are for real), but the two losses were close, and the one win was a blowout. The Mocs are exceeding expectations already and don’t look to be slowing.
- Mount Olive. The Trojans are seemingly always in the top 20 and just had a nine-game winning streak snapped. They tend to get overlooked in the Southeast Region, but you would be foolish to do so.
- Southern New Hampshire. It’s the Penmen. Even if they start the season at .500, they will still make it to Cary. We’ll see how good they are this weekend against East Stroudsburg.
