With Tampa winning its ninth DII baseball title in program history this past Saturday in Cary, the 2023-24 DII sports season is in the books. This week, we wrap up the 2023-24 DII sports season with the final DII baseball Power 10 rankings and third annual NCAA.com baseball honors.
JUMP TO BASEBALL POWER 10 | JUMP TO BASEBALL AWARDS | NEWS FROM AROUND DII
⚾️ Tampa tops the final DII baseball Power 10 rankings of the 2024 season
The DII season is in the books and Tampa took down Angelo State in one of the more thrilling DII baseball championship finals in recent history. Now, it’s time to wrap things up with the final rankings of the season. Remember, the Power 10 is just me, my spreadsheets and a whole mess of notes and what I saw at games. Judging a team by wins and losses alone is not that easy in college baseball. It’s a daunting task, but someone has to do it.
Being among the final eight in Cary doesn’t automatically gain you access to the Power 10. Nor do RPI and metrics. Baseball is such a different beast than other sports — the season is longer and there is arguably more out-of-region play for the top teams than any other sport — but there is still such a focus on in-region play that looking at RPI isn’t always a simple, nor fair, analysis. As always, I try to blend what the selection committee looks at for filling the bracket with what I watched on a weekly basis this season.
DII BASEBALL CENTRAL: Championship recap | Bracket
The final 2024 DII baseball Power 10 rankings
(Games and stats through Sunday, June 9)
No. 1 Tampa | Previous: 1. The Spartans came into the season on a tear, sweeping through nationally ranked, tournament-bound competition on opening weekend by a score of 46-10. That was Tampa all year — not just winning baseball games but dominating the opposition. The Spartans were in the top 3 in scoring, ERA, and WHIP and top 7 in fielding percentage, giving them a balance that was unmatched in the division this season. We saw that in its 8-3 victory over Angelo State to win the 2024 title — its ninth, tying the Spartans for most in DII history.
No. 9! TAMPA WINS THE #D2BSB FOR THE NINTH TIME. It’s dogpile SZN (and there’s only one person who wears the avocado shirt in Cary @BFriedACC) @tampaspartans pic.twitter.com/YIlLKewXxA
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2) June 8, 2024
No. 2 Angelo State | Previous: First five out. If the Power 10 was based solely on metrics, this spot is too high for the Rams. But what I saw once the tournament started was the same Angelo State program we’ve seen for the past decade: A model of consistency that is going to have a chance to be national champions the final week of the season seemingly every year. Tripp Clark and Jacob Guerrero were two of the best hitters in DII this season, and once mid-May hit — when it really matters — this team took down one nationally ranked foe after another.
Tripp Clark puts the defending champs back on top! Bases loaded double gives @angeloathletics a 7-5 lead heading to the 7th. What a ball game! #D2BSB pic.twitter.com/14lNwaT2K5
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2) June 4, 2024
No. 3 Central Missouri | Previous: 2. Yes, the Mules got bounced quickly from Cary, but they were a pair of one-run games that needed late-inning heroics to beat them. This was an offense for the ages: The Mules 605 RBIs are second most in a single season in DII history, their 662 runs scored, 1,344 total bases and 126 home runs are third-most in a DII season ever, their .632 slugging percentage is the ninth highest mark in a single-season, and while the DII record book doesn’t track on-base percentage, if you compare the Mules to the 2022 Colorado Mesa Mavericks’ record-setting offense, the Mules OBP is 0.04 percentage points higher. So, no, this team didn’t win a national championship, but yes — from opening day to their final at-bat, the Mules were one of the best teams all season long.
No. 4 Point Loma | Previous: 4. I can see some people confused how Central Missouri and Point Loma are both ahead of the team that ousted them from the tournament. The answer is simple: This is not a ranking of the past week, but the entire season. Point Loma had a top-5 RPI in DII baseball, was dominant against teams with a plus-.500 record (17-6), and though they fell one game short of the national semifinals, it was in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel. This was a well-rounded team, with the pitching staff combining for an ERA and WHIP in the top 30 of DII baseball, one of the best fielding teams in the division, and fielded a lineup that hit well for contact and power, especially Scott Anderson who registered at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games of the season.
No. 5 Catawba | Previous: 8. By the metrics, this was the best team in the Southeast Region. With the Southeast being the deepest region in DII baseball, that says something. Catawba also had an RPI just shy of .600, which is a top-10 mark in all DII. The Indians were able to turn on the offense at any given time, winning two elimination games in a row in Cary by scoring 15 and 18 runs, respectively. It was the second time since 2015 that Catawba reached the semifinals and had they not run into the buzzsaw that is Tampa, it had the talent to compete for a national championship.
No. 6 Indiana (PA) | Previous: NR. I said earlier in the week after IUP beat No. 1 Central Missouri, you throw the metrics and experience out the window. Not to be cliché, but the adage goes it’s not how you start, but how you finish. The Cardiac Crimson Hawks downed nationally ranked Charleston (WV) and No. 1-seeded West Chester to win the Atlantic Regional; came from behind to beat a tough Seton Hill team in super regionals; and then, in Cary, took down top-seeded Central Missouri, then a Point Loma that is in the top 5 of most national rankings and before bowing out, ended the defending national champions’ six-game winning streak in Cary. Every one of those teams spent time in my rankings this season. To be a Power 10 team, you must convince me you can beat the best of the best, and the Crimson Hawks did just that.
No. 7 Missouri Southern | Previous: 3. I get it. The Lions didn’t even make the super regionals but are ranked higher than many teams that did that and even some that went further. But there is no denying how strong this team was all season long. The metrics show it, posting a top-10 RPI in all baseball while playing the 18th toughest schedule in DII and going 21-9 against teams with a winning record. The stats also show it: The Lions scored nearly nine runs a game while hitting .312 with a .948 OPS and the 16th most home runs in the division.
No. 8 West Chester | Previous: 7. This was a hard pick. The PSAC was really strong this year, and The Big Three (which doesn’t even include IUP) all nearly canceled each other out of the Power 10 conversation. WCU, East Stroudsburg and Millersville all were in the top-15 in RPI. At the end of the day, despite the surprising two-and-out regional performance, the Golden Rams had a top-5 RPI in DII baseball, were incredibly strong against nationally ranked teams, and closed the regular season by winning seven of eight against East Stroudsburg and Millersville before taking two more in a row from East Stroudsburg to win the PSAC tourney.
No. 9 North Greenville | Previous: 6. I know, it seems odd. The Crusaders didn’t have a strong finish to the season, but neither did other teams considered for this spot. Heading into the tournament, the Crusaders had the second-best RPI in the Southeast Region, the top performance index in the region, and dominated teams with a plus-.500 record to a Southeast Region-best .719 winning percentage against said opponents. Add in the fact that they had one of the best hitters in DII in David Lewis and one of the best pitchers in Reece Fields, and this team checked a lot of boxes for me.
No. 10 Augustana (SD) | Previous: 10. I am always higher on the Vikings, and though their season ended short of the super regionals, it was at the hands of that potent Central Missouri offense. The Vikings handled winning teams and ranked competition well, taking two in a row from Minnesota State to win the NSIC tourney and then defeating a very good Central Oklahoma twice in the Central Regional. Jack Hines was also considered for player of the year as one of the best (.445 average, 1.337 OPS, 21 home runs, 89 RBIs, 17 stolen bases) in the division.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
- Charleston (WV): The Golden Eagles had a historic season, setting the program record in wins while winning their third-straight MEC tournament title. The metrics also back this high ranking. This team was flat-out good.
- Lubbock Christian: If you look at the selection metrics, I get that I am way too high on the Chaps, but this team hung with West Texas A&M and the national runners-up Rams while going the distance in the super regionals and falling just short of Cary.
- Southern New Hampshire: Watch this: I predict the Penmen will be in Cary next season, right now on June 11. It’s almost a gimme at this point as SNHU has been the best team in the East for a decade and it’s not really close.
Complete game shutout, Austin Trumpour. Shuts the door with an exclamation point. @snhupenmen to the winners bracket. #d2bsb pic.twitter.com/1RIKNJMMfI
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2) June 2, 2024
- UIndy: Truth be told, Young Harris, East Stroudsburg, Millersville, Mount Olive and Seton Hill were all contenders for the final spot in the final top 15. The bottom line is that UIndy was the best in the Midwest for a second-straight year, so that gets the Greyhounds in.
- UNC Pembroke: There wasn’t much the Braves didn’t do prior to the Southeast Region tournament. They won the Conference Carolinas tourney and took the season series from North Greenville and Barton.
The next 15 (in alphabetical order): Arkansas Tech, Ashland, Barton, Central Oklahoma, Colorado Mesa, East Stroudsburg, Maryville (MO), Millersville, Mount Olive, Saginaw Valley State, Saint Leo, Seton Hill, Westmont, Young Harris, Wingate
🥇DII baseball honors
Welcome to the third annual NCAA.com DII baseball honors. I started this new tradition in 2022, so without further ado, here are your players/pitchers of the year.
Player of the year: EJ Cumbo, Tampa. Cumbo had a career-year, which is quite impressive considering what he has put together on the DII baseball field. It started as the leader for the Cinderella NYIT Bears that made it to Cary in 2019 and ended as the star leadoff hitter for the team of the 2000s. Cumbo became the DII hit king this season and in the national championship game became just the third player to record 400 hits in the history of NCAA baseball. He hit .415 with a 1.194 OPS and career highs in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored. When the tournament started, Cumbo found another gear, going 22-for-39 with 16 RBIs and six home runs. There is no coincidence that Tampa got back to the championship with Cumbo in the lineup.
HIT NO. 400 for #d2bsb all-time hit king. EJ Cumbo delivers a bases loaded single to bring the @tampaspartans within 1 run. 3-2 Angelo State. pic.twitter.com/YF7RPwWAf6
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2) June 8, 2024
Pitcher of the year: Brent Francisco, East Stroudsburg (pictured above). Look, there are a ton of good choices here. Fellow PSAC-er Alex Mykut was as good as it gets, and Caleb Marks from Trevecca Nazarene was amazing. But Francisco was downright dominant. The big, 6-foot-7, righty finished 12-1 with a 1.91 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. He was third in DII in ERA and strike-out-to-walk ratio (8.40), and led the division in WHIP, so the numbers back it up.
Freshmen of the year: Mackenzie Wainwright, UT, Salem (WV). Wainwright had a great season at the plate. He hit .449 with a 1.402 OPS (both top-10 marks in the division), 16 home runs, and 18 stolen bases. He also played all three outfield positions and first base, showing his versatility. Perhaps most impressively, he struck out only 17 times in 48 games this season.
Trace Hartman of Charleston (WV) gets the freshman pitcher of the year nod. It was close, between he and Niklas Pavia of Franklin Pierce, but Hartman led DII in ERA (1.78) with an impressive WHIP and perfect 6-0 record. He also showed some pop as a two-way player with three home runs in just 25 at bats.
👀 Around DII 👀
The Indiana (PA) Crimson Hawks baseball team was one of the best stories of the season. This was not your typical Cinderella story. The Crimson Hawks hadn’t been to the tournament since 1990 and never saw the finals even in their best seasons. Now, they can say they were national semifinalists just three years after finishing with two wins.
It wasn’t just that they were winning, it was how they did it that kept you glued to the screen. Late-inning dramatics and outstanding pitching from what was statistically one of the worst pitching staffs in Cary had been the key. I’ll say it again: throw out the numbers, throw out the experience. This team is like The Goonies — they never say die.
I caught up with head coach Steve Kline prior to the semifinals. “We’re relaxed,” he told me. “We’re playing baseball. We’re having fun. But we’re not tourists either. We’re here to do a job. Sometimes, if you watch the Cinderella Man, you love that guy that’s one punch away from chopping the giants down. We just wanted to be able to play great baseball against great teams and find out where we stood.” You can read the entire interview and learn more about the IUP Crimson Hawks’ magical season here.
🎩 Hat tip to the 11 first-time DII champions in 2023-24
As we bring the 2023-24 season to a close, we should say congratulations to our first-time national champions.
DII football season is coming
The first DII football preseason poll of the season was released at the end of May. Lindy’s Sports has defending champions Harding at No. 1, followed by Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, Ferris State, and Valdosta State. While Lindy’s is a print publication and doesn’t have a website, you can see the entire preseason top 25 in this release from Slippery Rock.
On the Radar
⚾️ 2024 MLB Draft, July 14.
🏈 DII football opening day, August 29.
