DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 1

Nick Herfordt

As the first half of the college baseball season winds down, the competition is only getting fiercer, and the rankings are seeing their standard shakeups. Teams that started the season with high hopes are either surging or sputtering, while others are making unexpected moves toward the top. The halfway point of the season is the perfect time to reassess who’s dominating, who’s on the rise, and which teams might be in for a second-half surge.

In this high-stakes race, powerhouse programs continue to make their mark, but some under-the-radar squads are proving they’re more than just pretenders. Expect plenty of drama as conference play intensifies and the battle for postseason spots gets even more heated. With mid-season tournaments just around the corner, the rankings will only continue to shift as teams jockey for position and fight for that coveted national attention.

NCAA DII

Despite losing a series to Florida Southern, Tampa clings to the number one spot in the latest rankings. This comes after a tough road series where they dropped two of three games to their longtime conference rival, Florida Southern. However, Tampa’s overall performance this spring remains undeniably stellar, too impressive to be overshadowed by their first series loss of the season. Incredibly, the rivalry between UT and FSC continues to be an intense, neck-and-neck battle for supremacy. Not only do both teams share the title of the winningest programs in DII—with nine national championships each—but their double-header split on Saturday marked the 226th meeting between these historic powerhouses. Had the Mocs emerged victorious in the finale, the schools would have been tied at 113-113 in their head-to-head record. As it stands, the Spartans maintain a slight edge at 114-112 over the Mocs.

With their recent victories, Florida Southern has rocketed up the rankings. After starting the season unranked, following a disappointing 18-30 finish last year, the Mocs have become one of the division’s top contenders. Like Tampa, they’ve only dropped a single series this season (two of three against Carson-Newman last month) and have catapulted into the top ten. The key to their success has been a dramatic surge in their baserunning game. FSC has already stolen 139 bases this season—more than doubling their total of 75 from last year. They are just one stolen base away from having three players with 30 steals. Jevin Relaford, whose 31 stolen bases last season marked the team's best since 2003, already has 36 steals this year. Mikey Scott, who leads the team with a .414 batting average and a .688 slugging percentage, has swiped 29 bags. Meanwhile, Mocs’ catcher Cory Filley has stifled 14 of 31 attempted base stealers.

The team breathing down the Spartans' necks is Angelo State, the team Tampa defeated in last year’s championship. The Rams are on a fiery ten-game winning streak since dropping a series to Lubbock Christian. Their high-octane offense has exploded for at least ten runs in 21 of 34 games this season. The team is batting an eye-popping .382 and boasts an OBP of .511. With such a devastating offensive juggernaut, it’s tough to pinpoint just one standout, but Jacob Guerrero deserves special mention. He’s hitting .444 with a .543 OBP, despite a recent slump of just one hit in his last 16 at-bats. Guerrero and the Rams are in a prime position to take down Tampa, as they face upcoming series against St. Edward's and West Texas A&M—two Lone Star Conference teams poised to break into the Top 25.

While St. Edward’s and West Texas A&M remain on the outside looking in, Jessup has crashed into the Top 25 after taking three of four from Westmont. The former NAIA powerhouse, now part of DII, had a remarkable week. Not only did Jessup oust Westmont from the top ten, but they also triumphed in three of four against Chaminade during a grueling week in which they played eight games. Jessup now occupies the Top 25 spot left vacant by UNC Pembroke, who were swept by Emmanuel.

Meanwhile, the PSAC conference has been stockpiling victories. With three teams in the top twelve and a combined record of 63-15, it’s clear this league is making waves. East Stroudsburg has been a fixture in the top five for most of the season, and after sweeping Bloomsburg—including two shutouts—the Warriors rocketed to the number four position. Ethan Wood has shredded opposing batters, lowering his team-leading ERA to 1.01 after allowing just three hits in seven dominant innings last week.

RANK	SCHOOL	STATE	RECORD	LAST WK	PREV RK
1	Tampa Spartans	FL	25-6	2-2	1
2	Angelo State Rams	TX	28-6	4-0	2
3	Central Missouri Mules	MO	22-7	3-1	3
4	East Stroudsburg Warriors	PA	20-6	4-0	6
5	North Greenville Trailblazers	SC	29-8	5-0	10
6	Millersville Marauders	PA	21-4	3-1	8
7	Florida Southern Moccasins	FL	24-7	2-1	12
8	Catawba Indians	NC	23-9	0-2	4
9	Minnesota State Mavericks	MN	21-2	4-0	14
10	Point Loma Sea Lions	CA	22-10	2-2	5
11	Texas Tyler Patriots	TX	27-9	2-1	11
12	West Chester Golden Rams	PA	22-5	5-0	13
13	Westmont Warriors	CA	25-8	1-3	7
14	Lenoir-Rhyne Bears	NC	26-6	2-2	9
15	Colorado Mesa Mavericks	CO	22-8	4-0	15
16	Young Harris Mountain Lions	GA	24-9	4-0	16
17	North Georgia Nighthawks	GA	24-9	4-0	17
18	Cal State Monterey Bay Otters	CA	19-10	3-1	18
19	Central Oklahoma Bronchos	OK	24-8	4-0	20
20	Davenport Panters	MI	21-6	3-1	24
21	Jessup Warriors	CA	23-10	6-2
22	Carson-Newman Eagles	TN	26-8	3-2	19
23	Chico State Wildcats	CA	18-11	0-0	23
24	Grand Valley State Lakers	MI	20-8	1-3	22
25	Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks	ID	23-10	1-0	25
DROP	UNC Pembroke Braves	NC			21

NAIA

Despite being the top-ranked team in the Perfect Game preseason rankings, LSU Shreveport has exceeded all expectations. The Pilots are a perfect 33-0 and utterly dismantled Texas College last weekend in what may have been a matchup between the NAIA’s top and bottom teams. The Pilots obliterated the Steers, outscoring them 94-4 over the three-game series. In the series finale, LSUS exploded for 11 earned runs against the Texas College starter—without recording a single out. The Pilots could face their first real test this week against Nelson (formerly Southwestern Assemblies of God University) and Texas A&M Texarkana. Next week, they’ll face DI Stephen F. Austin, but the Lumberjacks are currently struggling below .500 and may not offer much resistance to the relentless Pilots.

While the Pilots’ offense has been prolific—batting .356 as a team and slugging .610—their pitching has been even more dominant. Isaac Rohde and Draven Zeigler have combined for 110 ⅔ innings, allowing just 63 hits and striking out 148 batters. Their respective ERAs stand at an impressive 1.74 and 1.85. The third starter, Cobe Reeves, is just as imposing, with a 2.38 ERA, 68 strikeouts in 45 ⅓ innings, and only 29 hits allowed. Reeves would likely be the ace on any other team.

The Pilots’ dominant run has overshadowed yet another incredible season by Georgia Gwinnett. The Grizzlies are 30-3 and have scored at least nine runs in every game since February 14th—except for two. Opposing pitchers have posted an average ERA of 13.19 against GGC, who have ruthlessly claimed victory in their last ten games, including wins over Tennessee Wesleyan, William Carey, and a 32-2 devastation of UT Southern.

One of the few teams to have defeated Georgia Gwinnett this season is Reinhardt, another powerhouse steamrolling competition. Although the Eagles suffered a humiliating 17-0 loss to Indiana Southeast in the series finale, they dominated the first two games, outscoring the Grenadiers by a wide margin. Of Reinhardt’s five losses this season, four were to ranked teams on the road. Senior Nash Crowell continues to have a monster season, leading the Eagles in batting average (.411), home runs (12), and walks (26), which has propelled his on-base percentage to an eye-popping .550.

Despite a 22-3 record, Grand View is still on the outside looking in for the Top 25—for now. While the Vikings’ win total is impressive, their strength of schedule leaves much to be desired. The last team they beat with a winning record was Valley City State, who entered the game at 6-5. Their only games against a team with a winning record were against Webber International, where the Vikings lost both matchups. Grand View’s next opportunity to prove themselves comes in two weeks when they host Park University.

Columbia and Concordia (MI) are two other teams that need a bit more to crack the Top 25. Both are in the top ten nationally for winning percentage, but, like Grand View, their strength of schedule hasn’t been as formidable. However, the Cougars can point to a series split with Missouri Baptist, which could push them to be the next team into the rankings next week.

RANK	SCHOOL	STATE	RECORD	LAST WK	PREV RK
1	LSU Shreveport Pilots	LA	33-0	4-0	1
2	Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies	GA	30-3	3-0	2
3	Cumberlands Patriots	KY	28-6	4-0	4
4	Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs	TN	26-9	2-2	3
5	Reinhardt Eagles	GA	27-5	2-1	6
6	Faulkner Eagles	AL	25-7	3-1	8
7	Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles	OK	30-5	1-2	5
8	Webber International Warriors	FL	26-8	4-0	10
9	Loyola Wolf Pack	LA	25-9	2-1	9
10	Hope International Royals	CA	29-6	3-1	11
11	Taylor Trojans	IN	28-5	4-0	12
12	Southeastern Fire	FL	28-6	2-2	7
13	Arizona Christian Firestorm	AZ	28-8-1	4-0	15
14	Ottawa Braves	KS	29-6	3-1	14
15	Missouri Baptist Spartans	MO	24-9	4-1	18
16	Cumberland Phoenix	TN	27-8-1	3-1	19
17	Houston-Victoria Jaguars	TX	29-7	4-0	21
18	Concordia Bulldogs	NE	20-8	2-0	24
19	Keiser Seahawks	FL	23-6	1-3	13
20	Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes	KS	22-11	3-0	25*
21	William Carey Crusaders	MS	26-7	0-3	16
22	Mid-America Christian Evangels	OK	26-11	1-3	17
23	Johnson Royals	TN	24-8	2-2	20
24	Morningside Mustangs	IA	22-5-1	4-2	23
25	Indiana Southeast Grenadiers	IN	23-9	1-2	22
DROP	USAO Drovers	OK	21-13	2-2	25*

NCAA DIII

Denison claimed the top spot in the DIII rankings last week and now has the chance to solidify their position with a pair of games against Penn State Harrisburg this Sunday. The Big Red already boast victories over previously ranked Christopher Newport and Cortland, as well as over Johns Hopkins, Endicott, and Lynchburg—three teams currently positioned in the top five. Erik Sundgren has been a dominant force for Denison on offense, batting .413 with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Peter Lemke has posted a 2.49 ERA and is stifling opposing hitters, holding them to a .179 batting average.

Wisconsin-Whitewater remains DIII’s lone undefeated team, improving to 13-0 after decimating St. Mary’s (MN) and UW-Eau Claire. Over five games, the Warhawks outscored their opponents 58-5. Sophomore reliever Ben Lee has been unbelievable—last season, he pitched 10 innings with a 13.50 ERA, allowing 16 hits and 11 walks. But this season, in the same 10 innings, Lee has yet to allow an earned run, giving up just five hits and five walks.

This week saw two teams enter the rankings—Shenandoah and Gettysburg. While the Hornets are often in the rankings, it’s the Bullets’ debut in the Perfect Game poll. Gettysburg is 22-2 after a dominant week, including a 26-1 victory over Muhlenberg on Saturday. The 26 runs scored were the most in school history in a Centennial Conference game, and their 25-run margin of victory was their largest ever in conference play. Senior Jack Burke is tearing it up, hitting .435 with 15 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases. Gettysburg will have the chance to prove their ranking this week with a pair of games against Johns Hopkins.

Sitting just outside the rankings, for now, is 2017 National Champion Cal Lutheran. The Kingsmen are 18-6 and boast an incredible pitching staff. Their starting duo of Luke Wechsler (1.76 ERA) and Leo Bristow (2.06 ERA), both averaging over a strikeout per inning, are a formidable one-two punch. But it’s their closer, Frank Willius, who has been utterly dominant. The sophomore southpaw has struck out 47 batters in 26 innings, allowing only 17 hits. With a 2.08 ERA, three wins, and two saves across ten appearances, Willius has been a nightmare for opposing hitters.

RANK	SCHOOL	STATE	RECORD	LAST WK	PREV RK
1	Denison Big Red	OH	16-3	2-0	1
2	Johns Hopkins Blue Jays	MD	20-3	4-1	2
3	Endicott Gulls	MA	13-3	2-0	3
4	UW-Whitewater Warhawks	WI	13-0	5-0	4
5	Lynchburg Hornets	VA	20-4	3-1	5
6	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags	CA	19-5	2-1	9
7	Salisbury Seagulls	MD	18-5	3-1	8
8	La Verne Leopards	CA	19-4	1-2	6
9	Penn State Harrisburg Lions	PA	17-4-1	3-1-1	11
10	Salve Regina Seahawks	RI	12-5	1-2	7
11	UW LaCrosse Eagles	WI	13-2	5-0	12
12	Babson Beavers	MA	11-4	4-1	15
13	East Texas Baptist Tigers	TX	15-8	3-1	13
14	Trinity Tigers	TX	21-6	2-1	14
15	Kean Cougars	NJ	18-5	2-2	16
16	Rowan Profs	NJ	14-5	3-3	10
17	Eastern Connecticut St. Warriors	CT	12-5	2-1	17
18	Concordia (TX) Tornados	TX	23-6	3-0	18
19	Coe Kohawks	IA	13-4	3-1	20
20	Centre Colonels	KY	19-5	4-0	23
21	Shenandoah Hornets	VA	18-7	3-1
22	Gettysburg Bullets	PA	20-2	3-1
23	Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens	CA	14-9	2-1	19
24	Case Western Reserve Spartans	OH	14-8	3-2	21
25	Misericordia Cougars	PA	16-8	2-2	25
DROP	Cortland State Red Dragons	NY			24
DROP	Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets	VA			22