DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 6

Nick Herfordt

Photo: Rohsean Riley (Florida Southern Athletic)

Two of the most intriguing stories in small-school baseball are unfolding in the same place: Lakeland, Florida. This aptly named city, nestled among several lakes, sits between two of the Sunshine State’s biggest metropolitan areas, Orlando and Tampa. With its warm weather and deep talent pool, it’s no surprise that baseball thrives in the region. Florida Southern has won nine Division II national championships, second only to Tampa, which tied the Moccasins after winning the title last year. Meanwhile, the Southeastern Fire captured NAIA National Championships in 2018 and 2022, reaching 50 wins in each of the last seven full seasons.

Despite their history of success, 2025 was expected to be a rebuilding year for these two perennial powerhouses. Florida Southern endured one of its worst seasons in program history last year, and its failure to maintain its usual level of excellence led to a coaching change. Meanwhile, Southeastern had been riding an unprecedented wave of success, but its longtime head coach resigned after the season to take a position with the New York Yankees organization. His departure triggered an exodus of players, leaving the roster a skeleton of what it had been.

Despite the coaching turnover and roster changes, the two schools have defied expectations. They boast a combined 33-2 record, and both programs appear as strong as ever—perhaps even better than in some of their championship-winning seasons.

Along with the updated rankings is a closer look at these two teams reveals as they continue to thrive.

NCAA DII

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev
1	Tampa Spartans	FL	14-2	3-0	1
2	Central Missouri Mules	MO	11-3	5-1	2
3	Angelo State Rams	TX	17-3	4-1	3
4	Point Loma Sea Lions	CA	14-4	4-0	4
5	East Stroudsburg Warriors	PA	10-0	6-0	5
6	Catawba Indians	NC	13-5	3-1	6
7	North Greenville Trailblazers	SC	16-3	3-2	7
8	Westmont Warriors	CA	17-2	4-0	9
9	Texas Tyler Patriots	TX	17-3	4-1	11
10	Millersville Marauders	PA	5-1	3-0	10
11	Florida Southern Moccasins	FL	14-2	3-0	12
12	Augustana Vikings	SD	5-3	2-2	8
13	West Chester Golden Rams	PA	6-2	3-1	14
14	Cal State Monterey Bay Otters	CA	10-5	4-0	19
15	Minnesota State Mavericks	MN	8-0	8-0	18
16	Young Harris Mountain Lions	GA	12-6	2-2	13
17	Chico State Wildcats	CA	12-5	4-0	20
18	Lenoir-Rhyne Bears	NC	14-3	2-1	25
19	UNC Pembroke Braves	NC	13-5	5-0	22
20	Colorado Mesa Mavericks	CO	7-7	3-1	21
21	Missouri Southern St. Lions	MO	10-5	1-3	15
22	Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils	AR	10-7	1-4	17
23	North Georgia Nighthawks	GA	11-6	2-1	23
24	Grand Valley State Lakers	MI	8-2	5-1	NR
25	Ashland Eagles	OH	5-4	2-3	16

Florida Southern College baseball has experienced a remarkable resurgence this spring, reclaiming its status as a formidable force in Division II baseball. This revival can largely be attributed to strategic leadership changes and the team's exceptional performance in the 2025 season.

Lance Niekro, a former Major League Baseball player and FSC alumnus, had served as head coach for 12 seasons. Despite his deep baseball lineage—his father, Joe Niekro, was an MLB pitcher, and his uncle, Phil Niekro, is a Hall of Famer—the team struggled to reach its past heights during his tenure. The Moccasins had some standout seasons, including a deep run in the 2018 NCAA Division II Baseball National Tournament, but they struggled significantly last year, finishing with an 18-30 record. Last June, FSC made a pivotal decision to part ways with Niekro and appointed Rick O'Dette as the new head coach.

O'Dette brought a wealth of experience from his successful tenure at Saint Leo University, another Sunshine State Conference rival. His hiring was met with optimism, given his track record of building winning programs. Under his leadership, the Moccasins have flourished. Last weekend, they swept a three-game series against Barry, improving their record to 15-2. As a result, the Mocs have climbed the rankings, now sitting just outside the top 10 after starting the season unranked.

Several key players have fueled this resurgence. Sachem Ramos, a transfer from the University of Michigan, has been a major addition to the Moccasins' rotation. Over 28.1 innings, he has posted a 3.81 ERA with 34 strikeouts and just 11 walks. Another former Division I pitcher, Brandon Jung, has also impressed on the mound. A former reliever at Towson, Jung may not be a strikeout artist, but he consistently keeps the ball in play and limits free passes.

Offensively, Mikey Scott has been outstanding. An All-SSC selection last season at Saint Leo under O’Dette, Scott followed his coach to Lakeland and has thrived. He is hitting .458 with three doubles, three triples, and four home runs, boasting a .750 slugging percentage. Ahmad Fitts, who saw limited playing time in his first four years on campus, has emerged as the team’s top power hitter, leading with five home runs. Both Scott and Fitts are graduate students. Rohsean Riley has earned accolades for his defense at third base while becoming a force at the plate, leading the team with a .483 average, four doubles, four triples, and one home run. Meanwhile, Grant Thoroman, another former Division I player, already has 20 stolen bases and is hitting .415.

Florida Southern entered 2025 with uncertainty, but instead of rebuilding, they are absolutely thriving.

NAIA

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev
1	LSU Shreveport Pilots	LA	19-0	3-0	1
2	Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs	TN	16-3	4-0	3
3	Cumberlands Patriots	KY	14-2	5-1	2
4	Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies	GA	16-2	4-0	4
5	Webber International Warriors	FL	17-2	3-0	6
6	Missouri Baptist Spartans	MO	11-3	3-0	7
7	Reinhardt Eagles	GA	14-3	0-3	5
8	Arizona Christian Firestorm	AZ	16-4	4-0	8
9	Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles	OK	19-3	4-1	9
10	Faulkner Eagles	AL	14-3	3-1	10
11	Loyola Wolf Pack	LA	16-4	4-1	11
12	Taylor Trojans	IN	13-4	2-0	12
13	Southeastern Fire	FL	16-0	0-0	13
14	Mid-America Christian Evangels	OK	16-5	4-0	14
15	Ottawa (OUAZ) Spirit	AZ	15-4	0-1	15
16	Hope International Royals	CA	14-4	4-0	17
17	Ottawa Braves	KS	17-3	4-2	20
18	Keiser Seahawks	FL	13-0	4-0	18
19	Houston-Victoria Jaguars	TX	19-2	4-0	21
20	William Carey Crusaders	MS	15-4	4-1	19
21	USAO Drovers	OK	12-8	2-1	22
22	Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes	KS	12-8	4-0	23
23	Cumberland Phoenix	TN	15-3-1	5-0	NR
24	Concordia Bulldogs	NE	8-3	4-2	24
25	Central Methodist Eagles	MO	7-7	1-3	16

The Southeastern University Fire have also demonstrated remarkable resilience this season, maintaining an unblemished record despite major changes in leadership and roster composition.

In June 2024, Adrian Dinkel, who led the Fire to national prominence, resigned as head coach. Although much of the team’s roster retained eligibility, a wave of players opted to transfer rather than return. To fill the coaching vacancy and rebuild the roster, SEU hired Gabe Grinder, an accomplished coach with a history of success. Grinder helped lead NCAA Division II Texas-Permian Basin to a 35-win season last year, including the first NCAA Tournament win in program history.

Despite the near-total roster turnover, the Fire have been dominant, starting the 2025 season with an 18-0 record. Their victories include wins over defending national champion Hope International, NAIA World Series participant Arizona Christian, and 2024 NAIA Opening Round qualifiers Lewis-Clark State and St. Francis.

One of the few holdovers from last season, Alfonso Villalobos, has returned as a graduate student and leads the team in total bases. He is hitting .444 with eight doubles and five home runs. Connor Hicks, who spent three seasons at Indiana State, has powered the Fire's offense with six home runs and a .406 batting average. Jon Paul Pennella, a redshirt at South Florida last year, has been nearly unstoppable, batting an astonishing .559 through 18 games with 11 stolen bases.

On the mound, Reece Wissinger has been phenomenal since transitioning from the bullpen to a starting role. In 28 innings, he has allowed just eight hits while striking out 32 batters. Opponents have yet to score a run—earned or unearned—against him this season, and he boasts a 0.50 WHIP. Aaron Robertson, who pitched at Division II Central Washington last year, has also seen a drastic improvement. After posting a 5.93 ERA and allowing 48 hits in 30 ⅓ innings last season, he has rebounded with a 1.17 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 23 innings.

With strong coaching, standout performances, and a winning culture, the Fire have proven that their dominance in college baseball is far from over.

NCAA DIII

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev
1	Johns Hopkins Blue Jays	MD	6-0	3-0	1
2	Endicott Gulls	MA	2-1	0-0	2
3	UW-Whitewater Warhawks	WI	3-0	3-0	3
4	Denison Big Red	OH	5-1	3-1	4
5	Salve Regina Seahawks	RI	5-0	3-0	5
6	Lynchburg Hornets	VA	10-1	4-1	6
7	Salisbury Seagulls	MD	6-1	5-1	8
8	La Verne Leopards	CA	8-1	3-0	9
9	Cortland State Red Dragons	NY	5-2	3-0	13
10	Penn State Harrisburg Lions	PA	6-0	2-0	16
11	UW LaCrosse Eagles	WI	0-0	0-0	11
12	Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens	CA	7-4	1-2	7
13	Case Western Reserve Spartans	OH	3-3	2-1	10
14	Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets	OH	3-2	3-1	12
15	Babson Beavers	MA	3-0	3-0	19
16	Trinity Tigers	TX	8-1	3-1	17
17	Christopher Newport Captains	VA	8-3	4-0	18
18	Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets	VA	4-3	2-2	14
19	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags	CA	3-3	2-2	15
20	Centre Colonels	KY	8-1	4-0	23
21	Eastern Connecticut St. Warriors	CT	2-1	1-1	20
22	Coe Kohawks	IA	0-0	0-0	22
23	Rowan Profs	NJ	2-1	2-1	21
24	East Texas Baptist Tigers	TX	6-7	3-1	24
25	Misericordia Cougars	PA	6-3	2-0	25

With many DIII teams not having played ten games yet, there isn't much significant to report; however, a special shoutout goes to Centre, as the Colonels have been one of the top teams out of the gate. They hold an 8-1 record and have moved up three spots to No. 20. This weekend, they will face their first major test of the season against the Rhodes Lynx, who were the last team left out of the rankings. The three-game Southern Athletic Association series will be played at the Colonels' Fishman Park.

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