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College  | Rankings | 1/29/2015

2015 NCAA Division II Preview

Photo: Southern Indiana

Perfect Game will be providing weekly ranking updates of the top 25 NCAA Division II teams during the 2015 season. Be sure to follow Perfect Game's College Baseball Twitter handle as well as Nick Herfordt in addition to liking PG's College Baseball Facebook page for updates throughout the season.


2015 Perfect Game College Baseball Preview Index


Tampa rolled through the regular season last year, compiling an inconceivable 51-2 record en route to the D-II Championships and an opportunity for back-to-back national titles. While in Cary the Spartans eliminated a pair of teams, but they were also handed two one-run losses to have their record-breaking season end short of their seventh national championship.

Nevertheless, it would be ludicrous to call the season anything but a success. The Spartans completed the season with a school-record .931 winning percentage, which included a remarkable 22 wins against nationally-ranked teams. They were the runaway winner of both the Sunshine State Conference title and the NCAA South Region. The Spartans pretty much won everything short of the national title.

Unfortunately for their opposition, much of the same should be expected from UT this season. Coach Joe Urso’s embarrassment of riches is repeating itself once more as the perennial powerhouse looks to be just as impressive this year as last. For every player lost due to graduation or the draft, another has taken their place like some sort of hardball hydra.

With that being said, the Tampa Spartans are the Perfect Game preseason pick for top team in NCAA Division II baseball.

The Spartan offense, which last season scorched opposition for a .329 batting average and 7.01 ERA, is loaded once again. Stephen Dezzi was one of eight finalists for the Tino Martinez Award for the most outstanding player in D-II baseball and will be back on the diamond once again. He’ll be rejoined by former Florida State shortstop Giovanny Alfonzo and Nick Tindall, UT’s leader in home runs last season and the GLVC Player of the Year in 2013.

New to the roster are a pair of top D-II pro prospects in Keaton Aldridge and Nick Flair. Aldridge is a rising star who decided to finish his college career at Tampa after starting his studies at the University of Memphis. Flair is a third basemen who has played and excelled at Mississippi State and Gulf Coast State.

The Tampa pitching staff will be just formidable with Trey Oest and David Heintz back as starters. The duo went a combined 19-0 last season and only walked a total of 27 batters in 169 1/3 innings while striking out 119. Joining them on the staff will be Dylan Barrow, who sat out last season while redshirting. Barrow was drafted by the Yankees in the 25th round last year and was named a top 20 JUCO prospect in 2013.

The defending national champion Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles are in good position to take home the title once again as well, but will need some help. USI has captured two of the last five national championships and would be the first team since Tampa to win back-to-back titles since Tampa in 2006-07 if they’re able to replicate last season’s success.

The “Screagles” return seven regular starters including pure hitter Kyle Kempf who not only hit for both average and power, but also had an incredible 11 outfield assists along with 23 stolen bases. Another notable player back in Evansville is All-GLVC and D-II Championship Series MVP Matt Chavarria. Chavarria is a senior shortstop/closer who finished with 14 saves last season, including two in Cary (along with a win in the title game).

The only question mark for USI will be their pitching. USI needs to revamp their starting pitching after graduation took a toll on some of their experienced arms.

Another primary contender this season are the Seton Hill Griffins. SHU made their first trip to the D-II Championships last season and return nearly their entire roster and pitching staff. Included in their five NCBWA Preseason All Region honorees is senior second basemen Pat McCarthy who missed last season due to an auto accident. In 2013 McCarthy hit .397 with a team-leading 35 stolen bases. Fellow senior Nick Sell has put up prolific numbers each of his previous three years on campus and was one of just seven non D-I players on the Golden Spikes watch list last season.

The Griffs have some daunting pitching arms as well. Mike Bittel finished his sophomore season with a 9-2 record and a 1.82 ERA and closer Jess Cooper set a school record with 17 saves.

There are several teams in the Preseason Top 25 who are anticipated to have big seasons despite not finishing in the rankings last season. Among them are Emporia State, Franklin Pierce, Trevecca Nazarene and Dixie State.

The Emporia State Hornets have prognosticators buzzing as ESU returns six position players who made at least 30 starts as well as their top three starting pitchers in ERA from a team which went 42-19 last season, won the MIAA Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Championship game.

Franklin Pierce has been to the D-II Championship five times in the past 10 years and is the unquestioned favorite to advance from the East Region once again. The Ravens return seven regular starters from a club that tied finished for first in the NE-10 and have one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. FPU pitchers struck out 547 batters in 465 2/3 innings last season and that ratio will likely improve this season as the staff continues to develop under acclaimed Head Coach Jayson King.

Trevecca Nazarene completed one of the best seasons in program history last season and has won the first two G-MAC regular season and tournament championships. The Trojans are eligible for the NCAA D-II postseason for the first time this year. After finishing their season in the NCCAA World Series last season, TNU has a strong chance to advance to the D-II Championships this year with a roster full of seasoned talent led by Tyler Tichenor who rapped out 101 hits last season and batted .429.

Dixie State will battle Cal Baptist for the PacWest title and is on the short list of favorites to emerge from the West Region. DSU has three players on the NCBWA All-West Region team and will be have transfer hurler Porter Clayton on the roster.

Clayton was drafted by the Yankees in the 21
st
 round last June, but passed on the opportunity to play professionally to hone his skills in St. George. Clayton pitched two seasons at Oregon; the first being in 2011 before taking two years off for a church mission, only to return last year to appear in 20 games for the Ducks. He, along with the über-athletic Trey Kamachi give Coach Chris Pfatenhauer two of the top 20 professional prospects in D-II baseball.


2015 Perfect Game NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 Teams


Rk. Team 2014 Rec. 2014 Rk.
1 Tampa Spartans 54-4 3
2 Seton Hill Griffins 41-17 6
3 Columbus St. Cougars 40-17 8
4 Mount Olive Trojans 40-13 14
5 Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 49-13 1
6 Southern Arkansas Muleriders 39-19 22
7 Chico State Wildcats 43-15 7
8 Emporia St. Hornets 42-19 NR
9 Grand Valley St. Lakers 39-13 11
10 Alabama-Huntsville Chargers 41-16 15
11 Minnesota State Mavericks 48-11 4
12 Franklin Pierce Ravens 35-18 NR
13 Florida Southern Moccasins 35-19 21
14 Colorado Mesa Mavericks 47-13 2
15 Trevecca Nazrene Trojans 43-14 NR
16 USC Aiken Pacers 36-17 20
17 St. Mary's (TX) Rattlers 35-20 NR
18 Lander Bearcats 52-9 5
19 UC San Diego Tritons 38-16 16
20 St. Edward's Hilltoppers 39-16 13
21 Dixie State Red Storm 36-16 NR
22 St. Cloud St. Huskies 37-14 NR
23 Mercyhurst Lakers 30-15 NR
24 Wayne St. (MI) Warriors 36-17 NR
25 Catawba Indians 35-20 NR



2015 NCAA Division II Top 30 Prospects

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