THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,623 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,623 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Rankings | 5/10/2017

DII, NAIA, DIII rankings: May 10

Nick Herfordt
Photo: Oswego State Athletics




May 3 Rankings

 This week marks the end of the regular season for college baseball’s DII, NAIA and DIII divisions. While the preseason rankings were determined using projections, assumptions and intuition, the updated rankings below were conceived based multiple months of on the field action as opposed to a spreadsheet or an educated hunch. These schools have provided a season’s worth of data to examine and their superiority is difficult to argue. They are unequivocally the best teams in the nation.

Nevertheless, end of the regular season rankings don’t amount to much. No one remembers who was ranked number one at the beginning of May, but instead who wins the national tournament to close the season. For a team like Tampa, who has been the number ranked team all season, their season long accomplishments will be unfortunately diminished if they aren’t able to remain the last team standing.

The Spartans, along with Oklahoma Wesleyan and Oswego State are the current top teams in the Perfect Game rankings. Realistically, the odds are unlikely that each will go on and capture their division’s national championship. The top ranked team more often than not doesn't win the title. A perfect example was when Fresno State captured the DI College World Series title in 2008. They were 33-27 at the end of the regular season and had they not won the WAC tournament they wouldn't have been playing in the NCAA tournament - and no one would have made a stink about their omission. Along their way to the championship they they eliminated the University of North Carolina in Omaha. That Tar Heel team has six players currently active on MLB rosters and another in AAA who has played in the majors and was the second overall selection of the subsequent year’s amateur draft. UNC was EXTREMELY talented yet couldn’t win it all. Nevertheless the Bulldogs became the lowest ranked team to ever to win an NCAA Baseball Championship. Also of note, they were the fifth consecutive school to take home the title that wasn’t a national seed to further demonstrate that the pollsters predictions of the champion often miss the mark. 

Tampa, OKWU and Oswego State have a lot to prove and will have to go against the most elite of competition to remain number one - the rest of teams in the following tables. Following are the factors which will work for and against them as they attempt to continue their season long success.

Rankings are based on games through Sunday, May 7.


NCAA Division II

 Tampa Spartans

Why they’ll win
The Spartans have been the top team in the Perfect Game rankings every week including the preseason and have done little to give doubt they are deserving of the distinction. They have an imposing 34-12 record despite a schedule chock full of formidable foes. George College, Southern Indiana, Flagler, Nova Southeastern, Florida Southern, Florida Tech and Lynn are all teams which have been ranked at one time this season and have suffered losses to UT.

Despite that lineup of top-shelf opposition and their corresponding pitching staffs, the Spartans have a incendiary offense which ranks fourth in the entire nation with a .343 batting average, is seventh in slugging percentage at .534 and is also 12th in runs (415) and 18th in on-base percentage (.416). Coming into Saturday night’s game the Herculean Tampa team had scored at least 11 runs in their previous half-dozen games, averaging 14.5 runs per contest.

If J.D. Osborne isn’t DII’s top offensive player, he’s darn close. For the season he’s hitting .381 with a sixth the nation 18 home runs and second in the division 75 RBI. He’s also been an invaluable asset in the field as he’s put in time at first base, third and catcher. One of the many recipients of Osborne’s prolific stroke has been leadoff hitter Kevin Santa. The sure-handed, keen-eyed senior shortstop has scored 62 times while batting a team high and third in the SSC .417. In 289 DII’s at bats, he’s impressively only struck out 21 times. Tampa also boasts one of the nation’s top starting pitchers, David Lebron. He’s has yet to suffer a setback, earning a 7-0 record while striking out over a batter per inning yet holding opposition to a .221 batting average. The Spartans also have the highly touted Garrett Gave, a top MLB pitching prospect, in their bullpen.

Tampa has won seven national championships, including two of the last four seasons. With talent, experience, confidence and coaching, it wouldn’t be wise to wager against them returning home with the title once again.

Why they won’t
As daunting as the Spartan’s offense is, the pitching staff doesn’t have quite the level of intimidation. Lebron is a legit number one, but no other hurler on the staff has the same statistical prowess he has. While Cave's pro potential brings scouts to the yard he still needs to harness his ability. For the season he has a 4.80 ERA and some Ricky Vaughn-esque control issues with both 11 wild pitches and HBPs. The rest of the staff’s team 4.00 ERA doesn’t scream of dominance and national caliber potential, albeit that number is still lower than the UT’s ERA when they last won the title in 2015.

An Achilles’ heel for Tampa may be the base paths. They are last in their conference in stolen bases with only 36 on the season. Alternatively, while opposing teams haven’t been blistering the base paths with a proliferation of stolen bases, they have been successful when looking to swipe an extra base. Against UT’s primary backstop opposing teams have been successful in 49 of 51 attempts.

Despite being the unequivocal number one in these rankings, Tampa hasn’t received the same level of love from other pollsters. Currently Tampa is behind Delta State in the official South Region rankings meaning Tampa would have to travel to Mississippi for the opening round. The Spartans have only stepped outside the Sunshine State once this season, a series loss to Tusculum in Tennessee.


Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week

1

1

 Tampa Spartans FL

34-12

2-1

2

2

 North Georgia Nighthawks GA

40-8

0-0

3

3

 Chico State Wildcats CA

41-8

3-1

4

4

 Emporia State Hornets KS

40-9

3-0

5

5

 Mercyhurst Lakers PA

34-4

0-0

6

6

 USC Aiken Pacers SC

38-11

2-0

7

7

 Colorado Mesa Mavericks CO

40-10

3-1

8

8

 Dixie State Trailblazers UT

35-10-1

0-0

9

9

 Lubbock Christian Chaparrals TX

36-12

3-0

10

10

 Mount Olive Trojans NC

47-8

1-0

11

11

 Angelo State Rams TX

39-11

3-1

12

12

 Azusa Pacific Cougars CA

38-8

0-0

13

13

 Nova Southeastern Sharks FL

33-15

2-0

14

16

 Delta State Statesman MS

39-11

2-0

15

14

 Minnesota State Mavericks MN

40-9

2-2

16

17

 Southern Arkansas Muleriders AR

38-12

2-0

17

15

 West Chester Golden Rams PA

33-9

3-2

18

18

 Florida Southern Moccasins FL

31-13

1-0

19

19

 UC San Diego Tritons CA

32-15

3-1

20

20

 Georgia College Bobcats GA

31-13

0-0

21

21

 Southern New Hampshire Penmen NH

39-7

4-0

22

22

 Northwood Wolves MI

39-11

4-0

23

24

 Belmont Abbey Crusaders NC

36-17

2-0

24

NR

 Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters TN

33-17

1-0

25

25

 Cal Baptist Lancers CA

31-15

0-0

Dropped out: West Texas A&M (23).

NAIA

 Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles

Why they’ll win
Last year Oklahoma Wesleyan was positioned fourth in the preseason rankings’ however despite that lofty prognostication things didn’t go as anticipated. The Eagles still had a decent season, but they fell well short of their goal and played in the National Christian College Athletic Association tournament rather than the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. The returning roster for this season had much of the same talent as last year, which in turn had a number of the carryovers from the year before. With that it was unquestioned if OKWU had the talent to compete, but whether or not they had the mindset and motivation to put it all together. The answer to that question has been answered in spades.

Oklahoma Wesleyan entered the top ten in the first update and slowly worked their way to the top spot three weeks ago. Along their way they’ve defeated the accomplished ilk of Tabor, Lyon, Sterling and York as well as swept three games from Bellevue. They’ve been especially stunning the coming down the stretch as they gone 20-2 to claim both the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. Over their last seven games, which included their conference tournament, the Eagles have averaged over 13 runs per game.

A dozen Eagles earned all-conference accolades and the honors are throughout the roster with an accomplished team on offense and on the mound. At the plate the team is leading the nation in runs, is second in hits and third in both batting average and slugging percentage. Their pitching numbers are as nearly as impressive as they are eighth in ERA, 26th in strikeouts and 39th in opposing batting average. KCAC Player of the Year Chris Acosta-Tapia, Will Price and Trevor Achenbach comprise a brutish trio who’ve amassed 61 home runs between them and are batting .459 collectively.

Why they won’t
It’s difficult to find a chink in the Eagles’ armor. Offensively few teams can compare and their pitchers are talented throughout the entirety of the staff. An argument could be made to claim a few teams are as good overall as OKWU, but it would be difficult to argue that anyone is hands down better.

Ultimately OKWU’s biggest weakness may be their postseason inexperience and playing to their ability. Head Coach Matt Parker had a talented team last season but they regrettably underachieved. Instead of playing in the NAIA’s they were relegated to playing in the NCCAA tournament where they were bounced in the first round. Parker will have to keep his team playing at their peak and made sure they don’t rest on their regular season laurels. OKWU is one of a handful of talented teams in the NAIA who are capable of winning the title. Even with a team as outstanding as the Eagles are, bringing the title back to Bartlesville with them won’t be easy.


Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week

1

1

 Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles

OK

48-9

4-0

2

2

 Oklahoma City Stars

OK

44-8

3-0

3

3

 Bellevue Bruins

NE

49-8

2-1

4

4

 Faulkner Eagles

AL

47-10

4-0

5

5

 Northwestern Ohio Racers

OH

40-10

1-0

6

6

 Southeastern Fire

FL

47-8

3-0

7

7

 Middle Georgia State Knights

GA

43-14

3-2

8

8

 Texas Wesleyan Rams

TX

45-12

4-1

9

12

 Missouri Baptist Spartans

MO

40-13

5-1

10

10

 Keiser Seahawks

FL

38-17

2-1

11

9

 Webber International Warriors

FL

38-15

2-2

12

15

 Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs

TN

49-18

4-0

13

14

 Indiana Tech Warriors

IN

41-11

4-1

14

11

 St. Thomas Bobcats

FL

35-17

1-2

15

13

 William Carey Crusaders

MS

38-17

2-2

16

19

 Davenport Panthers

MI

39-13

1-0

17

17

 Tabor Bluejays

KS

41-15

3-2

18

16

 USAO Drovers

OK

41-15

2-2

19

20

 Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies

GA

37-19

3-0

20

18

 Clarke Crusaders

IA

44-11

3-1

21

25

 Cumberlands Patriots

KY

42-15

3-0

22

NR

 Hope International

CA

30-14

1-0

23

22

 Concordia Cardinals

MI

42-11

1-2

24

NR

 LSU Shreveport Pilots

LA

37-19

3-1

25

24

 Indiana Southeast Grenadiers

IN

44-12

2-1

NR

21

 Biola Eagles

CA

35-17

1-1

Dropped out: Menlo (23) 

NCAA Division III

Oswego State Lakers

Why they’ll win
The Lakers started last season unranked, but finished in the top 10 with a program-record 35 wins and their second-straight NCAA regional outing. On the heels of that success they started this season positioned fifth and have stayed in the top ten for the duration of the year with little inkling of falling out. At the end of April the Lakers locked up with DIII stalwart Cortland on the road and took two of three from the Dragons (and were a mere three outs away from a sweep) which vaulted them into the number one position. In addition to their wins over Cortland, the senior laden Lakers have also picked up quality wins against Salisbury, Christopher Newport and Mass Boston. On the rare occasions they’ve lost, the defeats were slim. Six of their eight losses were by a two runs or less and only once did they lose by more than three — the Lakers have shown they can compete every game.

With the wins over Cortland and a sweep of Oneonta on the final day of the season Oswego won the State University of New York Athletic Conference regular season crown. With the title someone other than Cortland would have hosted the conference tournament first the first time since 1998. Head Coach Scott Landers, who took over the team in 2011, has transformed his club into a contender quickly.

On the mound Tim Cronin has been phenomenal, going 9-0 with a 1.82 ERA. He went the distance in six of his nine starts, with two of them being shutouts. Mitchell Cavanagh has been just as good, if not better. His record is perfect as well as he is 8-0 with a 2.31 ERA. Neither hurler dominates opposition, but they do get them out which is what ultimately counts. On offense the Lakers have a dynamic duo as well. All American Eric Hamilton is hitting .442 and tops the team in runs and doubles. Mike Dellicarri has a .343 average and has 21 extra-base hits in just 108 at bats - seven of which are home runs.

Why they won’t
Had the Lakers been able to play a pair of mid-April games against St. John Fisher it could have been an additional measuring stick of their potential success. They’ve played a strong schedule, but not overall impressive. As it is, the Lakers still look legit, but another pair of wins would have erased any doubt.

The SUNYAC cancelled its conference tournament due to inclement weather as it was rainy with the possibly of snow. With that, the Lakers haven’t played a competitive game since April 29th. Reigniting their competitive juices and knocking off the rust could prove to be difficult. Entering the NCAA’s with a tournament title to match their regular season crown would have been a tremendous propellant for them.

The Lakers aren’t a traditional power; far from it. Before Landers took over the club they hadn’t had a winning record in the SUNYAC in a decade and their regional win last spring was their first NCAA victory since 1984. Oswego has demonstrated that they’re a top ten team, they still need to prove they’re as advertised. With a number of star seniors on the team Oswego has playing experience, but not playoff experience which could put them at a disadvantage as they go deeper into the postseason. 
Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week

1

1

 Oswego State Lakers

NY

28-8

0-0

2

7

 UW-Whitewater Warhawks

WI

26-6

6-0

3

3

 Shenandoah Hornets

VA

36-8

3-2

4

4

 Cortland State Red Dragons

NY

33-7

0-0

5

2

 Birmingham-Southern Panthers

AL

36-8

1-2

6

6

 Centenary Gents

LA

34-8

0-0

7

5

 Wooster Fighting Scots

OH

32-8

5-2

8

8

 Tyler Texas Patriots

TX

37-7

4-1

9

9

 LaGrange Panthers

GA

38-4

0-0

10

10

 La Roche Redhawks

PA

30-8

0-0

11

15

 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays

MD

36-6

4-0

12

12

 Salisbury Seagulls

MD

31-9

0-0

13

11

 Tufts Jumbos

MA

26-7-1

1-2

14

14

 Emory Eagles

GA

27-12

0-0

15

18

 Washington Bears

MO

22-8

2-0

16

19

 Cal Lutheran Kingsmen

CA

31-10

3-0

17

16

 St. John Fisher Cardinals

NY

27-7

1-1

18

13

 Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets

VA

26-15

1-3

19

20

 Southern Maine Huskies

ME

28-9

3-1

20

NR

 East Texas Baptist Tigers

TX

30-13

3-0

21

21

 Washington & Jefferson Presidents

PA

30-9

4-2

22

22

 St. Joseph’s Monks

ME

31-8

1-2

23

23

 Salve Regina Seahawks

RI

31-9

1-2

24

24

 Concordia University Chicago Cougars

IL

26-11

2-0

25

25

 Linfield Wildcats

WA

30-13

0-0

Dropped out: UT Dallas (17).
Give us your feedback
College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/9/2026

PG Wood Bat Fall Kickoff Scout Notes

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Evan Thompson (‘29, AZ) showcasing the all-fields power with this ground rule double the other way. Immense power upside. Really fun offensive profile #FallKickoff https://t.co/l551KirUOf pic.twitter.com/QW0AIeg59g — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) September 7, 2026 Evan Thompson (2029, Gilbert, Ariz.) put on an offensive clinic throughout the weekend, going 8-for-13 with three extra-base hits. He capped off his MVP performance with a walkoff home run to take home the championship. Thompson is one of the premier players in the 2029 class. A fluid left-handed stroke consistently finds barrels. There is all fields power present that will only continue to develop further. It would not be a surprise if Thimpson ends up the top ranked player in the class when it is all said and done.  Chase Fillman (2028, Goodyear, Ariz.) put together a loud summer circuit and...
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/8/2026

What Profiles Are Valued Most at Top of Draft

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The landscape of the MLB Draft continues to evolve each and every year. What teams value at the top of the draft can change based on the strength of a particular class, shifts in player development philosophy, and, perhaps most importantly, the way organizations evaluate risk and upside. Some trends are subtle, while others become impossible to ignore when viewed across multiple years. For this study, I set out to answer one question: What player profiles do teams value at the top of the draft? To answer it, I analyzed the Top-100 picks from each of the last six drafts (2021-2026). That gives us 600 total selections to examine and provides a large enough sample to identify both the profiles that have remained consistently popular and those that have gained or lost significant ground. The data was broken down by position, handedness and level to create individual player profiles. While...
Read More
General | General | 9/7/2026

First Look: Class of 2031 Rankings

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/7/2026

Chubb Jones Jr. Enrolls Early

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Harry Chubb Jones Jr. is getting an early start on the next chapter of his baseball career. The Perfect Game All-American announced Sunday that he will enroll early at the University of Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide an early addition from one of the more intriguing two-way prospects in the 2027 class. See y’all at The Joe! πŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎπŸ‘πŸΎ pic.twitter.com/Kn0T0mJxq7 — 6._.chubbjones (@chubb_hitter) September 6, 2026 Jones, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound SS/RHP from Georgia, was ranked No. 39 in the 2027 class and came in at No. 83 on the initial Top-100 2027 Draft Board. Chubb Jones Jr (‘27 GA) smokes this one the other way for an RBI single & we’re all level in the 6th. Adv bat speed, impacts w/ authority to all fields #PGAAC@PG_Georgia pic.twitter.com/FZ46IvYVp1 — Dick’s Sporting Goods All-American Classic (@PGAllAmerican) August 16, 2026 The McEachern...
Read More
Draft | Story | 9/7/2026

2027 MLB Draft: PG Content Hub

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
No more having to search for articles pertaining to the 2027 MLB Draft as we will keep it all centrally located here, in the PG Content Hub, leading up to the first pick next July. Tyler Henninger, Joey Cohen, Michael Albee and Ryan Miller, along with the rest of the Perfect Game staff, will continue to provide you with the latest info as it pertains to this 2027 crop.  Article Date Initial Follow List July 12 Way Too Early Mock July 13 Realistic Expectations of 1:1 August 11 Preview: Collegiate RHP August 21  Draft Board: Top 100 August 28 Way Too Early 1:1 Predictions September 4 Chubb Jones Jr. Enrolls Early September 7 Preview: Collegiate LHP September 7 What Profiles are Valued Most at Top of Draft September 9
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 9/7/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate LHP

Ryan Miller
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: Collegiate Right-Handed Pitchers The collegiate left-handed pitching class is always a popular demographic, and this year’s is no different. The group contains a mix of power pitch mixes and polished pitch-ability, with healthy representation from power four schools and a handful of mid-majors. Below we look at this year’s top college left-handers. An extended look at LHP Tomas Valincius (@HailStateBB)... 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K https://t.co/lCHgGnsdbi pic.twitter.com/Vm3nQkAukc — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 28, 2026 Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State Valincius followed head coach Brian O’Connor from Virginia to Mississippi State and immediately established himself as their ace last spring. The Illinois native posted a 3.50 ERA over 17 starts in 2026, striking out 33.5% of hitters and walking just five percent....
Read More
General | General | 9/6/2026

Update: Class of 2030 Rankings

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 9/4/2026

2027 Draft: Way Too Early 1:1 Predictions

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 Top 100 Draft Board  Current Favorite: SS Dylan Seward, Norco HS (Calif.) In our first iteration of the 2027 Draft Board, Norco shortstop Dylan Seward ranks No. 1 overall. The switch-hitter is an ultra-twitchy player with a lot to like on both sides of the ball. He is a supreme athlete that should stick up the middle. Explosiveness is shown in all aspects of his game and gives the profiles big time upside.  In the event that Seward does not go 1:1, each member of our draft team selected a player that they think could wind up in that spot. We are still nearly a full year away from draft day, but here are our “Way Too Early” predictions for the 1st overall pick next July.  Henni’s Pick: C/UTL Gavin Kelly, West Virginia    Gavin Kelly (@WVUBaseball) sends this over the wall in CF for a solo πŸ’£ (100 EV/ 416 ft). Adv. hitter with accurate...
Read More
General | General | 9/3/2026

Class of 2029 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 9/3/2026

Iowa City Scouting Showcase 14U &16U Divisions

Dave Durbala
Article Image
IOWA CITY, IA - Perfect Game Softball Iowa City Scouting Showcase, August 29 - 30, 2026. Fifty-Four teams, competing across three divisions in the 14u - 18u age classifications opened up our Fall schedule playing in a five game showcase style format. For the several college coaches in attendance, they were able to get quality looks at numerous uncommitted 27’ and 28’ graduation year class athletes, as well as having the opportunity to watch some of the quality younger athletes as they put their talent on display. Below are write-ups of some of our top performers over the weekend in the 14 & 16u age divisions. 14U DIVISION Josie Moen (2031 Urbandale, IA) is an athletic OF for TN Mojo 2030 Evans. Working from the left side, Moen was nearly unstoppable while showing defenses her slapping abilities. With great barrel awareness and footwork, Moen utilized the bunt, soft slap...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.