THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Rankings | 1/25/2018

2018 Division II College Preview

Photo: Mercyhurst Athletics




2018 College Baseball Preview Index | PG College Facebook Page
@PGCollegeBall
 | @_eephuspitch (Nick Herfordt) | @B_Sakowski_PG

Listed below are the Preseason Top 25 teams at the NCAA Division II level followed by detailed capsules of each program and the top 30 D-II prospects in regards to the MLB Draft. The rankings and the first three capsules (teams ranked 1-3) are available for free, the rest is available with a College Baseball Ticket (CBT) subscription. To learn more about the College Baseball Ticket and to sign up today please visit this link.



Final 2017 NCAA Divisions II and III and NAIA Rankings

It’s not uncommon for the reigning national champion of a college sport to be the preseason No. 1 the following season; in fact it’s quite common. However, let’s be honest, this distinction typically isn’t formulated on astute forecasting. To be blunt, it’s a tepid, uninformed prediction using only the past season’s final outcome as basis. There really isn’t much of a look into who teams are brining back and taking in the preseason rankings they are too often a rehashed, slightly remixed roster of clubs from the previous final poll.

This methodology is flawed because, in regards to the top teams, the reason a school is among the nation’s elite is typically because they had a roster full of experienced upperclassmen along with top-shelf talent which made them the best of the best. Thus, at season’s end, the band breaks up for good. Senior players graduate and the top players get drafted into the professional ranks.

Back-to-back titles aren’t common. In the last 40 years a school has won the college baseball national championship twice in a row just eight times in D-I and D-II baseball combined; that’s only 10 percent of the time. If you factor in the pair of occasions it has happened in D-III baseball the percentage drops to just over eight percent.

Therefore, if you’re a fan of West Chester you may think that’s it time to slow your roll in regards to clearing out a spot for another trophy, but I’ve gotta say, these dudes can totally do it.

The Golden Rams return much of the team that dog-piled in Grand Prairie last spring by sweeping their way through the NCAA postseason.  Nick Ward, Shane Dressler and Jared Melone each started every game last year and batted a combined .360 and had well over 100 total bases between them. The pitching staff looks good again too with Mike Cipolla and Jon Fisher, two of their three best starters, again back in purple and gold. Granted there are some holes to fill but head coach Jad Prachniak has some D-I transfers coming in to fill the void, along with Tyler Forbes, who earned all conference honors last season at Northampton Community College.

Their title defense won’t be easy as WCU will have a target on their back as teams bring their best to come at the king, but these Rams not only have talent and experience, they’ve got the confident strut of a champion and they are not going to go down without a fight.


2018 Perfect Game NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 Teams

Rk. 2017 School ST '17 Record
1 1 West Chester Golden Rams PA 44-12
2 4 Delta State Statesmen MS 45-13
3 6 Tampa Spartans FL 39-14
4 16 Minnesota State Mavericks MN 46-11
5 3 Colorado Mesa Mavericks CO 50-12
6 7 Mercyhurst Lakers PA 38-8
7 13 Lubbock Christian Chaparrals TX 38-16
8 14 Emporia State Hornets KS 42-13
9 NR Cal Baptist Lancers CA 35-18
10 NR UNC Pembroke Braves NC 41-17
11 18 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans NY 44-17
12 NR Florida Southern Moccasins FL 35-17
13 20 Northwood Wolves MI 46-13
14 NR Georgia College Bobcats GA 35-14
15 NR Catawba Indians NC 40-17
16 15 Azusa Pacific Cougars CA 42-12
17 NR New Haven Chargers CT 31-13
18 17 Nova Southeastern Sharks FL 35-18
19 2 UC San Diego Tritons CA 44-19
20 NR St. Cloud State Huskies MN 41-18
21 25 Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters TN 35-19
22 NR North Greenville Crusaders SC 38-15
23 23 Belmont Abbey Crusaders NC 37-17
24 10 Angelo State Rams TX 43-15
25 NR Oklahoma Baptist Bison OK 42-15


1. West Chester Golden Rams
The Rams started last season unranked with the prediction that it was going to be a rebuilding year, but head coach Jad Prachniak’s team went off script and went won the title a year early. It was the second national title in five years for WCU, capturing the D-II crown in style by sweeping their way through both the regional and national tournaments. With that being said, 2018 was supposed to be the year they competed for the title. Now along with another year of practice and experience under their belt, they also have the confidence and swagger that comes with being a champion. Almost all the cogs are still in place from last year’s machine, including top hitter Shane Dressler (.375) and two of three of their top starting pitchers.

2. Delta State Statesmen
The Statemen, like West Chester, retain much of the 2017 team that powered them into the postseason and to the national championships. The offense is led by reigning Tino Martinez Award winner Zack Shannon (.434/.498/.758) who is just one of four returning All GSC selections back in the lineup. The pitching staff is again topped by Seth Birdsong, who earned the victory in 10 decisions last season during a year in which he threw 101 2/3 innings and held opposition to a 3.01 ERA. Although the retuning roster alone is enough to make them a favorite to reach the finals, head coach Mike Kinnison added some quality transfers as well to make the team even more imposing.

3. Tampa Spartans
Perennial power Tampa will once again field a championship quality club filled with carryover talent combined with one of head coach Joe Urso’s patented top shelf recruiting classes. Matching last year’s monster offensive numbers, a team tat collectively slugged .528, will be a tall order, but the pieces are in place for them to score just as many runs hitting for average with speed. The top returning hitter is Darren Miller, who is in line to become the next great Spartan slugger. Last season he batted .371 with 13 home runs and 15 doubles. Few, if any pitchers will be as formidable as David LeBron. He fanned 103 in 91 innings last season while holding opponents to a .213 batting average. He’ll be joined by Cole Aker, who put up good numbers at North Carolina but wasn’t getting the innings he needed to flourish.

This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.

Sign in Subscribe Now

College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
Article Image
The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
Tournaments | Story | 12/29/2025

PG Expands Presence in Pacific Rim

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME EXPANDS PRESENCE IN PACIFIC RIM, STRENGTHENING YOUTH BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT    Sanford, Florida (Monday, December 29, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a significant expansion of its presence across the Asia-Pacific Zone, with a strategic focus on the 10-15 year-old age group. The initiative will be led in partnership with longtime Japanese youth baseball executive and coach Takaharu Nasu, as Perfect Game continues to grow its global footprint and strengthen pathways for elite youth...
Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

Main Event Invades Fort Myers

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 12/26/2025

2025 Year in Review: PGAAC, ASG, Festivals

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
All-Star Game Continues To Thrive We’re only a couple of years into having the PG All-Star Game around, an underclass event attached to the All-American weekend, this year played in Petco two days before the Classic. The talent that is a part of it continues to grow to significant levels, and this year was a mix of young guys and some newer names that left lasting impressions. The two hardest throwing guys in the game were the only 2028s in attendance, Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr who both were upper-90s as guys who just started their sophomore year, while the loudest moment of the day came when Kinon Bastian obliterated a pitch into the top deck of the famous Western Supply building in left field, something that we’ll remember for a long time. Extra Swings In The All-American Derby One of the best events every All-American weekend is getting to see these guys with...
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
Loading more articles...