Advancing to the opening round of the NAIA championships is not a goal for Tennessee Wesleyan, it’s a given. The Bulldogs have earned a berth to the NAIA national tournament every year since its inception in 2009 - an accomplishment only one other school can claim. TWC hasn’t completed a full season with a win total under 35 since 2005 and they’ve advanced to the NAIA World Series five times since 2010. They are the reigning champions of NAIA having won the title in 2019, as well as in 2012. This spring they are the Perfect Game preseason favorite to take home the title once again.
The Bulldogs return their top batters from last season, and bolster their run-producing ability with the return of an All-American and the addition of a prospect who received a 10 grade by Perfect Game scouts coming out of high school. The pitching staff is loaded with an arsenal of arms that are ready to fluster opposition from the first pitch to the last out. TWC can also claim a head coach who has mentored 43 athletes to the professional ranks and a dozen players who have been named first or second team All Americans.
TWC will be changed by the ilk of USAO, who has one of the top pitching staffs in all of college baseball and the 2018 titleholder, Southeastern. Both clubs only lost a single game last season. St. Thomas, who finished runner-up to the Bulldogs in 2019, Freed-Hardeman, who are on the precipice of becoming a new annual power, and LSU Shreveport, the only other team to advance to the NAIA Opening Round every year since 2009, all have title-winning talent as well. Faulkner, who has advanced to Lewiston more than any other team over the past decade, is also a strong candidate to claim the national championship, as are the rest of the teams which comprise this list.
| Rk. |
School |
State |
Record |
2020 Finish |
| 1 |
Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs |
TN |
16-6 |
10 |
| 2 |
USAO Drovers |
OK |
17-1 |
4 |
| 3 |
Southeastern Fire |
FL |
26-1 |
3 |
| 4 |
St. Thomas Bobcats |
FL |
19-5 |
2 |
| 5 |
Freed-Hardeman Lions |
TN |
16-4 |
1 |
| 6 |
LSU Shreveport Pilots |
LA |
22-4 |
8 |
| 7 |
Faulkner Eagles |
AL |
18-4 |
6 |
| 8 |
Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies |
GA |
21-2 |
15 |
| 9 |
Cumberlands Patriots |
KY |
19-1 |
16 |
| 10 |
Indiana Southeast Grenadiers |
IN |
18-1 |
23 |
| 11 |
Campbellsville Tigers |
KY |
13-8 |
12 |
| 12 |
Oklahoma City Stars |
OK |
17-8 |
5 |
| 13 |
Benedicine Mesa Redhawks |
AZ |
22-7 |
19 |
| 15 |
Bryan Lions |
TN |
14-6 |
13 |
| 15 |
Vanguard Lions |
CA |
21-6 |
NR |
| 16 |
Central Methodist Eagles |
MO |
16-5 |
18 |
| 17 |
Keiser Seahawks |
FL |
19-6 |
NR |
| 18 |
Arizona Christian Firestorm |
AZ |
18-9 |
14 |
| 19 |
Indiana Tech Warriors |
IN |
11-5 |
12 |
| 20 |
Georgetown Tigers |
KY |
11-8 |
9 |
| 21 |
Wayland Baptist Pioneers |
TX |
21-7 |
NR |
| 22 |
Reinhardt Eagles |
GA |
18-7 |
NR |
| 23 |
Central Baptist Mustangs |
AK |
21-5 |
NR |
| 24 |
Concordia Cardinals |
MI |
13-4 |
20 |
| 25 |
Lyon Scots |
AR |
20-6 |
22 |
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