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College | Rankings | 4/23/2025

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 23

Nick Herfordt

Every season, certain college baseball teams enter the year with sky-high expectations—teams loaded with talent, momentum, and a proven track record of success. They land in the national preseason rankings, and fans and analysts alike anticipate deep postseason runs or even title contention.

But as we near the end of the regular season, reality has a way of disrupting projections. Injuries, inconsistency, emerging rivals, and plain old bad luck can derail even the most promising campaigns. Several teams across NCAA Divisions II and III, as well as the NAIA, that began the year ranked in the top 25, have since fallen out of the national spotlight. Yet, despite the bumps along the way, the door to the postseason—and perhaps an unlikely title run—remains ajar.

From the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets, who rebounded from a shaky start to post marquee wins, to Central Methodist, who remain solidly in the hunt despite trailing in the standings, these programs haven’t lived up to their early billing, but they haven’t faded either. Teams like Ashland, Bellevue, and Slippery Rock are just outside the national rankings but very much in the conversation for regional and national tournament berths. Others, such as UNC Pembroke and Oklahoma City, face steeper climbs and must rely on winning their conference tournaments to keep their seasons alive.

What makes this point in the season so thrilling is the unpredictable nature of baseball. A hot streak, a clutch performance, or a surprise upset can flip the script in a matter of days. For these once-ranked squads, the path forward may be murkier than expected, but their postseason dreams are still very much intact.

As we head into the final stretch, keep an eye on these teams. They may no longer be under the bright lights of the national rankings, but they have the experience, grit, and talent to not only get back into contention—but maybe even win it all.

NCAA DII

Georgia College Bobcats (12th in the preseason rankings)
The Bobcats were given a pass for losing their first three games of the year in relatively close contests at top-ranked Tampa, but there was no excuse for dropping their next game to Southern Wesleyan, a team likely to finish the season with single-digit wins. GCSU is currently 27–20, and their 18–6 record in the Peach Belt Conference is good for third in the standings. While the season has been solid, there's still work to do if they want to play in the postseason. They finish the year hosting the top team in the PBC, North Georgia, who has been solidly entrenched in the national rankings all season. However, the Bobcats have lost their last two series and were swept by NGU in a three-game set earlier in the year. Georgia College will likely need to win the PBC Tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Ashland Eagles (14th)
With a 30–12 record, the Eagles could very easily be in the rankings this week—and nearly were—but were bypassed by Augusta and Lander. They have several quality losses, including early defeats against Tampa and Central Missouri, two of the top three schools in the division, as well as Grand Valley State, the No. 15 team. An early win over Arkansas-Monticello was nice, but the Weevils, who were also positioned in the initial rankings, haven’t had as strong a season as anticipated. The Eagles could reclaim a spot this weekend with a strong showing against Northwood. Ashland and the Wolves are the top teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. If Northwood wins the series, they'll clinch the top seed and could leap into the Top 26 themselves. Regardless, Ashland should receive an invite to the Midwest Regional.

Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils (17th)
Despite being in a tie for fourth in the Great American Conference with only one weekend left, the Weevils still have a shot at tying for first. That would require a sweep of Southern Arkansas, who is tied for first with Harding, and for Harding to win only one of three games against Arkansas Tech. UAM’s 28–18 record is slightly below expectations. A strong finish to the season could get the Weevils into the NCAA postseason even if they don’t win the conference title, but they'll likely need to finish second or better to have a shot at extending their season.

Missouri Southern State Lions (19th)
The Lions are 23–21 with two weekends of baseball remaining. They're currently fifth in the MIAA with a 15–15 conference record and have been passed by the surprisingly strong seasons of Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State. Their offense has remained solid despite the loss of several big bats, but the pitching hasn’t held up. With Cole Gayman—one of DII’s top pitchers last year—still on the staff, MSSU has the potential to win key games down the stretch. However, from here on out, nearly every game is a must-win if the Lions hope to return to the Central Region tournament.

UNC Pembroke Braves (20th)
At 26–19, the Braves are still having a solid season but have fallen a bit short of preseason expectations. They don’t have any marquee wins to hang their hat on, having been swept by North Greenville, lost two of three to Young Harris, and dropped a pair of midweek games to Catawba. They currently sit sixth in the Conference Carolinas standings with no opportunity to move up, with only three games remaining in the regular season. In the competitive Southeast Region, the Braves face the daunting task of winning the conference tournament to earn a spot in the NCAAs.

Nova Southeastern Sharks (23rd)
The Sharks started strong with wins over Catawba and Delta State, but quickly lost four in a row and dropped from the rankings. Their 22–16 record is respectable, but not quite enough. With the Sunshine State Conference not hosting a postseason tournament, NSU’s chances of making the South Regional are slim. They would likely need to sweep Florida Southern this weekend—a team that beat them 18–9 earlier this month—and win upcoming series against Lynn and Barry to have a shot. It’s a long shot, but not out of the question.

Slippery Rock The Rock (24th)
The Rock are having a solid season, though it’s slightly under preseason expectations. They're currently third in the competitive PSAC West but still within striking distance of division leaders California (Pa.) and Seton Hill—the two teams they’ll face in back-to-back four-game series to close out the season. With a deep pitching staff that ranks second in the PSAC with a 3.86 ERA, The Rock remain contenders for a return to the national rankings. A .500 finish over the final two weekends should be enough to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Regis Rangers (25th)
With a 27–9 record heading into last weekend’s home series against RMAC powerhouse Colorado Mesa, the Rangers had a chance to re-enter the Top 25. However, they lost both games and had two others canceled. Regis sits second in the RMAC standings and should be in position to sweep New Mexico Highlands this weekend—the team currently last in the standings. While they're just outside the rankings for now, the Rangers should continue to contend for RMAC titles and remain in the conversation for an NCAA postseason bid.

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev Rk
1	Tampa Spartans	FL	35-6	3-0	1
2	Angelo State Rams	TX	39-7	4-0	2
3	Central Missouri Mules	MO	32-9	4-0	3
4	North Greenville Trailblazers	SC	40-9	4-1	5
5	Millersville Marauders	PA	31-6	4-0	6
6	East Stroudsburg Warriors	PA	30-9	4-2	4
7	Minnesota State Mavericks	MN	35-4	5-1	8
8	Texas Tyler Patriots	TX	37-9	4-0	9
9	Catawba Indians	NC	32-12	3-1	11
10	Westmont Warriors	CA	34-10	3-1	10
11	Point Loma Sea Lions	CA	30-12	6-0	12
12	Colorado Mesa Mavericks	CO	30-10	2-0	13
13	Florida Southern Moccasins	FL	30-11	0-3	7
14	Lenoir-Rhyne Bears	NC	36-9	3-1	14
15	Grand Valley State Lakers	MI	31-10	3-1	15
16	Young Harris Mountain Lions	GA	34-12	4-0	16
17	Pittsburg State Gorillas	KS	33-8	3-1	19
18	North Georgia Nighthawks	GA	33-12	3-1	17
19	West Chester Golden Rams	PA	31-10	3-1	18
20	Lewis Flyers	IL	32-9	4-1	20
21	Delta State Statesmen	MS	31-13	2-1	23
22	Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks	ID	33-12	4-0	25
23	Carson-Newman Eagles	TN	32-14	2-2	21
24	Lander Bearcats	SC	33-13	4-0
25	Augustana Vikings	SD	28-12
DROP	Thomas Jefferson Rams	PA	28-12		24
DROP	Cal State Monterey Bay Otters	CA	27-14		22

NAIA

Central Methodist Eagles (15th in the preseason rankings)
While the Eagles haven’t performed exactly as forecasted, they are far from being a disappointment. They hold a 27–13 overall record and trail Grand View and MidAmerica Nazarene in the Heart of America standings. However, with a bit of help this weekend, they could still claim the regular-season title. As long as Central Methodist takes care of business against Peru State and makes a decent run in the conference tournament, they shouldn’t have any trouble securing an at-large bid to the NAIA postseason.

Ottawa (AZ) Spirit (17th)
The Spirit remained in the rankings for much of the season and earned one of the rare wins over Georgia Gwinnett. However, they hit a rough patch, losing eight of nine games and subsequently falling out of the rankings. They had a chance to reenter with a series at Hope International, but were swept in all four games. Now at 30–17, the Spirit still have a shot at making the NAIA postseason, but will need to strengthen their résumé with a series win against Arizona Christian this week and a deep run in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference tournament.

USAO Drovers (18th)
The Drovers finished the regular season with a solid 29–17 record and a third-place finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference—respectable, but a bit under expectations for the traditional powerhouse. USAO should receive the benefit of the doubt when at-large bids are handed out, but they’ll need a strong showing in the SAC tournament to solidify their position. With Wayland Baptist and Mid-America Christian considered postseason locks, the Drovers need to prove they belong too—and they’re not quite there yet.

Oklahoma City Stars (19th)
The Stars have not been stellar this season. Sitting at 17–23, they are likely to finish below .500—an extremely rare occurrence for an OCU team. Currently fifth in the competitive SAC standings, their only path to the postseason is to win the conference tournament. Anything short of a title will end their season early.

Bellevue Bruins (23rd)
Despite a 2–6 start to the season, the Bruins are now well-positioned to reach the NAIA Opening Round—barring a total collapse. At 32–13 overall with a 15–1 record in North Star Athletic Association play, Bellevue just needs to maintain their current form. Even if they were to lose their final series against Jamestown and go winless in the conference tournament, a surprise at-large bid is still a possibility given their strong tradition and track record of success.

Tabor Bluejays (25th)
Tabor will need a strong showing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament to earn a spot in the NAIA Opening Round. They’re currently 25–19 and fifth in the KCAC standings—solid, but not quite postseason-worthy on its own. Winning the tournament would likely require one of the conference’s nationally ranked teams—Oklahoma Wesleyan, Kansas Wesleyan, or Ottawa—not to claim the title themselves, which makes the path difficult but not impossible.

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev Rk
1	LSU Shreveport Pilots	LA	44-0	4-0	1
2	Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies	GA	42-4	5-0	2
3	Cumberlands Patriots	KY	40-6	4-0	3
4	Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs	TN	35-11	3-1	4
5	Reinhardt Eagles	GA	35-9	3-1	5
6	Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles	OK	41-6	3-1	7
7	Webber International Warriors	FL	35-11	3-1	8
8	Taylor Trojans	IN	37-8	4-0	10
9	Loyola Wolf Pack	LA	33-13	3-1	12
10	Faulkner Eagles	AL	31-11	1-2	6
11	Missouri Baptist Spartans	MO	35-9	3-0	11
12	Hope International Royals	CA	38-7	0-1	9
13	Arizona Christian Firestorm	AZ	35-10-1	1-0	13
14	Southeastern Fire	FL	36-10	3-1	14
15	Concordia Bulldogs	NE	33-9	4-0	15
16	Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes	KS	32-13	2-2	16
17	Mid-America Christian Evangels	OK	35-13	3-1	19
18	William Carey Crusaders	MS	32-11	1-2	17
19	Ottawa Braves	KS	36-10	4-0	20
20	Houston-Victoria Jaguars	TX	34-13	0-4	18
21	Oakland City Mighty Oaks	IN	33-11	4-0
22	Columbia Cougars	MO	37-7	3-0	24
23	Northwestern Ohio Racers	OH	34-9-1	6-0
24	Johnson Royals	TN	31-13	2-2	21
25*	Keiser Seahawks	FL	29-12	1-3	22
25*	Cumberland Phoenix	TN	31-14-1	2-1	25
DROP	Indiana Southeast Grenadiers	IN			23

NCAA DIII

Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets (12th in the preseason rankings)
BW started the season with a pedestrian 7–7 record but have surged in the second half to improve to 20–12. Their résumé includes a pair of wins over defending national champion Marietta, which significantly boosts their case. They still have eight regular-season games remaining, including tough matchups against Case Western Reserve and Denison—both ranked in DIII’s top ten. While they’re not a lock at this point, the Yellow Jackets remain strong contenders for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Cortland State Red Dragons (13th)
The Red Dragons will need a strong finish to extend their streak of 30 consecutive NCAA postseason appearances. They opened the season with a 10–10 record—though six of those losses came against nationally ranked opponents. Heading into this week, Cortland had won ten straight games and climbed to second in the SUNYAC standings behind New Paltz. Unless they completely falter down the stretch, they’re in solid position to earn their 31st straight NCAA invite.

Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (14th)
RMC holds a 21–12 record with quality losses to top-tier teams like Salisbury, Lynchburg, and Shenandoah. It's a very good season—though not quite great—and likely not enough to break into the national rankings. Still, they’re in contention for second place in the ODAC and could secure an NCAA berth with a strong showing in the eight-team conference tournament, ideally highlighted by a win over Lynchburg.

Christopher Newport Captains (16th)
The Captains’ postseason aspirations have drifted off course. While their 18–16 record isn’t terrible, it falls far short of expectations for a national title contender. With just three games left on the schedule Christopher Newport won’t be playing in May.

Misericordia Cougars (23rd)
In hindsight, ranking the Cougars in the preseason Top 25 may have been a bit optimistic to begin with. Despite winning the national title last year, they saw a near-complete roster turnover and needed new contributors to step up right away. Currently 24–13, they’ve shown flashes—like a win over Kean—but struggled with a midseason slump in which they lost five of six. Now second in the MAC Freedom standings, they won’t catch Stevens for the top spot but have a chance to prove themselves in a crucial series this weekend. If they manage a win or two against the Ducks and hold their own in the conference tournament, they should extend their season—but it’s far from guaranteed.

Emory Eagles (25th)
Emory stumbled early with a 4–4 start but rebounded nicely to sit at 24–12. They’re in a tight race with Case Western Reserve and Chicago for the top spot in the University Athletic Association. With the UAA lacking a postseason tournament, the Eagles need to finish strong in their upcoming series against WashU. The UAA is unlikely to earn three NCAA bids, so unless Emory finishes hot, CWRU and Chicago are more likely to advance.

Rank	School	State	Record	Last Wk	Prev Rk
1	Johns Hopkins Blue Jays	MD	32-3	5-0	1
2	Endicott Gulls	MA	25-3	4-0	2
3	Denison Big Red	OH	25-5	4-0	3
4	UW-Whitewater Warhawks	WI	25-2	4-0	4
5	Lynchburg Hornets	VA	31-5	4-0	5
6	Salisbury Seagulls	MD	26-7	1-2	9
7	Trinity Tigers	TX	30-7	4-0	6
8	Kean Cougars	NJ	30-5	5-0	7
9	La Verne Leopards	CA	26-6	3-1	11
10	Case Western Reserve Spartans	OH	22-11-1	2-1-1	8
11	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags	CA	26-8	4-0	10
12	Penn State Harrisburg Lions	PA	25-8-1	2-2	16
13	Eastern Connecticut St. Warriors	CT	21-8	3-2	14
14	UW LaCrosse Eagles	WI	24-6	5-0	12
15	Cal Lutheran Kingsmen	CA	24-9	2-1	15
16	Coe Kohawks	IA	25-7	4-1	17
17	Salve Regina Seahawks	RI	21-7	5-0	13
18	UT Dallas Comets	TX	30-4	4-0	18
19	Rowan Profs	NJ	23-8	5-1	19
20	East Texas Baptist Tigers	TX	23-11	3-1	20
21	Centre Colonels	KY	26-7	3-0	21
22	Webster Gorloks	MO	27-6	3-0	22
23	Babson Beavers	MA	19-8	5-1	23
24	Concordia (TX) Tornados	TX	28-9	3-0	24
25*	Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens	CA	21-11	3-0	25
25*	Brockport Golden Eagles	NY	26-3-1	2-1