THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,594 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,594 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Rankings | 1/26/2017

2017 Division II Baseball Preview

Photo: Tampa Athletics




2017 College Baseball Preview Index | @PGCollegeBall | @_eephuspitch (Nick Herfordt) |  @B_Sakowski_PGPG College Facebook Page

Listed below are the Preseason Top 25 teams at the 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 2016 NCAA Divisions II and III and NAIA Rankings

About a decade ago the NCAA developed a "Life in the Balance" initiative aimed at defining the D-II experience. Basically it’s a philosophy that intertwines academics and life skills with athletics. It seeks to find the happy medium between competition and education. That same balanced philosophy has seemingly seeped into the soil of baseball diamonds across the nation as never in my years in forecasting D-II baseball have I found the playing field to be so level.

Typically about 50 teams are seriously polled and evaluated in determining the preseason favorites with another dozen or so given a keen eye as well in deciding if they are among the nation’s elite. This season a true figure of how many teams received significant consideration is easily double that. Scores of pages of statistics from schools across the county were scrutinized, inspected, examined and asked to turn their heads and cough to pick the best of the bunch.

There are 25 teams listed below, but the number easily could have been much higher. There are several squads with national title talent not on the list. Two schools who advanced to the D-II Baseball Championship last season didn’t make the cut, nor did last year’s preseason No. 1 or half the teams which were in the final rankings.

It is because of that equilibrium that an extra effort was made to look at the teams from top to bottom. They weren’t judged on last year’s performance, but rather this year’s potential. Following are the schools determined to be most likely to making the trip to Grand Prairie, Texas this May to decide which school will top the list after the final dogpile and hoist the championship trophy above their heads.


2017 Perfect Game Division II Preseason Top 25 Teams

Rk. 2016 School ST ’16 Record
1 3 Tampa Spartans FL 41-10
2 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks FL 44-16
3 13 West Florida Argos FL 36-17
4 10 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos CA 42-19
5 16 USC Aiken Pacers SC 40-18
6 25* Lubbock Christian Chaparrals TX 37-19
7 NR Minnesota State Mavericks MN 36-18
8 8 Colorado Mesa Mavericks CO 43-13
9 25* Dixie State Trailblazers UT 40-14
10 NR Belmont Abbey Crusaders NC 39-16-1
11 NR Point Loma Sea Lions CA 32-16
12 NR North Georgia Nighthawks GA 32-20
13 NR Emporia State Hornets MO 39-19
14 5 Franklin Pierce Ravens NH 48-9
15 19 Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles IN 38-21
16 15 Mercyhurst Lakers PA 43-14
17 NR St. Mary’s Rattlers TX 32-21
18 2 Millersville Marauders PA 53-7
19 NR Wayne State Warriors MI 28-24
20 NR Florida Tech Panthers FL 29-21
21 20 Angelo State Rams TX 39-22
22 NR Augustana Vikings SD 37-17
23 NR Azusa Pacific Cougars CA 30-20
24 NR Henderson State Reddies AR 31-25
25 NR Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters TN 28-21


1. Tampa Spartans, Sunshine State Conference
The seven-time national champions spent last year firmly positioned in the top five for the duration of season and were the second-ranked club heading into the postseason. However a pair of surprising home upsets in the South Regional foiled their opportunity to bring home an eighty trophy. This season anything less than taking home a third title in six years will be a disappointment for the Spartans who somehow look even better than they did last spring. Leading batsmen Kevin Santa and Laz Riveria, who each batted well over .400 last season, return, as well as four other regular hitters who hit over .350. Christopher Williams was the team’s ace last season and will be back for another year on the mound. Despite winning 10 games with 72 strikeouts in 74 innings, his top spot in the rotation isn’t assured as he’ll be pushed by newcomer David LeBron, who excelled at the College of Central Florida. Garrett Cave, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, dazzled over the summer in the Cape Code League where he was an all-star, leading the league in saves while striking out 34 in 19 1/3 innings.

2. Nova Southeastern Sharks, Sunshine State Conference
Much of the meat of NSU’s sirloin caliber club is back on the menu and will be focused on being the first team to take home back-to-back titles in 10 years. Leading slugger Brandon Gomez, whose 21 homers and 75 RBI topped the team, will once again be firmly entrenched in the heart of the lineup. The everyday Shark lineup also has top performers back at the important shortstop and catcher positions – an absolute feather in any coach’s cap. D-I transfer Jeremy Vasquez was an everyday starter at Florida and excelled in the Cape Cod League over the summer and the presence of his bat makes an already potent offense more formidable. NSU will be without their top starter and closer from last season, but do have a pair of everyday arms who made a dozen starts apiece to solidify the staff while transfers establish themselves. Derik Beauprez and Devin Meyer both headed up I-95 from the University of Miami and are expected to play major roles on the staff.

3. West Florida Argonauts, Gulf South Conference
The Argos spent the bulk of last season in the top 10 but faltered when the games really counted, bowling out of both the GSC and South Regional tournaments with narrow upset losses. The ’11 national champs will be looking to right their postseason wrongs with a team heavy on quality pitching combined with a plethora of potent bats which puts them on the short-short list of title contenders. The pitching staff is paced by J.T. Granat whose 2.49 ERA was among the best in the South Region. Granat and Walker O’Connor each earned eight wins and were All-Region selections. Also back is bullpen bully Jarrod Petree whose pitching prowess was profiled in the New York Times back in 2006 when he was a wee 12 years old. Petree only allowed 29 hits in 47 innings while striking out 45 after a move to the UWF bullpen. Noteworthy transfers to Pensacola include Brian Browning from Ole Miss, Jared Middleton – who redshirted at Florida State – and Brandon Harmon from the College of Central Florida.

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 | 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...
Draft | Story | 8/11/2026

Realistic Expectations of a 1:1 Pick

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Over the 2026 draft cycle, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire cycle. White Sox fans began #RochWatch and were already talking about when he will make it to Chicago. Now that he has been selected, Cholowsky has immediately become a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball. There is no denying the hype, and the pressure, for Chowlosky to get to the big leagues and produce at a high level.  But how realistic is that? Let’s take a look back at past 1:1 selections and see what you can expect from a No. 1 overall selection.  For this exercise, we’ll look at No. 1 overall picks from the bonus pool era, excluding Eli Willits from 2025 since this is his first full year of pro ball. That gives us 13 players selected from 2012 through 2024.  Almost All Become Big Leaguers The first thing that stands out is how successful No. 1 picks...
Press Release | Press Release | 8/11/2026

Perfect Game & Goat'd Come Together

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME AND GOAT'D PARTNER TO BRING PREMIUM PROTECTIVE GEAR TO THE NATION'S TOP AMATEUR BASEBALL PLAYERS   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 11, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Goat'd, a premium protective gear brand focused on developing innovative products for athletes. The partnership will bring Goat'd's premium protective equipment to some of the nation's top amateur baseball players and families across Perfect Game's premier national events. The partnership will debut at several of Perfect Game's marquee events, including the 13U Select Fest, 14U Select Fest, Perfect Game All-Star Game and...
General | General | 8/8/2026

12U Game Time: 8/9/2026 1PM Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Sunday August 9th, 2026 1:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
General | General | 8/8/2026

11U Game Time: 8/8/2026 Noon Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Saturday August 8th, 2026 12:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
Draft | Story | 8/7/2026

2026 MLB Draft Team Reports: NL West

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 MLB Draft Team Report Cards: AL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL West Arizona Diamondbacks  Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: C Ryder Helfrick (1st rd) | RHP Blake Bryant (CB-A rd) | SS Carson Kerce (2nd rd) | OF Brayden Dowd (3rd rd)  Ryder Helfrick (@RazorbackBSB ) different AB; same result. He goes dead central for a solo šŸ’£ this time. Threw a runner out earlier; 1.98 pop. #PGCollege @PG_Draft https://t.co/kW7wraqExJ pic.twitter.com/SARYKxd0oE — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 14, 2026 The Diamondbacks started their...
Tournaments | Championship | 8/6/2026

643 DP Last Team Standing at East WS

Will Dembo
Article Image
Following a dominant week at the 17u PG East World Series, No. 34 ranked 643 DP Cougars 17u capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating No. 2 ranked East Cobb Astros 17u, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the title. The Cougars earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed after outscoring opponents by an absurd 59-6 throughout the week before completing their championship run with a hard-fought victory in the finale. “Always feels great to finish the year playing your best ball, especially when going up against strong competition,” 643 Head Coach Danny Pralgo said. “We did so many of the little things right: on the mound with location, clean on defense, bunting, 2 strike approach leading to long at bats, getting hit-by-pitches, and we had so many good outs offensively that led to moving a runner or scoring a runner. And when those things all come together in...
Press Release | Press Release | 8/6/2026

PG Extends Partnership With Yeti

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH YETI   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, August 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an extension of its existing partnership with YETI, the premium outdoor gear brand and the Official Cooler and Drinkware Provider of Perfect Game Baseball and Softball. The partnership between Perfect Game and YETI began in 2021.   The expanded partnership will bring YETI’s products and brand to Perfect Game athletes, families and fans through a variety of activations across Perfect Game’s events and digital platforms. YETI will have a prominent presence both on-site and online, including exposure...
Tournaments | Story | 8/7/2026

Tournament of Champion Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Tournament of Champions Scout Notes: Part 1 ‘27 LHP Jaylan Hortenbury (KY) @JHortenbury X @PG_Uncommitted FB 85-89/ touched 90. Arm-side life w/ some ride. SL in mid 70s (depth). CH showed as a weapon in the upper 7s. Some sweep to BB in low 7s. Athletic w/ two-way capabilities as well. #TOC šŸ‘€ @USAPrimeScout27 pic.twitter.com/vyj1Tb9nBN — Jordan Gates (@JGatesPG) July 30, 2026 Jaylan Hortenbury (2027, New Castle, Ky.) Hortenbury was probably one of my personal favorites, as this was my first time seeing it in action. It’s an athletic two-way profile that has a chance to do both at the next level. But what stood out to me, was his potential on the mound. The left-handed pitcher moves very well and is comfortable there. Has the mound presence Supplemented with a free-flowing and loose arm from a higher ¾ slot, he pounded the zone in his lone appearance. He went...
Tournaments | Story | 8/6/2026

Tournament of Champions Notes: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘27 RHP/SS Carson Hailey (KY) Dominant 5.1 IP + 14 K’sā€¼ļø 2 ER on 3 H + 1BB. 69% strikes. FB lived 88-89 T92 w/ ASR + maintained velo. SL 77-80 w/ late sharp break. Throws downhill w/ good extension. Pitches tunnel well out of 3/4 slot. #TOC @carsonhailey_8 @2027TTKY @JGatesPG pic.twitter.com/UoL7newgi6 — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 29, 2026 Carson Hailey (2027, Louisville, Ky..) turned in a dominant outing, striking out 14 across 5.1 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander owns an athletic frame and worked with a controlled tempo on the mound. Hailey used a big leg kick and long stride with an easy lower half, creating downhill action and good extension toward the plate. He finished through his pitches well and maintained his velocity deep into the outing. The fastball lived at 88-89 mph...
Loading more articles...