Dallas Bombers University as we all know them... its doing it again. Top half of the lineup is stacked with Grant Jay, Tom Poole and Chayton Krauss anchoring it down. Bottom half of lineup is going to be better than most in the country and especially in Conference USA, but how far this team can go will depend on the production of 6-9 in the lineup. The pitching staff loses a very quality 196 innings between Ryan Johnson and Jaron DeBerry but have gunslinger James Ellwanger, Luke Pettitte (son of Andy, have to throw that in there) and Jerrod Jenkins back. Not to mention, Jenkins was voted CUSA preseason pitcher of the year.Ellwanger is getting similar hype to Ryan Johnson, its going to be fun to watch. Also adding Micah Bucknam to the bullpen from LSU, who had great numbers in the Cape. Shouldn't be much of a difference. CUSA title and regionals or bust.
Very few people talk about the 'Eaters when it comes to rattling off top mid majors on the west coast. We have been big fans of Irvine as of late... especially with how strong their offense was the last few years. This year might display a new identity, as they will be electric on the mound with majority of talent returning. Trevor Hansen, Riley Kelly, Ricky Ojeda and big wild card Finnegan Wall will be a top 50 ranked staff in the country. One of the best hitters in the country Anthony Martinez leads the way offensively. Theres not much else to say. The blueprint to win basically comes down to scoring 5-6 runs a game and this team will be fighting for a Big West title and in hosting picture.
The legend of Troy continues as Skylar Meade tries to breakthrough and capture a Fun Belt title to add to his fast growing resume. Trojans were on pace to host a regional last season before they got Trojan Horse'd and self destructed before completely missing regionals. The 2025 season should be of similar expectation as one of, if not, the best SBC team. Shane Lewis, one of the more interesting stories, needs to find his 2023 form (27 HRs 1.141 OPS) after a disappointing 2024 campaign (5 HRs .773 OPS) where he entered with some Top 3 round draft expectations. Along side him, Brooks Bryan and Gavin Schrader will pace a well-balanced but high ceiling lineup. But the achilles heel of this team will be the bullpen behind a reliable Friday night arm in Garrett Gainous. If their depth arms perform as expected, this is a championship team.
Another year, another draft loaded pitching staff. At this point for Santa Barbara, the standard is regionals or bust. 'Chos have DUDES in the weekend rotation, middle relief and back end. Tyler Bremner, arguably the #1 arm in country will start every weekend 1-0. Projected closer Cole Tryba will consistently slam the door on the back end. Offensively, this team scares me with hardly any experience or proven track records. Not sure if they are the clear favorite to win the Big West, but you just can never doubt a Checkett's pitching staff to get the job done.
The Cougars' 2025 season might be the biggest revenge tour in the country... as Chad Holbrook and College of Charleston were belt to ass'd by the selection committee for being a mid-major after a 41-14 season including an impressive CAA regular season title. The 2025 squad has some serious promise on the mound after posting a top 10 team ERA in the country and the #19 ranked team WHIP (4.05/1.35) in 2024. 2 of 3 weekend dudes are back in Jake Brink and Aidan Hunter, both guys are big time innings eaters. Bullpen has quality pieces but as a whole this unit will carry CofC. At the plate, Cougs lose about 60 HRs from a lineup that was Top 30 in almost every category in 2024. They should fill the void nicely, but no one can expect this team to replicate last year. They should be in the running for another CAA title when May comes around.
Randy Hood has the Seahawks coming off their 12th regional since 2000 and might have UNCW in position to make it 13 this year. When premium players like 1B Tanner Thach decide to stay at a mid-major program while having the opportunity to hand select any school in the portal, it's usually a sign of high confidence and expectations for the upcoming season. Thach smacked 27 HRs last season to add to a team total of about 50 HRs returning including senior catcher and SS. On the pitching side of things, they have Zane Taylor back who has 200+ innings as a weekend starter for the past 3 seasons. Massive piece to build off of. Rest of staff has some promise, including freshman Cam Bagwell who slipped past the draft to school. Expect UNCW to be more of a co-favorite for the CAA with CofC. Not a slam dunk by any means.
Coming off an incredible 2024 season where they won the West Coast with a 20-4 record and a 1-2 finish in the Santa Barbara Regional. This team looks to follow the lead of 2-way guy Austin Smith who should be the preseason favorite to win WCC Player of the Year. But interesting enough, Toreros have 4 true 2-way guys, so not sure if thats good or bad to have to rely on all of them that much. The issue is offensively Toreros lost about 1400 ABs.... not great. Some decent transfers to band aid the loses, but its a wait to see situation. On the mound, they have lots of gasoline and returning talent but do lose ~200 innings. Floor is low, ceiling is high. I guess its like an aim for bullseye hit, the board situation. Very fluid. First few weeks will tell a lot with series including TCU coming to town, on the road @ Arizona, and @ Oregon State.
If you didn't do any research and just made an educated guess that Southern Miss would be competing for a Sun Belt title and in position to make a regional, more often than not, you would be correct. That's the standard in Hattiesburg. Coming off a Sun Belt tournament title and losing to Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional, the 2025 season has it's rare question marks. The Eags' have 17 new players on the roster, about a 50% turnover from a season ago including losing about 50% of the HR production. The young growing pains will be present at the plate, but best believe Ostrander will have one of, if not, the best pitching staffs in the Fun Belt headlined by the science defying 170lb J.B Middleton who will bring the noise on Friday nights. If offense develops quickly, this is the prime team to start cold and be the best team in the Sun Belt in May. But they are ranked where we believe they are now.
Coming off an Atlantic Sun tournament title and Tallahassee Regional berth, Stetson looks to be even stronger and talented this season. Early look to be the slam dunk ASUN favorite. Hatters lose ASUN freshman of the year Kyle Jones to Florida but return nearly everyone else with some big portal adds. Not sure how many total, but close to 10 guys were playing in the Cape last summer, which means TALENT everywhere. Offensively, they return their top 2 power hitters, Lorenzo Meola and Yohann Dessureault, who combined for 21 HRs. Isaiah Barkett could be a breakout candidate. Pitching wise, they lose their top 3 innings guys and 350+ innings total which seems bad, but they hit the portal hard and get Jonathan Gonzalez back from injury. James Hays (Georgia) and Ethan Phillips (Indiana) could be big pieces with experience to step in the rotation immediately. Getting closer, Coppersmith, back means leads will be safe in the 8th and 9th inning. Stetson could be an at-large postseason pick from a mid major standpoint.
Injury riddled end to 2024 season led to another heartbreaking regional loss at Clark-Leclair as Pirates lost to Evansville in regional final, but this team has been nothing short of consistent over the years. This could be the first 'rebuilding' year in a long time for Cliff Godwin. They lose Yesavage to draft and Root to Arkansas. Pitching will be suspect as will the offense. 31 new players on the roster this year, but some legit transfers through the portal (Liberty, Texas AM, ODU, Oklahoma and LMU). Tough to have super high expectations, but never doubt the Pirates in the American Athletic. The Jungle to Omaha might have to wait another year.
Missouri State might have one of the best lineups in this Top 25 as they return 4 of their top 5 hitters including MLB Draft prospect Zack Stewart who suprisingly made it back to campus. Stewart, Bogenpohl and Rodriguez combined for 55 HRs and all 3 nearly hit over .300. Max Knight is an intruiging 2-way transfer from Oklahoma State who will probably make the opening day lineup. Pitching wise... like Austin Peay, Bears need to significantly improve their run prevention system. A team era north of 6 a year ago and losing their ace Brandt Thompson is not encouraging but they have solid pieces returning that have lots of experience under their belt. If this staff can just improve year over year then they will be just fine. Two pitching transfers, Jackson Holmes from Saint Louis and Gabe Smith from Ole Miss, will be crucial to this staff. Holmes went 9-3 last season with 71 innings. Smith was a redshirt in Oxford after being a draft prospect out of high school. This team should easily compete for a Missouri Valley title.
We love Matt Deggs and the Sunday Cajun Reds, so lets keep the bias at a minimum. Louisiana won the Fun Belt by 3 games last season, which some of you might not understand, is EXTREMELY hard to do. To go back-to-back is obviously even harder. Losing Kyle DeBarge is a huge loss in the 6 hole and middle of the lineup, but the team as a whole is deeper across the board. Think of it as less starpower and more experience 1-9 and on the bump. Having Jose Torres behind the plate will give this team continued leadership. Friday night guy Chase Morgan will get the Cajuns off to a great start every weekend with lots of talent behind him. Expect Louisiana to compete for another SBC Title at minimum. Three consecutive series vs Nebraska, Irvine and Dallas Baptist will tell a lot about this team.
Coming off a 36 win season in 2024 with some big series wins including Dallas Baptist, the optimism should still be high as the Hilltoppers return a ginormous chunk of that team. Experience is everything when it comes to mid-majors being successful because normally the talent level drops a good amount as you get into the 'depth' territory of roster. Offensively, 4 of the top 5 hitters AVG wise are back losing only 2 regulars. Ethan Lizama should be a player to make a huge jump forward improving on his .300+ with 9 bombs season. JuCo transfer Ryan Wideman could end up being the best hitter on this team, a huge addition. Pitching wise, just like the offense, returns a big chunk of their innings and added a good transfer in Lucas Hartman from Florida Gulf Coast. This team should compete in the upper tier of the CUSA with DBU and LaTech.
First things first, the 2025 Coastal Carolina team will be missing icon Gary Gilmore at the top step after his retirement last spring. One of the most impressive and inspiring coaches the last 2 decades. Going forward, this team should not miss a beat or lose their identity as HC Kevin Schnall has been with Gilmore for 23 (!!!!!) years. On the field, Chants bring back All-American Caden Bodine behind the plate and the collective group of Mihos, Barthol and Books. Coastal will always hit, but at what level is the question. Pitching side of things have always been a crapshoot in Conway, but its very possible this might be their most experienced and talented group of pitchers the last few years. The issue is the offense is not as elite so relying on Coastal pitching is sketch. Cliche to say this team can win the Sun Belt as there are 3-4 teams capable, but Coastal at the very least should be in the mix for at-large bid.
Tulane has made the NCAA tournament in 2 straight seasons and might have their best team yet under Jay Uhlman. Green Wave should have their sights set on their first AAC regular season title since 2016, with East Carolina having won 5 straight. 2025 Wave are losing studs Teo Banks and Brady Marget at the plate, but return more than 50% of HR production including team leader and AAC title game hero Jackson Linn. Vets Gavin Schulz and Connor Rasmussen both hit over .300 and will anchor middle part of order. They add Theo Bryant from Tennessee Tech who slugged 10 HRs last season. Also added a few other intruiging pieces from portal including Boots Landry (Texas AM), KaiKea Harrison (USC) and Hugh Pinkney (Rutgers). On the bump, Tulane returns 6 of the 8 highest innings totals from last season. Team ERA was just about 5 which should improve with experience and good portal adds. Returning closer Jack Moore is so important, as we all know how safe late leads are in college baseball. Tulane could be a Top 5 team by May.
We will be the first to say it, UConn gets disrespected year in and year out (not by us, of course), until the calendar flips to June. The Huskies just keep proving everyone wrong as they have made regionals 4 straight years, including 2 super regional appearances. On paper its very easy to be 'out' on this UConn team again especially with the Big East getting deeper each year. The 2025 squad could hypothetically do it again as they have the experience on the mound... a very old weekend rotation (SR, SR, 4JR). The one concern is they combined for a 5+ ERA over 147 innings last season. So its imperative that they take a big step forward as UConn's offense could be shaky, losing 4 of their best hitters which accounted for probably 75-80% of their offensive production. Huskies deserve a Top 25 ranking, but are not a Top 10 team on opening day.
Northeastern has become a major threat in the CAA the last few years as HC Mike Glavine has built a respectable program in the NE with a great feel for continuity and roster consistency. Huskies have made regionals 2 out of the last 4 years including a CAA regular season and tournament title sweep in 2021. They lose Mike Sirota, who underperformed some lofty expectations statistically last season, and Tyler MacGregor but return nearly 70% of ABs and 65% of HR production. Cam Maldonado, like Shane Lewis, is primed for a MAJOR bounce back season after his freshman All-American season in 2023. This Huskie team will be potent on offense behind Alex Lane (18 HRs) and a few other salty vets. On the mound, they lose 26 starts and about 150 innings, but realistically not very high level production. This team needs Aiven Cabral to return to his freshman year form and this team will be just fine. McGrath and Beauchesne will be one of the better 1-2 bullpen punches in the CAA.
Southeast freaking Missouri State. The granddaddy of the OVC takes no seasons off. In what was supposed be a 'down' year in 2024, SEMO won the OVC tournament and carried that momentum into the Fayetteville Regional where they knocked off La Tech and eliminated Arkansas before falling to Kansas State. In 2025, Redhawks have their whole weekend rotation back (47 combined starts). Their numbers weren't exceptional, but they should only improve as a group, right? The issue is they lose almost their whole bullpen and will have a lot of experimenting to do, finding out who can slam the door. If starters can build off last season, and get deeper into games, it should be a relatively smooth fix. Offensively, this team returns nearly everyone from that 2024 lineup with Brooks Kettering leading the way as a soph. SEMO... most talented roster... coming off a regional final? SLAM THE FUTURES BET on Redhawks to win the OVC.
Wichita State was notorious for bringing in/losing 30+ transfers a year ago after head coaching change... one of the more crazy roster turnovers in college baseball. Well... this team is PRIMED for a big season. Losing top 2 HR hitters Derek Williams and Seth Stroh hurts, but Shockers return 6 regulars from starting lineup, almost all bench/platoon players plus Owen Washburn from Texas Tech. Strong, mature lineup. Pitching wise, very similar story as they lose top 2 innings guys (180 innings) while returning everyone else. They get two familiar faces back, Grant Adler and Jace Miner, who both transfered out to Kansas and Oklahoma respectively and now are back in Wichita. Two surefire weekend arms. Adler was AAC newcomer pitcher of the year in 2023 with a 2era on Sundays. East Carolina has big time competition.
Operation get Hawaii an Aloha regional is underway. Rainbow Warriors have been pesky for quite some time and just can't stay alive for the full 56 game season. They are getting better every single year as depth has always been a concern. The main spotlight is they return Itsuki Takemoto, the reigning Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year. That's a big deal. Takemoto will lead a new, but talented pitching staff that will have a decent turnover as 'Bows lose Harrison Bodendorf to Oklahoma State and Alex Giroux to Miami. That about 150 good innings right there. They have quality bullpen arms returning and a potential weekend starter in Liam O'Brien coming in from Gonzaga. Offensively nothing off the charts but Jordan Donahue and Matt Miura will be a great core to build around. Hawaii should contend in the Big West, or at least get hot in May and punch a regional ticket.
James Madison is coming off their first regional appearance since 2011, losing to NC State in the regional final. They have slowly become a respectable threat in the Sun Belt the last few seasons. The 2025 campaign should hold some promise, but its going to take a lot of young guys stepping up in a big way. The Dukes, offensively, lose their 3 best hitters including Raleigh Regional legend Mike Mancini and also lose team leader in HRs, Jason Schiavone (63 HRs total out the door). Coming back, they have some good talent in Peifer, Dooley and Calabrese who all should play major roles. As a whole, this lineup will do enough damage to make some noise. On the bump, they lose their 'ace' Donovan Burke but bring back 200+ innings including Max Kuhle who should have a major break out season. The Dukes should contend this season kicking off with a 3 game set vs Florida State.
The 2024 Illinois State squad had their first season above .500 since their 2019 Louisville regional final team and look to make it 2 straight winning seasons. Redbirds have a quality core of returners including the duo of Judah Morris and Daniel Pacella, who bopped 26 HRs collectively. Pacella looks the part in being one of the best hitters in the conference. They lose a strong bat in Luke Lawrence to Kentucky, but seemlessly replace him with quality transfer Graham Mastros from Saint Louis. From a pitching standpoint, this staff was atrocious last season finishing with a 6+ team era and 250 walks across 475 innings. The optimistic part is they return nearly 400 of the 475 innings which should pay off experience wise. We are putting the Redbirds in the back end of this ranking as their pitching should only improve to go along with their strong lineup.
Xavier is coming off a meh 2024 season where they finished 4th in the Big East after a regional final appearance in 2023. The 2025 season should be a bounce back season for the Musketeers. At the plate, the boys should be firing on all cylcinders as they return 5 of their top 7 BA hitters and the HR leader Aedan Anderson (18 HR). Also, big fan of outfielder Isaac Wachsmann who could be a ultra mega sleeper candidate for Player of the Year in the Big East. He's 6'4 220 and only played 28 games last season after missing all of 2023 but hit .330 with 10 HR in 94 ABs. Pitching is where things are extremely unknown for the Musks as they lose nearly their whole staff from a year ago, nearly 400+ innings. They have a nice transfer in Joseph Chavana, coming from Trinity College where he put up pretty exceptional numbers.There are too many arms to count that either redshirted or were injured last season.
This Georgia Southern team might be the biggest wild card pick in this Top 25... either they are going to be really good or bad. The 2024 campaign was a roller coaster for the Eags, but in the end they were 3 outs away from punching their ticket to regionals in the Sun Belt title game. I think the 2025 team can be described in one word: Portal. Southern has 6 incoming transfers from Liberty, Ga Tech, Alabama, Louisville and South Carolina. They also had 11 players leave, including 3 to Ga Tech. On the mound, they lost their whole weekend rotation plus a long relief/spot starter, good for more than 300+ innings out the door. So pitching is a major question mark with some help coming in. At the dish, its a similar story but much more promising with some quality transfers coming in: Cam Foster, Nico Senese. My guess is Georgia Southern will be a middle of the pack Sun Belt team early on that needs to gell and will improve immensly as season rolls on.
Grand Canyon's continued emergence as a mid-major power has been exceptional to watch over the years as they have become a regular mainstay in the NCAA tournament. The 2024 team got spoon fed another postseason trip after Tarleton State won the WAC tournament (ineligible due to transition). The 2025 team doesn't scream anything exceptional on paper as the pitching staff and lineup both return about 50% of production. I think most coaches would love to take that situation each offseason and piece together the replacements. Lopes get Lyon, Mattison and Quinn back which all pitched pretty well last year (~180 innings combined). Add a few young freshman making positive strides and this staff will be just fine atop the WAC. Offensively, a similar story, but just lacks the starpower as we've seen in previous years. Zach Yorke is a fun player to watch when he gets ahold of the baseball. Lopes should be the WAC favorite for sure.
Dallas Bombers University as we all know them... its doing it again. Top half of the lineup is stacked with Grant Jay, Tom Poole and Chayton Krauss anchoring it down. Bottom half of lineup is going to be better than most in the country and especially in Conference USA, but how far this team can go will depend on the production of 6-9 in the lineup. The pitching staff loses a very quality 196 innings between Ryan Johnson and Jaron DeBerry but have gunslinger James Ellwanger, Luke Pettitte (son of Andy, have to throw that in there) and Jerrod Jenkins back. Not to mention, Jenkins was voted CUSA preseason pitcher of the year.Ellwanger is getting similar hype to Ryan Johnson, its going to be fun to watch. Also adding Micah Bucknam to the bullpen from LSU, who had great numbers in the Cape. Shouldn't be much of a difference. CUSA title and regionals or bust.
Very few people talk about the 'Eaters when it comes to rattling off top mid majors on the west coast. We have been big fans of Irvine as of late... especially with how strong their offense was the last few years. This year might display a new identity, as they will be electric on the mound with majority of talent returning. Trevor Hansen, Riley Kelly, Ricky Ojeda and big wild card Finnegan Wall will be a top 50 ranked staff in the country. One of the best hitters in the country Anthony Martinez leads the way offensively. Theres not much else to say. The blueprint to win basically comes down to scoring 5-6 runs a game and this team will be fighting for a Big West title and in hosting picture.
The legend of Troy continues as Skylar Meade tries to breakthrough and capture a Fun Belt title to add to his fast growing resume. Trojans were on pace to host a regional last season before they got Trojan Horse'd and self destructed before completely missing regionals. The 2025 season should be of similar expectation as one of, if not, the best SBC team. Shane Lewis, one of the more interesting stories, needs to find his 2023 form (27 HRs 1.141 OPS) after a disappointing 2024 campaign (5 HRs .773 OPS) where he entered with some Top 3 round draft expectations. Along side him, Brooks Bryan and Gavin Schrader will pace a well-balanced but high ceiling lineup. But the achilles heel of this team will be the bullpen behind a reliable Friday night arm in Garrett Gainous. If their depth arms perform as expected, this is a championship team.
Another year, another draft loaded pitching staff. At this point for Santa Barbara, the standard is regionals or bust. 'Chos have DUDES in the weekend rotation, middle relief and back end. Tyler Bremner, arguably the #1 arm in country will start every weekend 1-0. Projected closer Cole Tryba will consistently slam the door on the back end. Offensively, this team scares me with hardly any experience or proven track records. Not sure if they are the clear favorite to win the Big West, but you just can never doubt a Checkett's pitching staff to get the job done.
The Cougars' 2025 season might be the biggest revenge tour in the country... as Chad Holbrook and College of Charleston were belt to ass'd by the selection committee for being a mid-major after a 41-14 season including an impressive CAA regular season title. The 2025 squad has some serious promise on the mound after posting a top 10 team ERA in the country and the #19 ranked team WHIP (4.05/1.35) in 2024. 2 of 3 weekend dudes are back in Jake Brink and Aidan Hunter, both guys are big time innings eaters. Bullpen has quality pieces but as a whole this unit will carry CofC. At the plate, Cougs lose about 60 HRs from a lineup that was Top 30 in almost every category in 2024. They should fill the void nicely, but no one can expect this team to replicate last year. They should be in the running for another CAA title when May comes around.
Randy Hood has the Seahawks coming off their 12th regional since 2000 and might have UNCW in position to make it 13 this year. When premium players like 1B Tanner Thach decide to stay at a mid-major program while having the opportunity to hand select any school in the portal, it's usually a sign of high confidence and expectations for the upcoming season. Thach smacked 27 HRs last season to add to a team total of about 50 HRs returning including senior catcher and SS. On the pitching side of things, they have Zane Taylor back who has 200+ innings as a weekend starter for the past 3 seasons. Massive piece to build off of. Rest of staff has some promise, including freshman Cam Bagwell who slipped past the draft to school. Expect UNCW to be more of a co-favorite for the CAA with CofC. Not a slam dunk by any means.
Coming off an incredible 2024 season where they won the West Coast with a 20-4 record and a 1-2 finish in the Santa Barbara Regional. This team looks to follow the lead of 2-way guy Austin Smith who should be the preseason favorite to win WCC Player of the Year. But interesting enough, Toreros have 4 true 2-way guys, so not sure if thats good or bad to have to rely on all of them that much. The issue is offensively Toreros lost about 1400 ABs.... not great. Some decent transfers to band aid the loses, but its a wait to see situation. On the mound, they have lots of gasoline and returning talent but do lose ~200 innings. Floor is low, ceiling is high. I guess its like an aim for bullseye hit, the board situation. Very fluid. First few weeks will tell a lot with series including TCU coming to town, on the road @ Arizona, and @ Oregon State.
If you didn't do any research and just made an educated guess that Southern Miss would be competing for a Sun Belt title and in position to make a regional, more often than not, you would be correct. That's the standard in Hattiesburg. Coming off a Sun Belt tournament title and losing to Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional, the 2025 season has it's rare question marks. The Eags' have 17 new players on the roster, about a 50% turnover from a season ago including losing about 50% of the HR production. The young growing pains will be present at the plate, but best believe Ostrander will have one of, if not, the best pitching staffs in the Fun Belt headlined by the science defying 170lb J.B Middleton who will bring the noise on Friday nights. If offense develops quickly, this is the prime team to start cold and be the best team in the Sun Belt in May. But they are ranked where we believe they are now.
Coming off an Atlantic Sun tournament title and Tallahassee Regional berth, Stetson looks to be even stronger and talented this season. Early look to be the slam dunk ASUN favorite. Hatters lose ASUN freshman of the year Kyle Jones to Florida but return nearly everyone else with some big portal adds. Not sure how many total, but close to 10 guys were playing in the Cape last summer, which means TALENT everywhere. Offensively, they return their top 2 power hitters, Lorenzo Meola and Yohann Dessureault, who combined for 21 HRs. Isaiah Barkett could be a breakout candidate. Pitching wise, they lose their top 3 innings guys and 350+ innings total which seems bad, but they hit the portal hard and get Jonathan Gonzalez back from injury. James Hays (Georgia) and Ethan Phillips (Indiana) could be big pieces with experience to step in the rotation immediately. Getting closer, Coppersmith, back means leads will be safe in the 8th and 9th inning. Stetson could be an at-large postseason pick from a mid major standpoint.
Injury riddled end to 2024 season led to another heartbreaking regional loss at Clark-Leclair as Pirates lost to Evansville in regional final, but this team has been nothing short of consistent over the years. This could be the first 'rebuilding' year in a long time for Cliff Godwin. They lose Yesavage to draft and Root to Arkansas. Pitching will be suspect as will the offense. 31 new players on the roster this year, but some legit transfers through the portal (Liberty, Texas AM, ODU, Oklahoma and LMU). Tough to have super high expectations, but never doubt the Pirates in the American Athletic. The Jungle to Omaha might have to wait another year.
Missouri State might have one of the best lineups in this Top 25 as they return 4 of their top 5 hitters including MLB Draft prospect Zack Stewart who suprisingly made it back to campus. Stewart, Bogenpohl and Rodriguez combined for 55 HRs and all 3 nearly hit over .300. Max Knight is an intruiging 2-way transfer from Oklahoma State who will probably make the opening day lineup. Pitching wise... like Austin Peay, Bears need to significantly improve their run prevention system. A team era north of 6 a year ago and losing their ace Brandt Thompson is not encouraging but they have solid pieces returning that have lots of experience under their belt. If this staff can just improve year over year then they will be just fine. Two pitching transfers, Jackson Holmes from Saint Louis and Gabe Smith from Ole Miss, will be crucial to this staff. Holmes went 9-3 last season with 71 innings. Smith was a redshirt in Oxford after being a draft prospect out of high school. This team should easily compete for a Missouri Valley title.
We love Matt Deggs and the Sunday Cajun Reds, so lets keep the bias at a minimum. Louisiana won the Fun Belt by 3 games last season, which some of you might not understand, is EXTREMELY hard to do. To go back-to-back is obviously even harder. Losing Kyle DeBarge is a huge loss in the 6 hole and middle of the lineup, but the team as a whole is deeper across the board. Think of it as less starpower and more experience 1-9 and on the bump. Having Jose Torres behind the plate will give this team continued leadership. Friday night guy Chase Morgan will get the Cajuns off to a great start every weekend with lots of talent behind him. Expect Louisiana to compete for another SBC Title at minimum. Three consecutive series vs Nebraska, Irvine and Dallas Baptist will tell a lot about this team.
Coming off a 36 win season in 2024 with some big series wins including Dallas Baptist, the optimism should still be high as the Hilltoppers return a ginormous chunk of that team. Experience is everything when it comes to mid-majors being successful because normally the talent level drops a good amount as you get into the 'depth' territory of roster. Offensively, 4 of the top 5 hitters AVG wise are back losing only 2 regulars. Ethan Lizama should be a player to make a huge jump forward improving on his .300+ with 9 bombs season. JuCo transfer Ryan Wideman could end up being the best hitter on this team, a huge addition. Pitching wise, just like the offense, returns a big chunk of their innings and added a good transfer in Lucas Hartman from Florida Gulf Coast. This team should compete in the upper tier of the CUSA with DBU and LaTech.
First things first, the 2025 Coastal Carolina team will be missing icon Gary Gilmore at the top step after his retirement last spring. One of the most impressive and inspiring coaches the last 2 decades. Going forward, this team should not miss a beat or lose their identity as HC Kevin Schnall has been with Gilmore for 23 (!!!!!) years. On the field, Chants bring back All-American Caden Bodine behind the plate and the collective group of Mihos, Barthol and Books. Coastal will always hit, but at what level is the question. Pitching side of things have always been a crapshoot in Conway, but its very possible this might be their most experienced and talented group of pitchers the last few years. The issue is the offense is not as elite so relying on Coastal pitching is sketch. Cliche to say this team can win the Sun Belt as there are 3-4 teams capable, but Coastal at the very least should be in the mix for at-large bid.
Tulane has made the NCAA tournament in 2 straight seasons and might have their best team yet under Jay Uhlman. Green Wave should have their sights set on their first AAC regular season title since 2016, with East Carolina having won 5 straight. 2025 Wave are losing studs Teo Banks and Brady Marget at the plate, but return more than 50% of HR production including team leader and AAC title game hero Jackson Linn. Vets Gavin Schulz and Connor Rasmussen both hit over .300 and will anchor middle part of order. They add Theo Bryant from Tennessee Tech who slugged 10 HRs last season. Also added a few other intruiging pieces from portal including Boots Landry (Texas AM), KaiKea Harrison (USC) and Hugh Pinkney (Rutgers). On the bump, Tulane returns 6 of the 8 highest innings totals from last season. Team ERA was just about 5 which should improve with experience and good portal adds. Returning closer Jack Moore is so important, as we all know how safe late leads are in college baseball. Tulane could be a Top 5 team by May.
We will be the first to say it, UConn gets disrespected year in and year out (not by us, of course), until the calendar flips to June. The Huskies just keep proving everyone wrong as they have made regionals 4 straight years, including 2 super regional appearances. On paper its very easy to be 'out' on this UConn team again especially with the Big East getting deeper each year. The 2025 squad could hypothetically do it again as they have the experience on the mound... a very old weekend rotation (SR, SR, 4JR). The one concern is they combined for a 5+ ERA over 147 innings last season. So its imperative that they take a big step forward as UConn's offense could be shaky, losing 4 of their best hitters which accounted for probably 75-80% of their offensive production. Huskies deserve a Top 25 ranking, but are not a Top 10 team on opening day.
Northeastern has become a major threat in the CAA the last few years as HC Mike Glavine has built a respectable program in the NE with a great feel for continuity and roster consistency. Huskies have made regionals 2 out of the last 4 years including a CAA regular season and tournament title sweep in 2021. They lose Mike Sirota, who underperformed some lofty expectations statistically last season, and Tyler MacGregor but return nearly 70% of ABs and 65% of HR production. Cam Maldonado, like Shane Lewis, is primed for a MAJOR bounce back season after his freshman All-American season in 2023. This Huskie team will be potent on offense behind Alex Lane (18 HRs) and a few other salty vets. On the mound, they lose 26 starts and about 150 innings, but realistically not very high level production. This team needs Aiven Cabral to return to his freshman year form and this team will be just fine. McGrath and Beauchesne will be one of the better 1-2 bullpen punches in the CAA.
Southeast freaking Missouri State. The granddaddy of the OVC takes no seasons off. In what was supposed be a 'down' year in 2024, SEMO won the OVC tournament and carried that momentum into the Fayetteville Regional where they knocked off La Tech and eliminated Arkansas before falling to Kansas State. In 2025, Redhawks have their whole weekend rotation back (47 combined starts). Their numbers weren't exceptional, but they should only improve as a group, right? The issue is they lose almost their whole bullpen and will have a lot of experimenting to do, finding out who can slam the door. If starters can build off last season, and get deeper into games, it should be a relatively smooth fix. Offensively, this team returns nearly everyone from that 2024 lineup with Brooks Kettering leading the way as a soph. SEMO... most talented roster... coming off a regional final? SLAM THE FUTURES BET on Redhawks to win the OVC.
Wichita State was notorious for bringing in/losing 30+ transfers a year ago after head coaching change... one of the more crazy roster turnovers in college baseball. Well... this team is PRIMED for a big season. Losing top 2 HR hitters Derek Williams and Seth Stroh hurts, but Shockers return 6 regulars from starting lineup, almost all bench/platoon players plus Owen Washburn from Texas Tech. Strong, mature lineup. Pitching wise, very similar story as they lose top 2 innings guys (180 innings) while returning everyone else. They get two familiar faces back, Grant Adler and Jace Miner, who both transfered out to Kansas and Oklahoma respectively and now are back in Wichita. Two surefire weekend arms. Adler was AAC newcomer pitcher of the year in 2023 with a 2era on Sundays. East Carolina has big time competition.
Operation get Hawaii an Aloha regional is underway. Rainbow Warriors have been pesky for quite some time and just can't stay alive for the full 56 game season. They are getting better every single year as depth has always been a concern. The main spotlight is they return Itsuki Takemoto, the reigning Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year. That's a big deal. Takemoto will lead a new, but talented pitching staff that will have a decent turnover as 'Bows lose Harrison Bodendorf to Oklahoma State and Alex Giroux to Miami. That about 150 good innings right there. They have quality bullpen arms returning and a potential weekend starter in Liam O'Brien coming in from Gonzaga. Offensively nothing off the charts but Jordan Donahue and Matt Miura will be a great core to build around. Hawaii should contend in the Big West, or at least get hot in May and punch a regional ticket.
James Madison is coming off their first regional appearance since 2011, losing to NC State in the regional final. They have slowly become a respectable threat in the Sun Belt the last few seasons. The 2025 campaign should hold some promise, but its going to take a lot of young guys stepping up in a big way. The Dukes, offensively, lose their 3 best hitters including Raleigh Regional legend Mike Mancini and also lose team leader in HRs, Jason Schiavone (63 HRs total out the door). Coming back, they have some good talent in Peifer, Dooley and Calabrese who all should play major roles. As a whole, this lineup will do enough damage to make some noise. On the bump, they lose their 'ace' Donovan Burke but bring back 200+ innings including Max Kuhle who should have a major break out season. The Dukes should contend this season kicking off with a 3 game set vs Florida State.
The 2024 Illinois State squad had their first season above .500 since their 2019 Louisville regional final team and look to make it 2 straight winning seasons. Redbirds have a quality core of returners including the duo of Judah Morris and Daniel Pacella, who bopped 26 HRs collectively. Pacella looks the part in being one of the best hitters in the conference. They lose a strong bat in Luke Lawrence to Kentucky, but seemlessly replace him with quality transfer Graham Mastros from Saint Louis. From a pitching standpoint, this staff was atrocious last season finishing with a 6+ team era and 250 walks across 475 innings. The optimistic part is they return nearly 400 of the 475 innings which should pay off experience wise. We are putting the Redbirds in the back end of this ranking as their pitching should only improve to go along with their strong lineup.
Xavier is coming off a meh 2024 season where they finished 4th in the Big East after a regional final appearance in 2023. The 2025 season should be a bounce back season for the Musketeers. At the plate, the boys should be firing on all cylcinders as they return 5 of their top 7 BA hitters and the HR leader Aedan Anderson (18 HR). Also, big fan of outfielder Isaac Wachsmann who could be a ultra mega sleeper candidate for Player of the Year in the Big East. He's 6'4 220 and only played 28 games last season after missing all of 2023 but hit .330 with 10 HR in 94 ABs. Pitching is where things are extremely unknown for the Musks as they lose nearly their whole staff from a year ago, nearly 400+ innings. They have a nice transfer in Joseph Chavana, coming from Trinity College where he put up pretty exceptional numbers.There are too many arms to count that either redshirted or were injured last season.
This Georgia Southern team might be the biggest wild card pick in this Top 25... either they are going to be really good or bad. The 2024 campaign was a roller coaster for the Eags, but in the end they were 3 outs away from punching their ticket to regionals in the Sun Belt title game. I think the 2025 team can be described in one word: Portal. Southern has 6 incoming transfers from Liberty, Ga Tech, Alabama, Louisville and South Carolina. They also had 11 players leave, including 3 to Ga Tech. On the mound, they lost their whole weekend rotation plus a long relief/spot starter, good for more than 300+ innings out the door. So pitching is a major question mark with some help coming in. At the dish, its a similar story but much more promising with some quality transfers coming in: Cam Foster, Nico Senese. My guess is Georgia Southern will be a middle of the pack Sun Belt team early on that needs to gell and will improve immensly as season rolls on.
Grand Canyon's continued emergence as a mid-major power has been exceptional to watch over the years as they have become a regular mainstay in the NCAA tournament. The 2024 team got spoon fed another postseason trip after Tarleton State won the WAC tournament (ineligible due to transition). The 2025 team doesn't scream anything exceptional on paper as the pitching staff and lineup both return about 50% of production. I think most coaches would love to take that situation each offseason and piece together the replacements. Lopes get Lyon, Mattison and Quinn back which all pitched pretty well last year (~180 innings combined). Add a few young freshman making positive strides and this staff will be just fine atop the WAC. Offensively, a similar story, but just lacks the starpower as we've seen in previous years. Zach Yorke is a fun player to watch when he gets ahold of the baseball. Lopes should be the WAC favorite for sure.
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