The DII baseball season is rolling, and just about every team has finally gotten a few games under their belts. We can now turn our attention to the first Power 10 rankings of the regular season, and much like the past three seasons, Tampa sits at No. 1.
DII baseball prep: 8 for Cary |
There are a few things we need to understand about DII baseball, as it is unlike any other DII sport, minus maybe DII softball. It is the longest season in both months played and number of games, so wins and losses have to be viewed differently. This isn't college football, where one loss could be a season-killer, nor should it be seen as an upset when an unranked team takes one win over a ranked team in a four-game series. Let’s zoom in on a few factors we often see that lead to confusion this time of year.
We are not yet in conference play. That means some teams are playing programs that will be somewhat "easier wins." Every year, there are quite a few teams that start off 5-0 or 6-0 and quickly become .500 teams by the time conference play opens. There is a saying in college football and college basketball that it is very hard to beat the same team three times in a single season. In DII baseball, you are playing the same team three or four times in a weekend series, so imagine how much harder that becomes. No DII baseball team is going to go undefeated — which happens in football and basketball more often — so while it may look nice early on, these power rankings look at the bigger picture.
Secondly, let’s face facts. It doesn’t matter how many coaches you speak to, or how much you dissect returners and transfers… preseason rankings are made off the previous year’s finish and potential of what you see on paper. Once the teams hit the field, things change, and change quickly, especially in the transfer portal era with so much newness on a year-to-year basis. Preseason rankings are important, but they are often hardly recognizable in DII baseball come April. Winning a series from a preseason-ranked team doesn’t necessarily make another team rise up the charts to No. 1; it just shows that they were perhaps under-ranked heading into the season.
As a reminder, the DII baseball Power 10 rankings are compiled by me, myself and I. There is no voting panel, and the selection committee has no input. It is an attempt to combine selection metrics with the eye test and produce a ranking that falls somewhere in between the coaches and media polls and regional rankings.
DII baseball Power 10 rankings through Feb. 15
No. 1 Tampa | Preseason: 1. The Spartans haven’t opened against the toughest schedule… but is there such a thing as a tough schedule for the Spartans? They are the benchmark of DII baseball — the program that makes other teams' schedules tough. This is the two-time defending champs. They are 8-0 to start the season, having outscored their opponents 79-14 thus far. There is really no more explanation needed here.
No. 2 UT Tyler | Preseason: 3. The Patriots made that historic run to Cary and returned so much talent that it seemed unlikely to see their momentum slow down this year. That has been accurate thus far, as UT Tyler is 8-1, opening the season with series wins against Lubbock Christian and Angelo State — the two teams expected to contend alongside the Patriots for the LSC crown. What makes this red-hot start wild is that their All-American double play combo, Tanner Hornback and Drew Schmidt, aren’t even at their best yet. That should put the rest of the LSC on red alert.
No. 3 North Greenville | Preseason: 4. The Trailblazers finally lost a game, closing the weekend with a surprising loss to King to move to 10-1 on the season. That is nothing to worry about and exactly the beast that DII baseball is: When you face the same team enough, sometimes the “upset” happens. North Greenville still won the series, and this lineup has looked very intense. CJ Dean (.511, 1.450 OPS, six doubles, four home runs) and Josh Foulks (.435, 1.313 OPS, five home runs) are machines, and the Trailblazers are hitting .345 as a team, having already scored 123 runs in 11 games.
No. 4 Central Missouri | Preseason: 2. The Mules are 8-2, but that doesn’t faze me at all. I remember in 2024 when they started 1-2 in the Houston Winter Invitational, and the polls dropped them out of the top 5. The Mules then went on a run and lost two games over the next two months. Central Missouri always has the talent, and they do now once again. Their starting rotation — Jack Scott, Greyson Chappel and Sawyer Allen — has a combined 1.17 ERA against a schedule that has a combined .636 winning percentage. If they can find someone to get the power going, they will be extremely hard to beat because they hit and run the bases very well.
No. 5 Catawba | Preseason: 9. A mere five teams in, and we already have our second appearance from the Southeast Region. The Indians have opened against a tough schedule (.667 winning percentage) and are 7-1, outscoring their opponents 61-21 over that span. First baseman Brandon Crabtree is red hot with four multi-hit performances in his last five games, and the starting pitching has been lights out with Colt Wilkins, Casey Gouge, Parker Lakey and Kemper Nix combining for a 1.23 ERA so far. The SAC should be a battle once again, and Catawba will be right in the middle of the hunt all season.
No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne | Preseason: First five out. Back to the Southeast Region we go. The Bears started just outside the Power 10 to open the season simply because of the many question marks they had, losing so many pieces from that record-setting lineup. Now, six games into the season are not long enough to say all questions have been answered, but a 5-1 start against Columbus State and Wingate — two tournament contenders on an annual basis — is easing the process. The reigning player of the year, Mackenzie Wainwright, has hit in every game and is currently slashing .400/.783/.480 with one home run and two stolen bases as he tries to replicate his 20/20 season from a year ago.
No. 7 Grand Valley State | Preseason: First five out. Entering the season, I had the Lakers as the team to beat in the Midwest. However, they were also just outside the Power 10 as Northwood — last year’s Midwest Region champs, which were returning a large portion of its roster — took the No. 8 spot. The Lakers opened the season this past weekend with a 3-1 series win over the Wolves, boosting themselves into their first-ever DII baseball Power 10 rankings. They won their first three games of the season by a combined score of 46-8 before dropping the series finale 7-1. Infielder Evan Morrison went 13-for-18 with three doubles, three triples, three stolen bases, three RBI and 10 runs scored. That’s some good hitting right there.
No. 8 Minnesota State | Preseason: 6. The Mavericks finally played some baseball this weekend and have one more Monday afternoon. They are 2-1, and there isn’t much concern about the one loss, considering it came by one run in 11 innings. They took two from the Midwest Region super regional regular UIndy at the MSSU Lion Classic, so they showed they can beat tournament competition right out of the gate. Once this team starts hitting, they will be tough to catch.
No. 9 Cal State Monterey Bay | Preseason: Just missed. The Otters, who seem like a lock every year for the West Region super regionals, showed exactly why through their first 11 games. Now 8-3, they have taken a series from nationally ranked Point Loma and defending West Region champions Northwest Nazarene. They have a lot more new faces than usual, but so far, they seem to be gelling. James Starkus is one of them, off to a scorching hot start hit .561 with a 1.485 OPS and three home runs, while right-handed starter Hayden Hall is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in three appearances.
No. 10 (tied) Pittsburg State, West Florida | Preseason: NR. Both the Argos and Gorillas had a ton of question marks coming into 2026. The Gorillas were hardly recognizable from last year’s 42-win team, right down to the new coaching staff. They have shown no ill effects, off to a 10-0 start, outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 139-20. The starting pitching and bats — especially who is hitting .528 with four home runs and 25 RBI already — are clicking.
The Argos have played three tough teams in Florida Southern, Rollins and Montevallo and are 7-2 to show for it. That’s a solid start. Infielder Zach Stokes could be a breakout performer this year, off to a .382 start with three home runs — the first three home runs of his four-year career. Colton Dorsey and Elijah Roberts have looked good in the starting rotation, which was a big hole that needed to be filled by the Argos.
Dropped out: East Stroudsburg, Florida Southern, Northwest Nazarene, Northwood
First five out (in alphabetical order)
- Angelo State. I get it. The Rams are an unflattering 6-3, losing their recent series against UT Tyler. Here’s an interesting fact to ponder: Despite losing the series to UT Tyler, the Rams outscored the Patriots 18-16. Angelo State is a hit or two away from being 8-1.
- Belmont Abbey. I watched this team up close against Shorter this weekend, and they can hit from the top of the lineup to the bottom. The Crusaders have scored 119 runs (14.9 per game) over their 7-1 start.
- Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks are off to a 6-2 start with player-of-the-year candidate Cameron Cartwright still out of the lineup due to injury. This team is showing it is deep with hitting and has a bullpen that can throw meaningful innings.
- North Georgia. This is an impressive start for a Nighthawks team that lost the core of its lineup of the last three seasons and its entire coaching staff entering the season. To start 10-1 with a series sweep of Mississippi College and split with Young Harris has the Nighthawks in a good spot for their bout with Lander this weekend.
- Point Loma. This spot was close between the Sea Lions and their PacWest rival, Westmont. An 8-3 start and some impressive starting pitching from their entire rotation have the Sea Lions just ahead… for now.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
