Midwest Region
UIndy (No. 9, 5-2) remains the top-ranked team in the Midwest, showing early promise with a strong start. After splitting with Hillsdale, the Greyhounds took a dip in the rankings this week, but they are the reigning back-to-back Midwest Region champions and have recovered from early-season hiccups in each of the last two years. They are set for eight straight home games against Midwest Region opponents before jumping into GLVC play.
Easton Good has been more than just "good" to start the year. He is 10-for-19 at the plate with five extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored, a .526 batting average, and a 1.782 OPS through seven games.
Despite losing their closer, Maryville transfer Drake Downing has stepped up. Through three appearances, he has three saves for the Greyhounds and has yet to allow a hit.
Ashland (No. 17, 4-1) follows closely behind in the Midwest Region. The Eagles, sitting at 4-1, are preparing for a tough weekend in Tampa against No. 1-ranked Tampa, Minnesota-Crookston, and a strong Davenport team. Max Caron has started 8-for-18 (.444) with seven RBIs and five runs scored while posting a 1.232 OPS through five games. The pitching staff is expected to improve with proven arms like Cam Scott, Brendan Beaver, and Marshall Leishman despite slow starts on the mound.
With conference play approaching, expect teams like Maryville and Saginaw Valley (previously receiving votes) to challenge for positioning. The Saints (2-3) split a series with Saginaw Valley but then lost by just one run to Central Missouri in a midweek game. Ambrose Russo has four extra-base hits while hitting .389 through five games for MU. Ben Gregory is a proven arm for Maryville and showcases strong stuff in the rotation alongside Braden Smith. Saginaw Valley features a lot of new faces from last year’s record-setting squad, but head coach Adam Piotrowicz has the program trending in the right direction.
Other Midwest Region teams to watch:
Missouri S&T: Won a series against SBU and only lost by one run to nationally ranked Missouri Southern. Their lineup looks strong, led by Will Beckham’s 6-for-11 (.545) start. The Miners are hitting .321 as a team through four games.
Davenport: Off to a 6-1 start, with a deep pitching staff. They have upcoming games against No. 1 Tampa, ranked Ashland, UIndy, Central Missouri, and Quincy. James Geshel has been dominant, posting a 2.08 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP with 15 strikeouts and two complete games. The team’s 1.93 ERA makes them a team to watch in the GLIAC.
Cedarville: The Yellow Jackets (4-4) have pitched well early, with a 3.82 team ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Ford Duesing is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP over 13 innings, holding opponents to a .152 batting average.
Illinois Springfield (UIS): Off to a 3-5 start after a 1-3 weekend against Northwood. Known for power hitting, UIS has 13 home runs through eight games. Ty Hollandsworth is leading the charge, hitting .464 (13-for-28) with four homers and a 1.495 OPS. Pitching is a concern, with a 7.62 team ERA and 19 different arms used already.
Hillsdale: After getting swept by Lee, the Chargers turned heads by splitting with UIndy. They have scored 63 runs while hitting .304 through seven games.
William Jewell: Will McCombs is red-hot, hitting .550 (11-for-20) to start the season. The Cardinals also have big bats in Evan Jilbert and Jordan Phillips.
South Central Region
The South Central remains a powerhouse, led by Angelo State (No. 2, 14-2) and UT Tyler (No. 5, 14-2). The two top-five teams split a series in Tyler, Texas, earlier this month.
Angelo State leads the nation in batting average (.392), and the region as a whole is offense-heavy. Teams like Angelo, Lubbock Christian, CSU Pueblo, UT Tyler, Regis, and West Texas A&M are all top-20 in team batting average.
While offense dominates the league, Angelo State also boasts an elite pitching staff with a sub-3.00 ERA. Alizaeh Gutierrez is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA through four starts. Dax Dathe and Nick Wilson have already recorded 20+ strikeouts each.
St. Edward’s (No. 24, 14-3) has entered the rankings with a 10-game win streak. Kobe Jaramillo (4-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.68 WHIP) has 33 strikeouts and just four walks through four starts. A top-25 showdown with UT Tyler looms this weekend in Austin.
UT Tyler's offense is led by Drew Schmidt, who is hitting .482 (27-for-56) with eight extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. The Patriots have scored 140 runs through 16 games.
West Texas A&M (RV, 10-4) is on the verge of cracking the Top 25 after back-to-back LSC series wins.
Other South Central teams to watch:
Lubbock Christian: A 9-7 start is tough, but they’ve rebounded well after getting swept by UT Tyler. Brevin McCool is hitting .500 (30-for-60) with 11 home runs and a 1.853 OPS.
CSU Pueblo: Christian Castaneda is one of the most underrated players in D-II, hitting .455 with 12 extra-base hits through 16 games.
Colorado Mesa: A slow start in California is typical, but the Mavericks remain RMAC favorites.
Regis: The Rangers are 8-7,and have already hit 28 home runs this season (they had 61 last year through 57 games, and won 32 games). Adam Paniagua is a beast, already with 9 home runs as the All-American is itting .361 to begin the year with 23 RBI. Regis is going to be Mesa's biggest challenge in the RMAC.
East Region
Southern New Hampshire (No. 6, 4-1) holds the top spot, featuring a dominant rotation with Austin Trumpour, Franke DeMaro, and Jake Risedorf.
Molloy (RV, 3-1) is another team to watch. JC Kiss leads the Lions’ staff, which has a 1.91 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP through four games in total.
Jefferson turned heads by beating Arkansas Tech and Mississippi College at the Houston Winter Invitational and playing UCM close.
Pace has played just two games but dominated Bloomfield College to start the season.
Bentley (5-2) has impressive wins over Barry and Lynn. Stan DeMartinis is hitting .464 (13-for-28) with five home runs through seven games.
Atlantic Region
The PSAC dominates the Atlantic Region with West Chester (No. 11, 3-1), East Stroudsburg (No. 16, 6-0), Millersville (No. 20, 2-1), and Seton Hill (No. 22, 5-1) all ranked.
West Chester: Took three of four against Charleston. Julian Costa is a key arm for the Golden Rams.
East Stroudsburg: Off to a 6-0 start, led by Francisco Taveras, who is hitting .412 (8-for-17) with four extra-base hits.
Millersville: Hasn't played since an impressive series win over Wingate. Keegan Soltis and Matthew Williams anchor the offense. Jeff Sabater is the fastest man in D2 as well and off to a great start.
Seton Hill: Ian Korn and Jon McCullough lead a strong pitching staff.
Indiana (PA) dropped after a tough start to the season, but Steve Kline's squad is still going to be one to watch with Ricardo Aponte off to a hot start, a key piece in their run to Cary last season.
With conference play approaching, the next few weeks will determine the true contenders. Stay tuned for more D-II baseball coverage!
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