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Tampa Maintains No. 1 Spot in Latest Rankings; Florida Southern Surges into Top 10

Writer: Will Conerly Will Conerly


This week's D2 Baseball national rankings see little change at the top, as Tampa (13-2) holds firm at No. 1 following another strong week. The Spartans, representing the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), continue to set the standard in the South Region. They didn’t allow a run this past weekend and have recorded five shutouts in their last nine games. Reigning Pitcher of the Year Skylar Gonzalez is 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA through five starts. He has never lost a game, holding a 23-0 record through 28 career starts with Tampa.


Angelo State (17-3) remains at No. 2, leading the South Central Region and maintaining its position as the Lone Star Conference’s (LSC) top team. The Rams are hitting .400 as a team through 20 games.


Central Missouri (11-3) stays steady at No. 3, continuing its dominance in the Central Region and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). However, a shake-up occurred just below the top three, as UT Tyler (17-3) jumped to No. 4, swapping places with North Greenville (16-3), which now sits at No. 5 after dropping a series to Belmont Abbey.


One of the biggest movers this week is Florida Southern (14-2), vaulting from No. 13 to No. 6. The Mocs’ impressive stretch has solidified them as another SSC powerhouse and a serious contender in the South Region after an impressive sweep over a quality Barry team. After just 18 wins last season, Rick O’Dette has this program looking like a national contender again in year one as head coach.


East Stroudsburg (10-0) continues to rise, climbing to No. 9 after an undefeated start to the season. The Warriors boast a 2.13 team ERA and have a big series this weekend with Frostburg State, a team they faced in last year’s Atlantic Regional.


Meanwhile, Westmont (17-2) made a significant leap from No. 21 to No. 10, establishing itself as a premier team in the West Region. It’s hard to ignore a team on a 16-game win streak, and now fully eligible for the postseason, Westmont is set for one of the biggest West Region series of the year this weekend—a top-10 showdown with Point Loma.

Among the notable newcomers to the rankings, Minnesota State (8-0) enters at No. 18, boasting an unblemished record. The Mavericks opened the season with an impressive 8-0 week, hitting .331 with 11 home runs across their first eight games.


Mount Olive (13-5) also joins the rankings at No. 19, bolstering the Southeast Region’s depth. The Trojans swept Emmanuel, winning all three games in close fashion, including a 10th-inning walk-off to seal the series. With a relatively new squad this season, UMO is proving to be dangerous—especially when Jon Howard steps to the plate. The redshirt sophomore is having a breakout season, already tallying 20 RBIs and six home runs through 18 games after logging just 36 at-bats a year ago.


Several teams dropped out of the Top 25 this week, including UIndy and Arkansas-Monticello. The latter, however, remains on the radar as a receiving votes team. Other notable programs receiving votes include Nova Southeastern (11-6), Grand Valley State (8-2), and Rollins (12-4).


As conference play heats up, teams will continue to jockey for position in the rankings, with potential shake-ups on the horizon.


Rank

School

Conf

Region

record

Prev

1

Tampa

SSC

SOUTH

13-2

1

2

Angelo State

LSC

SOUTH CENTRAL

17-3

2

3

Central Missouri

MIAA

CENTRAL

11-3

3

4

UT Tyler

LSC

SOUTH CENTRAL

17-3

5

5

North Greenville

CC

SOUTHEAST

16-3

4

6

Florida Southern

SSC

SOUTH

14-2

13

7

Catawba

SAC

SOUTHEAST

13-5

7

8

Point Loma

PW

WEST

14-4

10

9

East Stroudsburg

PSAC

ATLANTIC

10-0

16

10

Westmont

PW

WEST

17-2

21

11

West Chester

PSAC

ATLANTIC

6-2

11

12

Lenoir-Rhyne

SAC

SOUTHEAST

14-3

12

13

Southern New Hampshire

NE10

EAST

4-2

6

14

Augustana

NSIC

CENTRAL

5-3

8

15

Harding

GAC

CENTRAL

16-2

15

16

Millersville

NSIC

CENTRAL

5-1

20

17

Chico State

CCAA

WEST

12-5

23

18

Minnesota State

NSIC

CENTRAL

8-0

NR

19

Mount Olive

CC

SOUTHEAST

13-5

NR

20

Delta State

GSC

SOUTH

13-5

19

21

Young Harris

CC

SOUTHEAST

12-6

15

22

Seton Hill

PSAC

ATLANTIC

6-2

22

23

Missouri Southern

MIAA

CENTRAL

10-5

12

24

St. Edward's

LSC

SOUTH CENTRAL

15-6

24

25

Ashland

G-MAC

MIDWEST

4-4

17

Rank

School

CONF

REGION

Record


RV

Arkansas-Monticello

GAC

CENTRAL

10-7


RV

Belmont Abbey

CC

SOUTHEAST

12-6


RV

Cal State San Bernardino

CCAA

WEST

12-6


RV

Carson-Newman

SAC

SOUTHEAST

14-4


RV

Central Oklahoma

MIAA

CENTRAL

12-4


RV

Grand Valley State

GLIAC

MIDWEST

8-2


RV

San Francisco State

CCAA

WEST

9-7


RV

Molloy

ECC

EAST

5-2


RV

Nova Southeastern

SSC

SOUTH

11-6


RV

Pittsburg State

MIAA

CENTRAL

11-3


RV

Rollins

SSC

SOUTH

12-4


RV

UNC Pembroke

CC

SOUTHEAST

13-5


RV

UVA Wise

SAC

SOUTHEAST

16-4


RV

Washburn

MIAA

CENTRAL

9-6


RV

West Texas A&M

LSC

SOUTH CENTRAL

13-5



 
 
 

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