After months of summer leagues, fall ball and winter practices, the first pitch of the 2026 DII baseball season is just days away. Four 2025 DII baseball championship teams make up the six-team field at the 2026 Houston Winter Invitational, while defending champion Tampa heads to Georgia to open its season. It is those Spartans, in search of their 11th national championship, who sit atop the preseason Power 10.
HISTORY: Programs with the most DII baseball national championships
If you’re new to the DII baseball Power 10 rankings, or simply need a refresher, these are mine and mine alone. 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 rankings that fall somewhere in between the coaches and media polls and regional rankings. Since this is the preseason and there are no statistics or metrics, I contacted more than a 100 coaches to discuss the upcoming season.
The 2026 DII baseball preseason Power 10 rankings
Tampa Athletics
No. 1 Tampa. This is as easy a pick as it comes. Never mind the storied history of the program, let’s look at the last 10 years alone. The Spartans have won eight of 10 SSC championships. They have also won four national championships during that span, most recently winning consecutive titles to break the tie and become the winningest DII baseball championship team in history. Head coach Joe Urso has showed us time and time again that it doesn’t matter who returns; he is going to field a team that is super regional bound from Day 1…and likely even further than that.
The Spartans only return three players from their back-to-back championship run, headlined by Brayden Woodburn (.374/.494/.579 with 16 doubles and eight home runs last year), but bring in three big transfers (BJ Bailey, Clemson; Chase Richter, Arkansas State; and Jordan Evans, Mississippi College) that are not only talented, but have MLB potential. The Spartans reloaded with a massive transfer class and just enough experience to become the first three-peat in DII baseball history.
No. 2 Central Missouri. The Mules also lose quite a bit of talent, but so what? This team has won the last six MIAA regular-season championships and five of the last seven MIAA tournaments. They have two national runners-up campaigns over that span and have made it to Cary for the finals four times since 2019. The Mules return three nice bats from last year’s lineup, but they also return their two weekend starters in righties Jack Scott and Jack Kreisman, as well as Sawyer Allen, who went 7-1 with a 4.62 ERA and 1.40 WHIP making spot starts as a big bullpen arm in 2025. They have a huge test opening weekend as hosts of the Houston Winter Invitational (playing Rollins, North Greenville and Ashland). We’ve seen the Mules leave Houston with a losing record before, and heard all about how the sky is falling…however, it never has. The Mules are a prime contender for their third Central Region title in a row.
No. 3 UT Tyler. The Patriots did the unthinkable. They somehow snuck past Angelo State, the program that made four-straight trips to Cary, winning a national championship and runners-up in consecutive seasons. There is a very good chance the Patriots can do it again with the talent they have returning. Both Drew Schmit and Tanner Hornback return after hitting .410 with OPSes over 1.000 last year, combining for 40 doubles and 12 home runs with 136 runs scored. Connor Clark, Kaston Mason and Bryce Jewell are all back as well, and each better than .330 last year. They will be a bit unproven on the mound, but with some veterans, like Dylan Blomquist, and an intriguing transfer class, the Patriots may start slow but should finish strong.
No. 4 North Greenville. Since head coach Landon Powell took over the program 12 years ago, the Trailblazers have been a driving force in the Southeast Region, arguably DII baseball’s toughest region. Powell took over in 2015, one season removed from a dismal 8-win campaign and immediately won 29 games and the first Conference Carolinas tournament championship in program history, and it’s been non-stop success since. This team returns some pop in Josh Foulks and Thomas Powell, but they also return two of their best starters in Matty Brown (10-0, 2.24 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and nearly a strikeout per inning) and Brady Price (3.53 ERA and 1.18 WHIP) as well as Connor Brinson and Caleb Cox, who should make for a very difficult bullpen. Add in a monster transfer class littered with DI talent, and North Greenville should be right back in the hunt once again.
No. 5 East Stroudsburg. It was a historic season for the Warriors. They won their first Atlantic Region title, and while appearing in their first DII baseball championship finals, recorded their first-ever win in Cary…in memorable walk off, grand-slam style.
WALKOFF GRAND SLAM!! @ESUWarriors WIN!! #SCTop10 #D2bsb @PSACsports @NCAADII pic.twitter.com/koYSwGtYTa
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2) June 1, 2025
Now the PSAC is deep as usual. Millersville, Seton Hill, and even teams like West Chester and Slippery Rock are all contenders this year. However, the experience the Warriors return from last year’s powerhouse gives them an overwhelming edge. They do lose their big power bats, but return six players from that lineup, who all showed the ability to get the barrel on the ball. On the mound, the Warriors still have Ryan Dewes, Peyton Brannock and Ethan Woods who combined for 39 starts last season. Their bullpen was lights out in May and June last year, and a bulk of them return as well, although someone will have to step into elite closer Caden Parker’s role. The Warriors have the leadership and now, tournament experience, to be one of the best in the division this year.
No. 6 Minnesota State. This was really close between Northwest Nazarene and the Mavericks. What separates the two is that I believe Minnesota State plays in a tougher conference, so their resume is slightly more impressive. They return one of the best two-way players in DII in Louis Magers, who hit .319 with a 1.106 OPS and 20 home runs while going 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with a .1876 batting average against. The Mavs also return Sam George on the bump, who was 8-0 with a 2.97 ERA striking out a batter per inning. They get back a few bats too, but one of intrigue is Brandon Vlcko, who hit seven home runs in just 95 at bats last year. There is a lot of talent here to make a run in a very deep Central Region.
No. 7 Northwest Nazarene. And here are the Nighthawks, coming in at No. 7 after a finish in Cary a season ago. Now, NNU returns plenty; there are five back in their lineup and some experienced pitching, but its what the team lost in Nin Burns II, Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and Cole Calnon that stings. Still, the Nighthawks return their top hitter in Kaleb Karpstein (.383, 1.024 OPS) and a few others that should the ability to make contact and have modest pop. Pitching will be a challenge, but this offseason, they focused on depth, and that may be more than enough to capture another GNAC crown.
No. 8 Northwood. The Wolves had a historic season, finding their way to Cary. Now, the bar is raised to get back and win a game…and they have the talent to do it. Five members of the Wolves’ lineup is back, including Caden Duryea and Brendan Hammer who each hit over .300. The pitching depth will be a big factor as Jake Ickes (1.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) and Tyler Sager (3.61 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) are back in the rotation and Ada Wandzel (1.71 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) is back in the bullpen. The Midwest Region will be tricky at the top, but the Wolves get the preseason nod in the top 10 for now.
No. 9 Catawba. Catawba has been very good in a very tough region for the past few season. Head coach Jim Gantt enters his 30th season as head coach and is one of a small fraternity of DII coaches with more than 1,000 wins. This lineup certainly lost some pop, but returns six starters from last year’s lineup, which accounted for 21 of the team’s 45 home runs. The Indians lose three big-time starters on the mind, but do still have Casey Gouge, who posted a 3.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 16 starts and some very good bullpen arms. The SAC is going to be tough, but Catawba has the pieces to compete right off the bat.
No. 10 Florida Southern. This spot was VERY close between these Mocs, Angelo State and Colorado Mesa. What put the Mocs here were a few things. Head coach Rick O’Dette came in and, on the back of a huge transfer class, led one of the biggest turnarounds in all DII last year, improving from a sub-.500, 18-win team, to a 38-15-1 squad. He retained lightning quick Mikey Scott (.371, 1.062 OPS, nine home runs, 51 stolen bases), who was a player-of-the-year candidate last season in the outfield, and All-SSC ace Sachem Ramos. There are a lot of new transfers yet again, but we’ve seen this team can pull it together quickly.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
Angelo State. Don’t be fooled. Rams are still among the elite. It just feels like there are more new faces in San Angelo than there has been in a decade. This low ranking is more of a wait-and-see approach.
Colorado Mesa. Outfielder Cameron Cartwright is a player-of-the-year candidate and there doesn’t look like a team in the RMAC that can touch this roster.
Grand Valley State. A ton of returners including two-way star Jovan Gill make this the team to beat in the Midwest Region for me.
Lenoir-Rhyne. Much like Angelo State, Lenoir-Rhyne lost a ton of fire power from its record-setting home run barrage a year ago. Still, there could be enough to stay competitive in a stacked Southeast.
Point Loma. Point Loma is always a contender in the West Region, and the Sea Lions have more returners than Westmont, which gives them the slightest of edge in the preseason.
Just missed (in alphabetical order): Belmont Abbey, Cal State Monterey Bay, Millersville, Seton Hill, Westmont