The 2026 DII baseball season has sprung. Tampa is off to a 2-0 start and North Greenville downed Central Missouri at the Houston Winter Invitational in a top 10 matchup and perhaps a preview of Cary, North Carolina. All three are certainly in the conversation as contenders to win their respective regions.
DII baseball prep:Â The preseason Power 10Â |Â Bracket, conference previews
DII baseball is the longest season, which makes preseason predictions somewhat a preposterous idea. And that is why we do it. There is so much baseball to be played, so a lot can change over the course of five months. Below are some early projections of what the final eight could look like in Cary this June.Â
8 for Cary
East Stroudsburg Athletics
Atlantic Region: East Stroudsburg. The Warriors made program history, making it to Cary last season. Repeating in the Atlantic is no easy task; there hasn’t been a repeat run to the finals since Mercyhurst in 2018-19. East Stroudsburg returns a whopping 74 percent of last year’s roster. The Warriors lose some of their pop in the lineup, but they do return Ryan Dewees, Peyton Brannock and Ethan Woods, who made 39 starts for the Warriors on weekend play. And while they do lose their top two home run hitters, Shanley Wall and Parker Frey are big pieces in that lineup, each capable of hitting over .320 and reaching double-digit home runs.
In the mix: Millersville, West Chester
Central Missouri Athletics
Central Region: Central Missouri. This was really a close race between Minnesota State and the Mules. You can look at it and say Central Missouri loses so much experience, how can the Mules be the pick out of the Central? Well, the Mules always lose a ton of talent because they are a powerhouse that attracts high-end talent. The Mules, not Tampa, have the most wins in the 2000s with 919 and over the past five seasons of the post-COVID era, they have been to Cary three times with a pair of national runners-up campaigns mixed in. This program simply wins, and let’s not be too hard on them. They return 44 percent of their roster, with experienced veterans in pitchers Jack Scott, Jack Kreisman and Sawyer Allen, and we know they will hit. The Mavericks will be difficult, but only return 35 percent of their roster… albeit two-way star Louis Magers and pitcher Sam George are two of the very best in DII.
In the mix: Harding, Minnesota State
Bentley Athletics
East Region: Bentley. Welcome to the East Region, which may be as much a wild card as any in DII. This is typically Southern New Hampshire territory; from 2018 to 2024, the Penmen didn’t simply make the tournament, they made it to Cary five times in six tries. That streak was snapped by Felician last year, which must be considered a contender, but I think Bentley may get the early season nod. They return 80 percent of their roster from a year ago, and that includes .411 hitter Brendan Sencaj and arguably the NE10’s two best pitchers in Pat Herber and Zach Eigenbrod. It is also hard to envision two years in a row without the Penmen in Cary, so we’ll see how this region unfolds.
In the mix: Felician, Molloy, Southern New Hampshire
Grand Valley State Athletics
Midwest Region: Grand Valley State. The Midwest is, like the East, a bit of a conundrum. Going back 10 years, there is a smorgasbord of teams that have made it from Ashland, Southern Indiana, UIndy, Illinois Springfield, Trevecca Nazarene, Quincy, and last year, Northwood. Now, Northwood is actually loaded once again, but there seems to be something special about this Grand Valley State team. It returns 59 percent of the roster, but it’s who returns that is important. Sixty-seven percent of their offensive production is back in a region where pitching comes at a premium, and Jovan Gill is one of the better two-way players in DII and is part of a staff returning two weekend starters in Collin Bradley and Owen Avery. This could be the Lakers’ year to break through to Cary.
In the mix: UIndy, Northwood
Tampa Athletics
South Region: Tampa. If you don’t understand this pick, welcome to DII baseball. The Spartans are looking for a three-peat in 2026, trying to become the first team in DII baseball history to do so. Tampa has 10 national championships and head coach Joe Urso has led the Spartans to seven of them, while winning an eighth as a player in 1990. The Spartans are returning less than 20 percent of their roster, but a team doesn’t win seven national championships in 20 years with the same players. Urso is a recruiting master, able to get impact transfer classes and restructure lineups and rotations on the fly. Rollins, Florida Southern and West Florida are going to be very tough this year, but Tampa is the team to beat.
In the mix: Florida Southern, Rollins, West Florida
North Greenville Athletics
Southeast Region: North Greenville. If you had any questions about how good the Trailblazers are, look what they did to preseason No. 2 Central Missouri in Houston on opening weekend. The ‘Blazers used an eight-run fifth inning to take down the Mules 15-4. CJ Dean, Josh Foulks and Lane McGaha have the makings of another terrifying heart of the order for opposing pitchers. Matty Brown may be the best pitcher in DII. This is the deepest, toughest region, and there are probably five contenders with real chances to make it to Cary. However, for now, it looks like a return trip to Cary for North Greenville, who was last there in back-to-back seasons in 2022-23.
In the mix: Belmont Abbey, Catawba, Carson-Newman, Francis Marion, Lenoir-Rhyne
UT Tyler Athletics
South Central Region: UT Tyler. This is a tough region to project. For one, it is way too small, so there will be snubs aplenty that deserve a chance to play for a trip to Cary. Angelo State has been the kings of Cary here, reaching the DII finals in 2016 and then 2021-24 over the past decade. But the Patriots broke through last year, and they return a lot of the big talent that got them to Cary. A pair of .400 hitter in preseason All Americans Drew Schmidt and Tanner Hornback may make up the best double-play combo in DII. The starting rotation takes a hit, but they do have experienced starters like Dylan Blomquist back as well. This looks like a tight, three-team race between Colorado Mesa, Angelo State and the Patriots, and for now, UT Tyler, with those important pieces back, have the early upper hand.
In the mix:Â Angelo State, Colorado Mesa
Cal State Monterey Bay Athletics
West Region: Cal State Monterey Bat. The Wild West could be just that once again. Northwest Nazarene, last year’s West Region champs, do return quite a bit of talent, but the Nighthawks lose arguably their four best players from a year ago. Point Loma and Westmont are always going to be in the mix. But maybe this is the year of the Otters. The Otters have made the West Region super regionals three years in a row but simply stalled out all three times. They made a statement on opening weekend taking two of three from Point Loma, so perhaps 2026 is going to be the ultimate revenge tour. The Otters take a hit in the rotation, but so do many of the teams in the West. It is a relatively level field, which will make this region interesting.
In the mix:Â Chico State, Jessup, Northwest Nazarene, Point Loma, Westmont