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College  | Rankings  | 5/13/2015

DII, NAIA, DIII rankings: May 13

Nick Herfordt     
Photo: Franklin Pierce




May 6 Rankings

It’s been an absolute pleasure heading up the inaugural small school baseball rankings and weekly review this season for Perfect Game. The small school divisions are often overlooked and giving the schools, players and coaches at the D-II, NAIA and D-III levels some extra exposure has been a blast. I’m really glad that the folks at PG decided to increase their coverage and thankful that I’ve been a part of it. From seeing page hits and Twitter RT’s it seems like many of you are glad we’ve added to our arsenal as well.

The most popular aspect of the weekly small school review has been the rankings, but from here on out the decision as to who is the better team is now 100 percent out of the hands of pollsters and the media. Invitations to the extended postseason were handed out last week and the determination of who will be playing, when and where have been made.

Following are the final regular season rankings for the three small school divisions. Included with the final Top 25’s are the postseason regions for each of the three levels where the teams that will advance to play for the national championship will be determined. Although the rankings position often coincide with the best guess as to who will advance, that is not always the case. There are multiple instances where the highest ranked team isn’t the club projected to make it to the final bracket.


Rankings are based on games through Sunday, May 10.


NCAA Division II

Atlantic Region:

1. Mercyhurst
2. Millersville
3. Seton Hill
4. Winston Salem State
5. West Chester
6. West Virginia State

This is a difficult call to make because I’ve been extremely pro Seton Hill much of the season. I had the Griffs ranked No. 2 in the preseason and bumped them up to the No. 1 position for three weeks in the middle of the year. I’m still high the Griffs, especially the offense led by the tandem of Nick Sell and Pat McCarthy, but as good as they are my confidence level has been steadily waning. SHU has only been able to go 12-7 in their last 19 D-II games and the staff ERA has been slowly but steadily climbing.

Mercyhurst has the benefit of home field advantage, plus they have a great pitching tandem in Jon Klein and Colin McKee. Then again, I’ve been growning in my infatuation with Millersville the past month. They have a solid offense, and two phenomenal starting pitchers themselves in Chris Murphy and Brandon Miller. Plus the Marauders are riding a 13-game winning streak so momentum is definitely on their side.

This decision is tough. Its hard for three teams to be more equal than ‘Hurst, Millersville and SHU. With that being said, I’m gonna go with my gut and stick with the Griffs. I was big on them from day one so I’m going to ride that pick out.


Central Region:

1. St. Cloud State
2. Minnesota State
3. Emporia State
4. Southern Arkansas
5. Missouri Southern State
6. Henderson State

I’ve been a bit of doubting Thomas on SCSU all season long. They were pegged as my 22nd team in the preseason, but they’ve been nothing short of spectacular all year long. With a 50-3 record its hard not to give them the green light to advance to Cary, but their level of competition scares the bejesus out of me. Minnesota State is the only team they’ve played that I’d consider even to be a top 50 caliber club (apologies to Minnesota Duluth and Augustana who aren’t too shabby).

Emporia State and Southern Arkansas were both in the top 10 to start the season and MSU was ranked 11th. Thus, I’ve had high hopes for both those clubs from day one. ESU and SAU have underperformed a bit in my opinion, but both have had solid second half of the seasons which have kept me convinced they are Cary caliber.

Had it not been for their 1-2 performance in the NSIC tournament, I’d be picking the Mavs for another trip to Carolina without question. They’ve played a good non-conference schedule with wins over Grand Valley State, Drury, Ashland and Alderson Broaddus so I’m more comfortable with their level of play as opposed to SCSU. Nevertheless, I’m going with the home team in this one. Huskies for the win.


East Region:

1. Franklin Pierce
2. Stonehill
3. SNHU
4. Wilmington (DE)
5. Dowling
6. St. Thomas Aquinas

The Ravens by far. No question. Anyone else would be the equivalent of a Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson scenario.


Midwest Region:

1. Quincy
2. Grand Valley State
3. William Jewel
4. Truman State
5. Drury
6. Ashland

I’m not crazy about any of these clubs. If Trevecca Nazarene had received a bid I may be inclined to pick them over any of the six teams that are playing for the Midwest title.

GVSU started the season in my top 10 but quickly and nearly exponentially was removed from the rankings after a sluggish start. They’ve gotten their act together the second half of the season and look the the Lakers we’re used to seeing. With that being said I’m picking GVSU to return to Cary.


South Region:

1. West Alabama
2. Nova Southeastern
3. Tampa
4. Florida Tech
5. Lynn
6. Albany State

West Alabama has a huge advantage going into the tournament. They're playing on their home diamond and get a well below .500 Albany State baseball team in the first round. Like St. Cloud State, I’ve been slow to give West Alabama full credit because they haven’t have the strongest schedule this season. The GSC is down as a whole and the Tigers don’t have a single win over a team that is ranked or in the NCAAs (although Alabama-Huntsville is deserving of extended post season play).

Nova Southeastern on the other hand has played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. In addition to winning the Sunshine State title, arguably the best conference in D-II, the Sharks played a number of other top teams in their non-conference schedule. I’ve pegged NSU as the top team in D-II and am not going to change now.


Southeast Region:

1. Catawba
2. Mount Olive
3. North Georgia
4. Georgia College
5. Wingate
6. North Greenville

With three automatic bids given to teams that wouldn’t have made the field otherwise, it sent some extremely good teams home early. UNC Pembroke, Columbus State and Armstrong were all worthy of an extended postseason, but sadly there wasn’t enough room for all of them. If either CSU, a preseason top three pick of mine, or UNCP, one of the hardest hitting teams in the USA, were playing, I’d put my money on them. Alas they are not so another team must be chosen.

With that being said, I’m picking the team that others currently love to hate, Mount Olive, to make it to the final eight. The Spartans were a surprise choice to make the region as they were behind UNCP in every ranking headed up to the last week. UMO would love to take their at-large invite, turn it sideways, and stick it right up the keisters of their detractors by proving the selection committee made the right choice. The Trojans aren’t an underserving pick to be playing, just a surprising one. I had Mount Olive in my top five at the start of the season and I think they’re a solid choice to win the region.

Look out for Catawba though. They have some superstars in Craig Brooks and Will Albertson who are two of the top players in the land.


South Central Region:

1. Colorado Mesa
2. St. Edward’s
3. Angelo State
4. Colorado St Pueblo
5. West Texas A&M
6. St. Mary’s (TX)

I’m in awe of the year the Mavs have put together. They lost two incredible players following their runnerup finish at the D-II Championships last season and somehow got better. Despite being in an area known for thin air and home runs, CMU is getting it done with quality, but not overpowering, pitching. At the beginning of the season CMU went 8-2 against the likes of UCSD, Dixie State and Cal Baptist, all teams that are in the West Region. The Mavs also had a nice win against a quality NAIA opponent in Cal State San Marcos. With that being said, I’m going with Mesa to make back-to-back appearances in the D-II National Championships.


West Region:

1. Cal Poly Pomona
2. Azusa Pacific
3. Cal Baptist
4. Dixie State
5. UC San Diego
6. Point Loma

In what is sure to be a jinx, I’m going all in with the Broncos. While I’m not as confident as I am with Franklin Pierce, I feel good about the CPP.

The region as a whole has absolutely tip-top pitching. UCSD’s Justin Donatella is a beast and Azusa Pacific’s Josh Staumont is a freak of nature as well; both of them have been making batters look silly all year. What gives CPP the edge is their pair of aces in Ryan Olson and Cody Ponce. They have a combined 1.54 ERA with 126 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings with only 26 walks. Their third starter, the overlooked but equally appreciated Chris Powell, has a 2.10 ERA and has held opposition to a .186 batting average in a team leading 81 1/3 innings.

Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week
1 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks FL 38-11 0-0
2 2 Colorado Mesa Mavericks CO 47-7 4-1
3 3 Franklin Pierce Ravens NH 46-2 4-0
4 5 St. Cloud St. Huskies MN 51-3 4-0
5 11 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos CA 39-14 3-0
6 6 Tampa Spartans FL 35-13 0-0
7 7 West Alabama Tigers AL 40-9 2-0
8 8 Millersville Marauders PA 42-9 0-0
9 10 St. Edward's Hilltoppers TX 40-11 3-0
10 4 Minnesota State Mavericks MN 41-7 1-2
11 13 UNC Pembroke Braves NC 38-13 1-1
12 12 Seton Hill Griffins PA 42-11 0-0
13 9 Columbus St. Cougars GA 35-13 0-1
14 14 St. Mary's Rattlers TX 38-14 2-2
15 15 Mercyhurst Lakers PA 35-8 1-0
16 17 Emporia St. Hornets KS 39-14 3-1
17 20 Mount Olive Trojans NC 37-14 2-0
18 18 Lynn Fighting Knights FL 34-13-1 2-1
19 16 Alabama Huntsville Chargers AL 36-11-1 0-1
20 25 Southern Arkansas Muleriders AR 39-16 4-1
21 21 North Georgia Nighthawks GA 35-15 0-1
22 22 Catawba Indians NC 40-13 0-1
23 23 Florida Tech Panthers FL 36-11 0-0
24 24 Angelo State Rams TX 37-15 3-0
25 19 UC San Diego Tritons CA 33-19 1-2

Dropped out: None



NAIA

Bellevue Bracket:

1. Tabor
2. Bellevue
3. William Woods
4. Madonna
5. Mayville State

Up until the last week of the season I would have picked Tabor to win this bracket easily. The Bluejays had a tough schedule which proved they could compete with the best and finished the season with a brilliant 49-9 record and a fourth place finish in the national rankings. However, the fact that Bellevue played a tested schedule as well, gets to play at home (sorta of, the games aren’t being played on their regular home field) and are coming off the capture of the MCAC Tournament Championship makes me think the Bruins have a very good chance to move on as well. Not an easy choice at all, but I’m going with the Bruins to earn their 13th NAIA World Series appearance.


Daytona Bracket:

1. Auburn Montgomery
2. Embry-Riddle
3. Bryan
4. Southeastern
5. Rio Grande

Auburn Montgomery finished in the top 10 in the final NAIA coaches’ poll, but I’ve been hesitant to put them in the top 20. Embry-Riddle was a top 10 selection of mine but was an enigmatic team which racked up wins against top teams such as Bellevue, Tennessee Wesleyan, St. Thomas and St. Leo, but also had a spell in which they went 4-8 in the middle of the season. ERU and AUM played three times early in the season with the Eagles winning the series played in Alabama. Another close call, but I’m going with ERU because I have a son named Embry. It’s as good of a reason as any, isn’t it?


Grand Rapids Bracket:

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan
2. Davenport
3. Mount Vernon Nazarene
4. Peru State
5. Grand View

I want to pick Davenport because I have sweet spot for teams from the North, but I also have the sense to go for teams with high-powered offenses. OKWU, who never were ranked worse than sixth all season, lead the NAIA in total runs scored and placed fifth in batting average at .347. They also have a quality pitching staff that had a 3.14 ERA. I’m going with the Eagles to return to Lewiston for the second year in a row.


Kingsport Bracket:
1. Tennessee Wesleyan
2. Lindsey Wilson
3. Freed-Hardeman
4. LSU Alexandria
5. Judson

I regretted not putting Tennessee Wesleyan in the rankings sooner than I did. Four of their 10 losses this season were in their first six games so I was apprehensive about inserting them after their slow start. Since Match 16 the Bulldogs have gone 28-4 with a win over Lindsey Wilson, a pair of victories over Faulkner and three wins over Bryan. I’m still not super stoked about the Bulldogs, but I still think they have the moxie to win the Kingsport Bracket.


Lawrenceville Bracket:

1. Georgia Gwinnett
2. Westmont
3. St. Thomas
4. St. Catharine
5. Spring Arbor

St. Thomas has mixed it up with the best of the best. They earned their stripes in the Sun Conference and also went toe-to-toe with some top D-II teams such as Nova Southeastern and Lynn. Georgia Gwinnett has a bunch of wins, but aside from a midweek extra innings victory over Faulkner, and a one-run win over Cal State San Marcos, they don’t have any wins over teams currently ranked in the Top 25 (and CSUM was only a recent addition after winning two of three from the Grizzlies). I’m picking the Bobcats to win this region.


Montgomery Bracket:

1. Faulkner
2. Northwood
3. Campbellsville
4. Lyon
5. St. Francis

Faulkner was ranked No. 1 for part of the season and hasn’t been out of the top six all year. They have stumbled a little bit towards the end of the season, at least as compared to their start in which they went 28-3, but are still a formidable bunch. Their best competition to advance is Northwood, but the Seahawks’ stock has slipped a little bit towards the end of the season as well. I’m picking Faulkner to move on.


Oklahoma City Bracket:

1. Oklahoma City
2. Concordia
3. York
4. Missouri Baptist
5. Dakota Wesleyan

Oklahoma City is the top ranked team and should be the favorite to advance to the NAIA World Series for a 15th time - the second most of any school. However I’m picking my preseason No. 1 Missouri Baptist. The Spartans have been slighted almost all season long in the NAIA coaches’ poll and I have no idea why they are being overlooked. They finished the season in the top 10 in slugging percentage and 22nd in ERA behind some quality, draftable arms. They also play solid defense which helped them earn the eighth highest winning percentage in the NAIA. Oddly enough, of the top 20 teams in winning percentage only MBU and fellow American Midwest Conference mate Lyon are the only teams not in the official NAIA rankings. With that, I’m picking the Spartans to topple top-ranked OCU and earn their second NAIA World Series appearance in school history.


Santa Clarita Bracket:

1. The Master's
2. Northwestern Ohio
3. British Columbia
4. Vanguard
5. Cal State San Marcos

The Racers have been been a surprise all season. They were supposed to be good, but not great, which they’ve been. UNOH has a dangerous offense which finished in the top 10 in both batting average and stolen bases. The Master’s Mustangs play solid defense and have solid pitching which earned them a finish in the top 10 as the regular season came to a close. British Columbia was a darkhorse pick of mine at the start of the season but they’ve played few games against formidable opponents which makes them a tough team to gauge. I’m taking The Master’s to advance on their home field, but this is the pick I’m the least confident of in any of my selections.


Shawnee Bracket:

1. Oklahoma Baptist
2. LSU Shreveport
3. Sterling
4. Briar Cliff
5. MidAmerica Nazarene

Luckily for Oklahoma Baptist they are not in the same bracket as Oklahoma City. The Bison only lost six times during the entire season and half of those losses were to the Stars. The bad news for OBU is that they’ll have to compete with LSUS. The Pilots and the Bison have both spent the entire season in the top 10 and finished the year ranked second and third respectively. Picking a winner here is harder than choosing Haim or Feldman as my favorite Corey. In a coin flip decision I’m taking OBU. No, LSUS … No, … OBU. Wait … Nevermind, I’ll stick with OBU.
Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week
1 1 Oklahoma City Stars OK 43-11 2-0
2 2 LSU Shreveport Pilots LA 43-12 0-0
3 3 Oklahoma Baptist Bison OK 49-6 0-2
4 4 Tabor Bluejays KS 49-9 0-0
5 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles OK 46-12 0-0
6 6 Faulkner Eagles AL 45-13 0-0
7 7 Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies GA 47-12 2-2
8 8 Lewis-Clark State Warriors ID 41-11 0-0
9 9 The Master's Mustangs CA 42-12 0-0
10 10 Tennessee Wesleyan TN 43-10 4-0
12 11 Northwestern Ohio Racers OH 42-13 2-2
11 12 Missouri Baptist Spartans MO 41-11 3-0
13 13 Bellevue Bruins NE 44-13 0-0
14 14 Davenport Panthers MI 48-9 4-1
15 15 Northwood Seahawks FL 39-12 0-0
16 16 St. Thomas Bobcats FL 41-15 1-1
17 17 Concordia Warriors CA 44-15 0-0
18 18 Freed-Hardemann Lions TN 35-14 0-0
19 19 Mount Vernon Nazarene Cougars OH 37-10 2-2
20 20 Point Park Pioneers PA 37-13 0-0
21 21 LSU Alexandria Generals LA 38-14 0-0
22 22 Campbellsville Tigers KY 28-11 0-0
23 23 Lyon Scots AR 33-11 0-2
24 24 Auburn Montgomery AL 40-16 0-0
25 25 Embry-Riddle Eagles FL 36-17 1-0
25 25 Bryan Lions TN 42-16 3-1
25 25 Cal State San Marcos CA 36-15 2-1

Dropped out: None



NCAA Division III

Central Region:

Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Greenville
Webster
Carthage
Wartburg
Anderson (Ind.)

After an embarrassing loss to UW-Whitewater a few weeks ago, UWSP has been playing as good as anyone in the country and should win the region.


Mid-Atlantic Region:

Salisbury
Mitchell
Kean
Penn State-Perks
Johns Hopkins
Misericordia
Alvernia
Catholic

Salisbury and Kean should be the final two teams in this region. The Seagulls look better on paper, but I’m thinking the Cougars will be better on the diamond.


Mideast Region:
Frostburg State
Washington & Jefferson
Adrian
Shenandoah
Heidelberg
La Roche

One of the toughest regions to call. Gonna pull a name out a hat since I could see any of them winning. And the pick is … Heidelberg!


Midwest Region:

Saint John's (Minn.)
Coe
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Ripon
Washington-St. Louis
Concordia Chicago
Wisconsin-La Crosse
St. Scholastica

Going all in for the defending champs to get a chance to defend their title. UWW all the way.


New England Region:

Salem State
MIT
Southern Maine
Suffolk
Ramapo
Castleton
Wesleyan (Conn.)
Curry

Southern Maine is my choice. Thought about Wesleyan for a second but I like the cut of the Huskies’ jib.


New York Region:

Oswego State
Amherst
Cortland State
Oberlin
Keystone
Rensselaer
Baldwin Wallace
Old Westbury

Top-ranked Cortland State and 10th-positioned Baldwin Wallace both ended their season with losses. One of them won’t end regional play that way. Going with the Red Dragons.


South Region:

Rhodes
Methodist
Pacific Lutheran
Emory
Birmingham Southern
Marietta

I like Emory, Rhodes and Birmingham Southern a ton. Hate to see any of them lose. Emory was my top pick to start the season so I’ll stick with them.


West Region:

Texas-Tyler
La Verne
Linfield
Trinity (TX)
Millsaps
Whitworth

I still can’t believe Concordia (Texas) didn’t make it. In their absence I’ll go with Linfield and their highly-touted ace Chris Haddeland.


Rk. Prev. School ST Record Week
1 1 Cortland State Red Dragons NY 36-4 0-1
2 7 Salisbury Seagulls MD 29-4-1 2-0
3 5 Frostburg State Bobcats MD 37-6 2-1
4 4 Rhodes Lynx TN 32-11 0-0
5 12 UW-Stevens Point Pointers WI 31-12 4-1
6 6 Shenandoah Hornets VA 27-8-1 0-0
7 10 Kean Cougars NJ 34-10 2-0
8 8 Birmingham-Southern Panthers AL 34-10-1 0-0
9 3 UW-Whitewater Warhawks WI 33-9 3-2
10 2 Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets OH 31-10 0-2
11 11 Emory Eagles GA 26-12 0-0
12 13 Southern Maine Huskies MA 31-13 4-1
13 18 Washington Bears MO 33-14 3-0
14 25 Tyler Texas Patriots TX 34-10 4-0
15 14 Webster Gorloks MO 30-13 1-2
16 16 Linfield Wildcats OR 30-13 0-0
17 9 Concordia Tornados TX 31-12 2-2
18 17 Cal Lutheran Kingsmen CA 32-12 0-0
19 20 Rowan Profs NJ 25-14 2-0
20 19 Heidelberg Princes OH 31-12 2-2
21 21 Pacific Lutheran Lutes WA 30-12 0-0
22 22 Methodist Monarchs NC 32-8 0-0
23 23 Trinity Tigers TX 33-12 0-0
24 25 La Roche Redhawks PA 30-11 5-1
25 25 Wesleyan Cardinals CT 28-9 3-1
25 15 Wooster Fighting Scots OH 36-9 3-2

Dropped out: Tufts Jumbos (24)
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