Welcome back, DII sports fans This week, there's a new No. 1 in the DII baseball Power 10 rankings and I'll break down the conference tournaments, so far.
⚾️ Central Missouri alone at the top of the DII baseball Power 10
The DII baseball regular season is beginning to wind down as many teams head to their conference tournaments this week. With a big series win over fellow Power-10-er Missouri Southern, Central Missouri has enough to jump into the No. 1 spot all by itself for the first time this season.
Although last week’s first regional rankings were alphabetical, I made some predictions on what the No. 1 seeds would look like if they were seeded. With this week’s second regional rankings officially numbered, let’s take a quick look at which teams I think the No. 1 seeds will be.
Atlantic: Millersville. They did split with East Stroudsburg but own the metrics over both the Warriors and red-hot West Chester with a tougher SOS and higher RPI. I expect the top four seeds to be all PSAC with the Marauders, East Stroudsburg, West Chester and Seton Hall all playing impressive ball.
Central: Central Missouri. This team is 43-6 against one of the toughest SOS in DII with the best offenses in the land. Missouri Southern, Arkansas Tech and Augustana (SD) should be right behind.
East: Southern New Hampshire. Simply put the East is the Penmen’s to lose every year, and with the top RPI by a wide margin and a winning record against winning teams, nothing changes for now.
Midwest: Maryville (MO). This seems like a region nobody wants to claim No. 1. Ashland was my pick last week and could still take the No. 1 spot but had a shaky week that won’t help its cause. Saginaw Valley State has a great RPI and a very good record against winning teams, which may merit them the top spot this week. But I think it’s Maryville, which took three of four from Drury — which could be No. 4 this week — this past weekend to boost their chances.
South: Tampa. The Spartans lost a game to Barry. Who cares? This team has been solid all year against a really tough schedule. This could change if Saint Leo, the likely No. 2, sweeps the Spartans this coming weekend, but I don’t see any team sweeping Tampa.
South Central: Lubbock Christian. I’m sticking with the Chaps for the second week in a row. They did nothing to hurt their chances in a sweep of Eastern New Mexico and split with both teams chasing them (West Texas A&M and Angelo State, both of which should be top four). Look for Colorado Mesa to land at No. 2 or 3.
Southeast: North Greenville. I can see myself being wrong here and Catawba, which will be at the very least No. 2, may take the top spot. However, Landon Powell has built a powerhouse and series losses by Mount Olive and Young Harris this past weekend only solidifies their top spot… for now. The Conference Carolinas tournament could mix things up.
West: Point Loma. Since taking the series from Cal State Monterey Bay — the potential No. 2 seed this week — early in the season, the Sea Lions made the West theirs to lose. And they have done nothing to lose it.
Weekly reminder: The Power 10 is just me, my spreadsheets and a whole mess of notes and what I’m seeing at games. Judging a team by wins and losses is not that easy in college baseball. This is a look at the current landscape, trying to combine the eye test with selection metrics like strength of schedule and in-region records.
The sixth 2024 DII baseball Power 10 of the 2024 season
(Games and stats through Sunday, April 28)
No. 1 Central Missouri | Previous: 1 (tied). Yes, the Mules lost a game this weekend, but it was to a top-10 team in Missouri Southern. They had the Lions down 6-0 until the eighth on Saturday and lost it — which says more about Missouri Southern. This team has the metrics and ridiculous offensive numbers to merit this spot.
No. 2 Tampa | Previous: 1 (tied). Tampa is just fine, and you can argue with me that since they are a little more well-balanced — not only is the Spartans’ offense very good, they lead DII in ERA and are second in WHIP — they should be No. 1 all by themselves and I’d listen. And yes, Tampa beat Central Missouri, but that was a long time ago. Hopefully, we see a rematch in Cary.
No. 3 North Greenville | Previous: 3. The Crusaders are heading into the stacked Conference Carolinas tournament on a seven-game winning streak. David “The Volcano” Lewis has hit in every one of those games with a home run in each of his last two games.
No. 4 Saint Leo| Previous: 5. The Lions are on a seven-game winning streak and tied atop the SSC with mighty Tampa. The stage is set for what should decide the conference with this coming weekend’s showdown in Tampa. Can Saint Leo’s lineup contend with Tampa’s elite arms, and can Saint Leo’s best pitchers keep Tampa’s high-octane offense off the bases?
No. 5 Point Loma | Previous: 4. The Sea Lions lost their regular-season finale but were rolling on an eight-game DII winning streak before that. Scott Anderson was on an absolute tear: The shortstop ran up a nine-game hitting streak with seven multi-hit games and seven home runs.
No. 6 Millersville | Previous: 8. Despite a rough couple of weekends in April, the Marauders bounced back with a four-game sweep of Shepherd this weekend. And rough weekends for Millersville are series splits — they still haven’t lost a weekend series all season. With East Stroudsburg losing a series to West Chester, the Marauders are alone atop the Atlantic.
No. 7 Lubbock Christian | Previous: 10. I don’t care if I am higher than most on Lubbock Christian. The Chaps are on a five-game winning streak, won their first Lone Star Conference regular-season title, and have hung with the heavyweights in the region. Angelo State is heating up, but for now, the South Central goes through Lubbock.
No. 8 Missouri Southern | Previous: 6. That gritty comeback against DII’s top team tells you what you need to know about this squad. They hung with the Mules in their two losses as well, so this team can compete. Henry Kusiak is still in beast mode, now hitting .391 with a 1.230 OPS and 13 home runs, one of which was the game-winner against Central Missouri.
No. 9 Catawba | Previous: The next 10. This team has done nothing but win, win, win all season long. Currently, on a five-game winning streak, the Indians have a great RPI, have dominated teams above .500, and have cruised to an impressive 37-12 record. They have some really fine hitters as well, so it will come down to, as it often does, pitching this May.
No. 10 (tie) Young Harris, Mount Olive | Previous: The next 10 for each. This will take some explaining. Yes, the Mountain Lions lost two to Belmont Abbey this past weekend, but here are the other teams considered for this spot: Ashland (lost three games this week); Augustana (SD) (lost its series to Minnesota State); and Angelo State or West Texas A&M (split with each other, canceling each other out). Take all that away, and here’s what you have: Young Harris and Mount Olive have both played a super tough schedule (their SOS is separated by .08 points) in arguably the toughest region in DII baseball, have the third and fourth-best RPI in said region, and both have winning records against .500 teams. Yes, Mount Olive won the season series, so it may wind up with a higher seeding, but I’m not sure at the present moment, that makes the Trojans that much “better” than the Mountain Lions.
The next 15 (in alphabetical order):
⚾️ Angelo State, Arkansas Tech, Ashland, Augustana (SD), Barton, Central Oklahoma, Charleston (WV), Colorado Mesa, East Stroudsburg, Lee, Maryville (MO), Seton Hill, Westmont, West Chester, West Texas A&M
👀 What Wayne's Watching 👀
BASEBALL SERIES OF THE WEEKEND: Saint Leo at Tampa, May 3-4
🏆 Conference tournaments keep rolling 🏆
⚾️ Baseball
CACC May 3-4
Conference Carolinas May 1-5
GAC May 3-4
GSC May 3-7
LSC May 3-5
MIAA May 3-5
Peach Belt May 3-5
SAC May 3-5
SIAC May 2-5
🥎 DII softball
CACC May 2-4
CCAA May 1-4
CIAA May 3-5
ECC May 2-4
GAC May 2-4
GLIAC May 2-5
GLVC May 2-5
G-MAC May 1-4
GNAC May 2-4
GSC May 1-4
LSC May 4-6
MEC May 1-4
MIAA May 1-5
NE10 May 2-4
NSIC May 1-4
PacWest May 1-3
Peach Belt May 4
PSAC May 1-4
RMAC May 2-4
SAC May 3-4
SIAC April 29-May 1
🥍 Men’s lacrosse conference semifinals and finals
CACC May 1, 5
ECC May 1, 4
GLVC May 2-4
G-MAC May 1, 4
NE10 May 1, 4
Peach Belt May 3, 5
🥍 Women’s lacrosse conference semifinals and finals
CACC May 2, 5
ECC May 2, 5
GLIAC May 3, 5
G-MAC May 2, 4
MEC May 1, 5
RMAC May 3, 5
🏃🏻Men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships 🏃🏽♂️
CACC May 4-5
CCAA May 2-4
CIAA May 3-4
ECC May 2
GAC May 1-3
GLIAC May 1-3
GLVC May 2-4
G-MAC May 1-3
GSC May 2-4
MEC April 30
MIAA May 3-5
NE10 May 3-4
PSAC May 3-5
SAC May 1-2
🎾 Men’s and women’s tennis
CACC (men’s only) April 30-May 1
GLVC May 3-5
MEC May 4-5
MIAA (men’s) 1-3 (women’s) May 3-5
NE10 (men’s) May 2-3
PSAC April 30 (women’s only) May 3-4 (men’s and women’s)
Stars of the Week:
Last week, I took a look at some of the most potent offenses in DII women’s lacrosse. Maryville (MO) remains atop the list, and the Saints’ Sydney Tiemann added to that dominance by becoming the all-time goal-scoring leader in DII history. Tiemann’s 311th goal in Friday’s GLVC semifinals broke the record of 310 set by Hunter Isnardi of Mercy in 2019. Tiemann has been on fire of late, scoring at least five goals in each of her last four games while adding a three and four-assist game into the mix. She now owns both the all-time scoring record and single-season scoring record, which she broke last year with 115.
The 2024 NFL Draft was a lonely place for DII football alum, but Mike Jerrell heard his name called on Day 3 when the Seattle Seahawks selected him 207th overall. Jerrell started 40 games for Findlay and really began to pick up steam after a successful pro day at Ohio State in March.
Aleese Angelo slugged her way to history for Millersville. In her final at-bat of her career, Angelo belted a home run, giving her No. 71, setting the school record by passing Brittany Smith’s 70 set in 2017. That run also tied Lindsay Hosier for most Marauder career runs scored with 141.
Speaking of home runs, when Sarah Brown hit her first career home run for Slippery Rock softball this past weekend, it was of historic proportions. It gave The Rock softball team 47 home runs on the season, a new mark for the program in a single season.
🏆 Conference champions crowned this past weekend 🏆
Softball:Conference Carolinas Francis Marion
Men’s lacrosse:
Conference Carolinas Mount Olive
SAC Lenoir-Rhyne
SSC Tampa
Women's lacrosse:
Conference Carolinas Mount Olive
GLVC UIndy
GSC Flagler
SAC Limestone
SSC Tampa
Track and field:
Conference Carolinas Mount Olive (M, W)
PacWest Azusa Pacific (M, W)
RMAC UCCS (M), Colorado School of Mines (W)
SIAC Benedict (M), Albany State (GA) (W)
Tennis:
CIAA Shaw (W)
Conference Carolinas Belmont Abbey (M), Erskine (W)
ECC Queens (NY) (M)
GAC Southeastern Oklahoma State (W)
GLIAC Ferris State (M), Wayne State (MI) (W)
G-MAC Tiffin (M, W)
GSC Valdosta State (M), Auburn Montgomery (W)
LSC UT Tyler (M), Cameron (W)
NSIC Augustana (SD) (W)
Peach Belt Flagler (M), North Georgia (W)
SSC Barry (M, W)
Men’s and women’s golf:
CCAA Cal State Monterey Bay (M); Cal State San Marcos (W)
GAC Henderson State (M); Henderson State (W)
GLVC UIndy (M, W)
G-MAC Findlay (M, W)
GNAC Western Washington (M); Simon Fraser (W)
GSC West Florida (M); West Florida (W)
LSC DBU (M, W)
MIAA Missouri Southern (M); Central Missouri (W)
NSIC Augustana (SD) (W)
PSAC Gannon (W)
RMAC Colorado Christian (M); CSU Pueblo (W)
SAC Lincoln Memorial (M); Anderson (SC) (W)
SIAC Miles (M)
SSC Barry (M); Saint Leo (W)
On the Radar
🏆 The 2024 DII Championships Festival (Spring), May 19-25: This includes men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, and softball. Visit the DII Festival hub.
🥍 DII men’s lacrosse championship, May 26.
🏟 DII baseball championship, June 1-8.
⚾️ 2024 MLB Draft, July 14.
Did I miss someone or something? It sure is possible. Don’t forget to drop me a line at Wayne.Cavadi@WBD.com and get your stars of the week in by every Monday.
