Records and rankings tell you who has won. Résumé tells you who can win.
Every season when the final regular season rankings are released the natural instinct is to point at the team sitting at number one and label them the favorite. That instinct is understandable — those programs have earned their place at the top of the table, and none of them should be dismissed.
Alas, college baseball has a way of humbling the polls when the bracket opens. The teams that survive the NCAA Tournament and the NAIA World Series are rarely the ones with the prettiest record — they are the ones who have been tested repeatedly by elite competition and passed those tests at the highest rate in the country. Winning streaks built against soft schedules tend to dissolve the moment the opponent is worth a damn.
In each of the three small-school divisions, there is a program that has quietly built the most credible postseason résumé in the field — not the best record, not the highest ranking, but the deepest body of work against the best competition. In Division II, that is North Greenville and West Chester. In Division III, that school is Denison, and in the NAIA, that team is Taylor. When the bracket is set and the games begin to matter, these are the programs that history and data say you should not want to face.
With the updated rankings, is a look at teams which aren’t at the top of the rankings, but have positioned themselves as the team to beat for the national title.
NCAA DII
| Rk. | NCAA | State | Record |
| 1 | Colorado Mesa Mavericks | CO | 45-4 |
| 2 | Tampa Spartans | FL | 37-8 |
| 3 | North Greenville Trailblazers | SC | 47-10 |
| 4 | Catawba Indians | NC | 43-9 |
| 5 | Texas Tyler Patriots | TX | 40-10 |
| 6 | Pittsburg State Gorillas | KS | 40-9 |
| 7 | Point Loma Sea Lions | CA | 41-10 |
| 8 | Seton Hill Griffins | PA | 41-8 |
| 9 | Grand Valley State Lakers | MI | 41-8 |
| 10 | West Chester Golden Rams | PA | 39-9 |
| 11 | Francis Marion Patriots | SC | 42-12 |
| 12 | Angelo State Rams | TX | 38-15 |
| 13 | Young Harris Mountain Lions | GA | 39-16 |
| 14 | East Stroudsburg Warriors | PA | 37-13 |
| 15 | North Georgia Nighthawks | GA | 41-12 |
| 16 | Minnesota State Mavericks | MN | 36-11 |
| 17 | Rollins Tars | FL | 32-13 |
| 18 | Belmont Abbey Crusaders | NC | 38-14 |
| 19 | Lenoir-Rhyne Bears | NC | 37-13-1 |
| 20 | Central Missouri Mules | MO | 34-14 |
| 21 | Augustana Vikings | SD | 37-13 |
| 22 | Wingate Bulldogs | NC | 37-16 |
| 23 | Cal State Monterey Bay Otters | CA | 36-14 |
| 24 | Rogers State Hillcats | OK | 38-12 |
| 25* | Wayne State Warriors | MI | 35-12 |
| 25* | West Florida Argos | FL | 38-13 |
When the final out was recorded at CaroMont Health Park last week, North Greenville found itself on the wrong end of a lopsided 13-0 run-rule loss to Young Harris in the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship — a result that dropped the Trailblazers from the top of the DII national rankings. Nevertheless, before anyone writes off the Trailblazers, it is worth stepping back and looking at what this program has built across the full season of play. The Trailblazers carry a 47-10 record into the postseason, and more importantly, they own the most impressive resume against elite competition of any team in Division II baseball. While they may not be the top team in the rankings, NGU should still be considered the team to beat in the postseason.
North Greenville’s 17-5 record against Top 50 RPI opponents is the best mark in the country — and it is not particularly close. The Trailblazers went 10-3 against Top 25 RPI programs, a body of work that includes wins over programs ranked among the best in the nation all season long. Compare that to Colorado Mesa, the current consensus number one team nationally. While the Mavs have the best record in DII (45-4) built on the backs of 17 and 24-game winning streaks, CMU has only played four games against Top 25 competition (each a home win over Augustana) and 9-3 combined against the Top 50. The team-formerly-known-as-the-Crusaders have simply played — and beaten — a far more demanding slate of opponents.
One bad week does not erase what this program accomplished from January through April. Young Harris beat North Greenville twice in the conference tournament, but the Trailblazers also notably swept the Mountain Lions earlier in Apil. They also won four elimination games, including one against Young Harris, to earn the opportunity to play for the conference championship after winning the regular season title.
Then there is the championship pedigree. North Greenville won the Division II National Championship in 2022, and their head coach Landon Powell knows what it takes to survive the NCAA Tournament and peak when it matters most. This is not a team that stumbled into a good record. This is a battle-tested, championship-caliber program with a coaching staff that has been here before.
The Trailblazers hit .326 as a team — an extraordinary number — led by a lineup that can hurt you in multiple ways. CJ Dean (.404, 16 HR, 72 RBI) has been one of the best hitters in all of Division II, combining elite contact with genuine power. Josh Foulks (.403, 21 HR, 80 RBI) has been even more productive in the middle of the order, slugging .771 and providing the kind of protection that makes this lineup nearly impossible to neutralize. Together, Dean and Foulks form the most dangerous 1-2 punch in the country.
Thomas Powell (.333, 73 runs scored, 16 stolen bases) sets the table at the top of the order with outstanding on-base skills and baserunning instincts, while Lane McGaha (.338, 14 HR) gives the Trailblazers a reliable presence at first base. The depth of this lineup — seven regulars with at least 100 at bats, hitting .314 or better — means there are no easy outs anywhere in the order.
The rotation is anchored by Bennett Roemer (7-0, 3.12 ERA), who has been dominant all season, and Matty Brown (8-3, 2.79 ERA). Both starters go deep into games and give the Trailblazers a chance to win every time they take the mound. Out of the bullpen, Thomas Skipper (4-1, 0.94 ERA) has been nearly untouchable in 26 appearances, and Caleb Cox (2-0, 2.36 ERA) provides a reliable second option. The staff has held opponents to a .256 batting average on the season.
Another team with a winning pedigree to watch out for is West Chester. WCU was unranked to start the season but recently entered the Top 10 after winning three of four against Millersville last week. The Golden Rams will certainly be one of the most dangerous teams in the postseason. Carrying a 37-9 record and the number two RPI in the country at 0.619, West Chester has quietly built one of the most complete resumes in Division II baseball — one highlighted by a 15-3 combined record against Top-50 RPI opponents, including a sterling 6-2 mark against some of the very best programs in the country as in addition to taking three games from the Marauders, they won three of four against East Stroudsburg back in late March.
Like North Greenville, West Chester’s credentials against elite competition set them apart from the field. While other programs have padded their records against lesser opponents, the Golden Rams have consistently risen to the occasion when facing the toughest competition. A 9-1 record against Top-26-to-50 RPI programs demonstrates depth of schedule performance that simply does not show up when you only look at the final standings.
Most importantly, West Chester has done this before – twice in fact. The Golden Rams claimed the Division II National Championship in 2017, going 44-11 that season. They also won the title in 2012. That is a program with two national championships, an experienced coaching staff with deep postseason experience, and players who understand what it takes to win in the NCAA Tournament. When the lights get brightest, West Chester knows how to perform.
The Golden Rams are built on balanced offensive production from top to bottom. Hunter Smith (.379, 6 HR, 48 RBI) has been the engine of the offense, posting a .481 on-base percentage while providing run-producing punch. Austin Stalker (.353, 10 HR, 48 RBI) provides power from the corner infield, and Caleb Strawhecker (.336, 8 HR) has been one of the most consistent performers in the PSAC all season. Carter Rust (.346, 21 stolen bases) brings speed and on-base ability at the top of the order, giving West Chester a dynamic leadoff presence that creates havoc on the basepaths.
West Chester hits .307 as a team — a strong mark — and draws walks at an impressive rate, with 207 base on balls as a team. The Golden Rams also committed just 39 errors on the season, reflecting a defense that takes care of the baseball and does not beat itself.
Julian Costa (9-2, 2.45 ERA) has been one of the best starting pitchers in Division II, completing four games and posting three shutouts in 11 starts. His ability to pitch deep into games — 66 innings in 11 starts — gives West Chester a genuine ace who can shut down any lineup in the country. Kyle Lazer (5-1, 3.78 ERA) has been a reliable number two option, and Luke Raho (4-2, 4.83 ERA) rounds out a rotation that has held opponents to a .268 batting average. Landen Rozich (3-1, 1.93 ERA) anchors a bullpen that has contributed 3 saves.
Colorado Mesa’s 24-game winning streak and 45-4 record are genuinely impressive — but the Mavericks have done it largely against weaker competition, going just 4-0 against Top-25 opponents and 9-3 against the Top 50. Point Loma’s 20-game winning streak tells a similar story. Winning streaks built against soft schedules tend to have a short shelf life in the NCAA Tournament.
NAIA
| Rk. | School | State | Record |
| 1 | Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies | GA | 46-6 |
| 2 | Taylor Trojans | IN | 49-5 |
| 3 | Cumberlands Patriots | KY | 46-8 |
| 4 | Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes | KS | 48-7 |
| 5 | Bellevue Bruins | NE | 48-4 |
| 6 | Johnson Royals | TN | 36-12 |
| 7 | Hope International Royals | CA | 37-13 |
| 8 | Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs | TN | 40-14 |
| 9 | LSU Shreveport Pilots | LA | 39-12 |
| 10 | Southeastern Fire | FL | 39-15 |
| 11 | Missouri Baptist Spartans | MO | 39-10 |
| 12 | Doane Tigers | NE | 44-9 |
| 13 | Lewis-Clark State Warriors | ID | 41-7 |
| 14 | Milligan Buffaloes | TN | 40-13 |
| 15 | Webber International Warriors | FL | 37-17 |
| 16 | Texas Wesleyan Rams | TX | 41-10 |
| 17 | Abraham Baldwin Stallions | GA | 39-15 |
| 18 | Loyola Wolf Pack | LA | 35-17 |
| 19 | Louisiana Christian Wildcats | LA | 35-13 |
| 20 | Concordia Bulldogs | NE | 37-16 |
| 21 | William Carey Crusaders | MS | 35-16 |
| 22 | Indiana Southeast Grenadiers | IN | 39-14 |
| 23 | Keiser Seahawks | FL | 35-17 |
| 24 | A&M Victoria Jaguars | TX | 33-14 |
| 25 | Mid-America Christian Evangels | OK | 36-13 |
Forty-nine wins. A run differential of +419. A 12-4 record against Top-25 RPI opponents and an 18-5 combined mark against the Top 50 — the best in all of NAIA baseball. By every meaningful measure of quality competition performance, Taylor University is the most battle-tested team in the country this spring, and the case for the Trojans as the outright favorite to cut down the nets at Harris Field in Lewiston comes down to one simple fact: no one has beaten better teams more often.
The Trojans carry the second highest RPI of 0.6229 into the postseason, just behind Bellevue who is boosted by their .922 winning percentage — but where Taylor separates itself is in the sheer volume and quality of elite wins. Their 12-4 record against Top-25 RPI programs is the most wins against top-tier competition of any NAIA team in the country – that mark would be even more impressive when it is noted that went 6-1 against St. Thomas and Madonna – teams that are #28 and #29 in NAIA RPI . Georgia Gwinnett is 6-3 against the same bracket. Southeastern Florida is 6-3. Lewis-Clark State is 7-3. None of them match the body of work Taylor has assembled.
The schedule sheet tells the full story. From the opening weekend in Arizona through the Crossroads League Tournament in May, Taylor has played — and beaten — the best competition the NAIA has to offer. Each of their five losses all came against opponents ranked in the top 30 of RPI, and three of those were decided by a single run. This is not a team that has built its record on a soft schedule. The Trojans have earned every win the hard way.
Taylor also enters the postseason with fresh momentum. In the Crossroads League Tournament, the Trojans beat Marian 3-2, throttled Huntington 12-2 in seven innings to set a new program record with 48 wins, then dropped a wild 10-9 game to Indiana Wesleyan before bouncing back immediately with a 12-11 comeback win in the same day. That kind of resilience — losing a one-run game and winning the next one just hours later — is the hallmark of a championship-caliber program.
Taylor hits .353 as a team and has scored 598 runs in 54 games — nearly 11 runs per contest. The offense starts with Jordan Malott (.389, 15 HR, 81 RBI), who has been the most productive run-producer on the roster, driving in 81 runs while posting a .531 on-base percentage. His combination of power, patience, and clutch production has made him the heart of this lineup all season. Brayden Manning (.426, 12 HR, 72 RBI) has been just as good if not better with a .510 on-base percentage and .708 slugging mark that ranks among the elite at any level. Fletcher Roemmich (.371, 79 runs scored) sets the table and gets on base at a .478 clip, while Luke Sutter (.361, 77 runs scored) provides a patient, disciplined presence in the middle of the order. Brennan Frickel (.388, 54 RBI) and Ben Kennedy (.373, 9 HR) add more thump, giving the Trojans a deep, balanced lineup with no obvious weak spots. Opponents have held Taylor’s team batting average below .300 exactly once this season.
The rotation has been a collective strength rather than a one-man show, with four starters posting competitive ERAs and the staff limiting opponents to a .242 batting average across 54 games. Brody Fine (8-0, 4.42 ERA) leads the staff in wins with a perfect record, going 15 starts deep into games all season. JT Tabor (8-1, 3.68 ERA) matches him in wins and has been the most consistent arm start-to-start. Wes Hunt (6-0, 3.42 ERA) has struck out 64 batters in 50 innings while going undefeated in 14 appearances including 13 starts.
Out of the bullpen, Jake Boyer (6-1, 5.82 ERA) has been the closer with 5 saves, while Nathan Frady (4-1, 3.27 ERA) provides a dependable long-relief option. The staff has limited opponents to zero extra-base hits in multiple games this season and has not allowed ten or more runs on the mound in any of the five losses — a sign that even the bad days have been manageable.
Taylor is not the only program entering the postseason with championship aspirations and a résumé built on elite competition wins. Top ranked Georgia Gwinnett (46-6, No. 3 RPI, 0.6077) and Southeastern Florida (39-15, No. 9 RPI) are both programs with recent national championship pedigree that have spent this spring beating the best the NAIA has to offer.
Georgia Gwinnett claimed the NAIA National Championship in 2021 and has been a World Series fixture ever since forever — the Grizzlies made their seventh consecutive appearance in Lewiston in 2025, reaching the semifinal round before falling to Southeastern. Their 17-3 combined record against Top-50 RPI opponents this season is the second best in the NAIA, and their 11-0 mark against the 26-50 bracket is simply remarkable. Georgia Gwinnett does not lose to teams in the middle tier of the NAIA, and that consistency across a long season is exactly what championship programs are built on.
Southeastern Florida won the national championship in 2018 and reached the title game in 2025 before falling to the historic LSU Shreveport squad that completed a 59-0 season. This year’s Fire squad is 39-15 — a more modest record — but their 22-10 combined mark against Top-50 opponents is the most games played against elite competition of any NAIA team in the report, and they are 6-3 against the Top 25. Southeastern has proven time and again that regular-season records do not define them in Lewiston.
Both Georgia Gwinnett and Southeastern represent genuine threats to Taylor at the NAIA World Series, but the Trojans have the better RPI, the deeper résumé against Top-25 programs, and a program that has spent all spring answering every question put in front of them. If Taylor earns a ticket back to Lewiston, the Trojans will arrive not as a hopefuls — but as the team everyone else has to beat.
NCAA DIII
| Rk. | School | State | Record |
| 1 | Lynchburg Hornets | VA | 33-4-1 |
| 2 | Denison Big Red | OH | 39-1 |
| 3 | UW-Whitewater Warhawks | WI | 35-3 |
| 4 | Endicott Gulls | MA | 32-8 |
| 5 | Salisbury Seagulls | MD | 31-9 |
| 6 | Salve Regina Seahawks | RI | 34-5 |
| 7 | Rowan Profs | NJ | 33-5 |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins Blue Jays | MD | 33-9 |
| 9 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags | CA | 29-11 |
| 10 | Kean Cougars | NJ | 29-12-1 |
| 11 | Cortland State Red Dragons | NY | 27-9-1 |
| 12 | Shenandoah Hornets | VA | 32-9 |
| 13 | Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets | OH | 29-9 |
| 14 | East Texas Baptist Tigers | TX | 35-10 |
| 15 | Tufts Jumbos | MA | 27-9 |
| 16 | Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens | CA | 29-13 |
| 17 | Belhaven Blazers | MS | 31-13 |
| 18 | Rhodes Lynx | TN | 27-13 |
| 19 | Bridgewater Eagles | VA | 32-11 |
| 20 | University of Chicago | IL | 27-13 |
| 21 | Adrian Bulldogs | MI | 28-10 |
| 22 | Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets | VA | 27-12 |
| 23 | Russell Sage Gators | NY | 33-5 |
| 24 | Washington Bears | MO | 28-11 |
| 25 | Transylvania Pioneers | KY | 26-12 |
Perfect Game has listed Denison as the number two team in Division III baseball for much of the spring, but the numbers tell a story that is hard to argue with: the Big Red deserve to be considered number one — and if anyone wants to put them there ahead of Lynchburg, it’s hard to argue against it. Denison is 39-1, haven’t lost since their second game of the season way back on February 21st and have earned the top RPI in all of D3 at 0.6674. They have not just beaten teams on their schedule — they have overwhelmed them, scoring 424 runs while allowing just 106 in 40 games, a run differential of +350 that works out to nearly nine runs per game.
Their one loss? A 4-1 defeat to Salisbury in the D3 Showcase in Greensboro — the second game of the season, before Denison had fully hit its stride. Since that day, the Big Red have won 38 consecutive games. They have not lost at home. They have not lost on the road. They have not lost in midweek games. They have simply won, over and over, against everyone placed in front of them.
What separates Denison from the field is not just the winning streak — it is who they have beaten along the way. The Big Red carry a 12-1 combined record against Top-50 RPI opponents, the best mark in all of Division III. They went 4-1 against Top-25 programs and a perfect 8-0 against teams ranked 26 through 50. That breadth of dominance against elite competition is what makes the case that Denison is not merely unbeaten — they are genuinely the best team in the country. Currently ranked teams who have suffered defeat to head coach Mike Deegan’s team include Baldwin Wallace, Transylvania and Adrian, as well as quality wins against Christopher Newport, Ohio Northern and Wittenberg.
The Big Red can win the close ones just as convincingly as the blowouts. In 38 wins, Denison has won 10 games by four runs or fewer — they are not just a team that piles on weaker opponents, they are a team that competes and finds ways to win when games are tight.
Denison hits .362 as a team — a staggering number — and they do it with genuine top-to-bottom depth. Jack Lutte (.477, 10 HR, 52 RBI) has been the best hitter in Division III baseball this spring, posting a .562 on-base percentage and an .883 slugging percentage that borders on historic. His ability to make consistent contact (only nine strikeouts in 111 at bats) while generating elite power production has made him the anchor of one of the most feared lineups in the country.
Erik Sundgren (.400, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 27 stolen bases) provides the engine at the top of the order — a true table-setter who gets on base at a .532 clip and causes havoc on the basepaths. Eron Vega (.406, 7 HR) hits for both average and power while handling the shortstop position with aplomb. Kelly Crittenberger (.382, 40 RBI) is a run-producer in the middle of the order, and Cade Nowik (.350, 35 RBI) rounds out a lineup where the nine-spot is more dangerous than the cleanup hitter on many D3 rosters.
Denison’s pitching staff has been equally dominant, posting a 2.38 team ERA and limiting opponents to a .228 batting average. Will Rettig (10-0, 2.30 ERA) has been the ace of the staff, going undefeated in 11 starts while striking out 56 batters in 62.2 innings. His 10-0 record with zero losses is the kind of performance that defines a championship rotation.
Robbie Lee (7-0, 1.76 ERA) is equally dominant as the number two starter, with 63 strikeouts in 51 innings. Andrew Montero (5-0, 1.77 ERA) has struck out 72 batters — the most on the staff — in just 40.2 innings, a pace that has opposing hitters completely lost. Cooper Marrs (4-0, 1.87 ERA) provides a formidable fourth option, and out of the bullpen, Devin Parker (3-1, 1.57 ERA, 4 saves) has shut the door in close games all season. This rotation has four pitchers with ERAs under 2.00. It is, simply, the best pitching staff in Division III.
Perfect Game’s top D3 team Lynchburg sits second in RPI at 0.6343 with a 33-4-1. The Hornets are 9-3 against Top-50 opponents and have not allowed 10 or more runs in a single game all season — a testament to their pitching depth. By any reasonable measure, these two programs stand above the rest of Division III baseball, and there is no wrong answer in debating which one deserves the top line.
But consider this: Denison’s RPI of 0.6674 is 33 points above Lynchburg’s 0.6343. The Big Red have played more games, beaten more Top-50 opponents (12-1 vs. 9-3), and their run differential per game (+8.75) is comparable to Lynchburg’s (+8.89) despite playing significantly more contests. Denison is 39-1. They have the top RPI in all of Division III. They have the best combined record against Top-50 competition in the country.