Finally. First pitch of the 2025 DII baseball championship is on Thursday, May 15. Nearly four months of baseball has culminated in 56 teams that filled the bracket 鈥 all with one goal.
Cary or bust.
Before the first pitch is thrown, let's take a look at each region and the team to beat, the one to watch and some additional tidbits you'll want to keep an eye on over the next few days.
DII BASEBALL 2025
馃弳&苍产蝉辫;Follow the tournament
馃搳&苍产蝉辫;The previous Power 10
馃敟&苍产蝉辫;Kings of the hill: Breaking down some of DII baseball's best pitchers
馃敭&苍产蝉辫;Wayne's way-too-early guesses on the eight for Cary
馃弳&苍产蝉辫;Tampa looks to set the record for most DII baseball championships
The 2025 DII baseball bracket: A region-by-region look
Atlantic
Team to beat: Millersville. The Marauders lost two games in a row all season 鈥 and that was back on March 8. Since then they are 35-5 with a win over the East No. 1 Jefferson, a 3-1 series win over West Chester, a sweep of East Stroudsburg and a PSAC tournament championship victory over Cal (PA). Those are all tournament teams. Millersville hasn't simply been piling up wins 鈥 the Marauders have been winning meaningful ball games since March with relative ease.
Team to watch: Seton Hill. It is pretty simple with the Griffins. With Ian Korn and Jon McCullough 鈥 who are not simply two of the best pitchers in the Atlantic Region, but ALL DII baseball 鈥 the Griffins are built for short tournament series. They'll need a few bats to remain steady, but if those two can pitch how they have all season, it could be trouble.
Going deep: Since I began covering DII baseball in 2015, not one MEC team has snuck through to Cary. Most of the Atlantic champions have been Millersville (twice), West Chester (twice) and now-DI Mercyhurst (thrice). Fairmont State, the lone MEC representative, wasn't even in the regional rankings and snuck through with a 27-26 record as runners-up in the MEC championship series (winner Point Park was ineligible due to its transition year into DII). Expect the PSAC's run of dominance to continue.
Central
Team to beat: Central Missouri. I know what you're thinking. Central Missouri got bounced early in the MIAA tournament, and Minnesota State, which has had the best record in DII baseball since first pitch, won the NSIC. However, I am going with the Mules because the MIAA was much trickier than the NSIC this season 鈥 and their SoS (.540) compared to the Mavericks (.493) reinforces that. Central Missouri simply has a big offense and feels more battle tested... and has a huge chip on its shoulder.
Team to watch: Arkansas Tech. For those of you youngsters out there, there is a movie called "The Natural" in which Roy Hobbs becomes a mythical icon using a bat he called Wonderboy. So, naturally, in the postseason, when a flare for the dramatics is a requirement, we need to hone in on the Wonder Boys. The Wonder Boys have dominated the regular season, winning three of the past four GAC regular-season titles. Now they are back in the Central Region tournament and look to fare better than last year's two-and-out performance. One of these GAC teams seem destined for the super regionals, so keep an eye on all of them.
Going deep: This is a region typically dominated by the MIAA and NSIC, so to see a conference-record four GAC teams shows there may be a changing of the guard. To dig a little deeper, the first team out (by my calculations) was a fifth GAC team in Southern Arkansas. Now, all four GAC teams are the lower seeds in this region, so it would take an upset run, but all four are capable of pulling it off and breaking through to Cary.
East
Team to beat: Pace. Maybe this is a little crazy, saying the No. 6 seed is the team to beat here, but the Setters have one of the best pitching staffs in DII. They enter the tournament with a 3.79 team ERA (6th-best in DII) and a 1.39 WHIP (No. 16 in DII). This is the time of year where pitching really shines, and I think that gives Pace a real edge in a region where anything can happen.
Team to watch: Wilmington (DE). It's not how you start, but how you finish. The Wildcats scored 14 runs to defeat Goldey-Beacom in the CACC tournament. Then they dropped 22 on No. 1 seeded Dominican (NY), essentially bumping it from the DII bracket, and then two days later dropped 20 runs on Felician after bumping the No. 1 seed in the East Region (Jefferson) 5-2. Those are significant wins against half this region.
Going deep: Well, if there is any region that is completely wide open, it is the East Region. Southern New Hampshire is out, and the Penmen had been to Cary four years in a row. The team that made it to Cary before the Penmen's four-year run of East titles? That was New York Tech 鈥 a program that doesn't even exist anymore. Before NYT? Oh yeah, it was the Penmen. Every single team, right down to No. 7 seed Molloy, is a threat to win it all here.
Midwest
Team to beat: Grand Valley State. The Lakers were my pick for the Midwest Region before the season began, so I am not going to change my tune now. The problem is that Davenport 鈥 鈥 has exceeded those expectations and is very good. The Panthers have also dominated the season series between the two, including a win in the GLIAC tournament. That's why I feel like something has to give and all of that talent on this GVSU roster comes together when it matters most. Ultimately, GVSU has three dominant pitchers that set them up perfectly for tournament-style play, as long as they execute.
Team to watch: UIndy. The Greyhounds are sitting in the No. 4 seed, so they may be coming in under the radar. Let's not forget, this program has been to Cary in back-to-back years. Though many of the faces from those two teams are gone, the winning culture is obviously still there. UIndy looked dead in the water coming out of the gate, but a strong second half has them right back in the mix.
Going deep: If you like a good storyline, keep an eye on the Ashland Eagles. It's been awhile since Ashland reached the finals 鈥 2019 to be precise, but the Eagles were arguably the best hitting team in the conference, leading in batting average, OPS and runs scored. Reaching Cary would be the cherry on top for coach John Schaly, who set the DII record for wins the year.
South
Team to beat: Tampa. Do I need to give any reasons for this pick? The South is a gauntlet, and Tampa is not a lock for Cary, but the defending champs sure are good. They were pretty much No. 1 in every meaningful selection metric and played one of the toughest schedules in all DII. They have one of the best pitching staffs in DII and a player-of-the-year candidate in Jordan Williams. This team is locked in and ready to repeat.
Team to watch: Florida Southern. The Mocs are one of the biggest turnarounds in DII baseball, doubling their 2024 win total (18) this season. They edged out the Argos for the No. 2 host seed because they opened the season with a series win over a then-nationally ranked West Florida. The Mocs have a deep pitching staff and are one of the fastest teams in DII baseball with three players with more than 40 stolen bases. That leads to a lot of runs and creates prime hitting opportunities for some of their big bats.
Going deep: Tampa and Florida Southern are tied for the most national championships in DII baseball history with nine apiece. These two could be heading for a super regional showdown, which would be one of the best storylines of the entire season.
Southeast
Team to beat: Catawba. The Indians won the Southeast Region last year and enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed 鈥 and until someone dethrones them, that earns them the right to be the team to beat in the toughest region in DII baseball. They also enter the tournament with a ton of momentum, having won 12 in a row, including three against Lenoir-Rhyne, with that veteran pitching staff stifling one of the best lineups in DII.
Team to watch: Everyone else. It's not a cop out. North Greenville is just a couple years removed from a national championship. Lenoir-Rhyne has one of the most power-happy lineups outside of Grand Junction, Colorado that we have seen in a while. North Georgia has Andrews Opata and a team playing for their head coach Tom Cantrell, who is in his final season. Belmont Abbey has quietly been one of the best teams all season. The list goes on and on.
Going deep: Why do I always insist that the Southeast Region is the best in DII baseball? Since 2021, they have produced two national champions (Wingate in 2021 and North Greenville in 2022). The past two seasons have seen North Greenville and Catawba reach the semifinals of the tournament. There are teams like Francis Marion (a 40-win program), UNC Pembroke and Mount Olive not even in the tournament. This is a conference that has been 10-15 teams deep in tournament contenders for five years now, and it doesn't look like it is going to change any time soon.
South Central
Team to beat: Angelo State. The last time the Rams weren't in Cary was 2019. They haven't simply gone to the finals four years in a row 鈥 they reached the semifinals in 2021, won it all in 2023, and are the reigning national runner-up. The have the highest batting average and fourth-most runs scored per game in DII and a pitching staff that knows how to shine in big moments. Are the Rams beatable? Absolutely: Lubbock Christian and UT Tyler both showed they can hang with the LSC's best. But until someone does it when it matters, the South Central is Rams territory.
Team to watch: Colorado Mesa. Don't think for one second I don't know how good UT Tyler is. Way back in . UT Tyler is going to be a tough out, and quite honestly, should make the super regional. But the Mavericks are always a team to watch in this part of the region. The Mavericks started the season 4-6 before going on a romp through the RMAC and per usual have a potent offense hitting .360 with 95 home runs and 588 runs scored. If anything, you watch for the home runs.
Going deep: The South Central is a small region, but it is arguably going to be one of the toughest to survive. Whichever team's pitching staff shows up is going to win. Five of the six teams are in the top 12 of scoring in DII: Colorado Mesa is No. 2, Angelo State is No. 4, MSU Denver is No. 5, Lubbock Christian is No. 6 and UT Tyler is No. 12.
West
Team to beat: Cal State Monterey Bay. The Otters were my pick in January, and let me tell you, it looked like I was way off for a little bit. But the Otters righted the ship, won their third-straight CCAA title and look to head to their third-straight West super regional series. They have an extremely balanced and experienced lineup and should be considered a real threat despite being the No. 3 seed.
Team to watch: San Francisco State. , "San Francisco State makes some noise in the CCAA鈥 and beyond. The Gators return all three weekend starters and five of their six top hitters from a season ago." San Francisco State was likely the last team into the tournament, and beating Chico State to advance to the CCAA championship game was what probably punched its ticket. Of course, the bigger story here is this is the last hurrah for the Gators. With the program ending this year, San Francisco State making its way to Cary would be a storybook way to fare thee well.
Going deep. There were certainly some surprises in this part of the bracket. MSU Billings was in the running all season long, so to see a pair of GNAC teams 鈥 a conference without an automatic qualifier due to its size 鈥 is quite impressive. Obviously, Northwest Nazarene earning the No. 1 seed in a region with both Westmont, CSUMB and Point Loma tells its story, but the Yellowjackets are in the tournament for just the second time in program history. Those kind of teams 鈥 like Indiana (PA) last year 鈥 play loose and have nothing to lose... and can disrupt the entire tournament.
