DII, NAIA, DIII rankings: Mar. 11

Photo: Ryne Yamashiro (Cal Lutheran Athletics)

Although the weather is finally beginning to warm up, a bitter cold front came across the tops of each of the three small school divisions last week. There were changes of the pole sitter in the NAIA and D-III and a strong argument could be made for a switch at D-II as well.

In D-II the Rams came down to earth a bit and had their first non-winning week. They faced St. Edward’s for the first time as a fellow Lone Star Conference rival and split the series with the surging Hilltoppers. The two losses tripled ASU’s season total, but they are still sitting at a handsome 19-3 overall. Meanwhile Central Missouri and Catawba continued to narrow the distance as the Mules and Indians went a combined 6-1 on the week. Each of the three play non-ranked opposition so a miscue on the diamond by any combination of two would put the other at the top of next week’s Top 25.

Southeastern has played the best baseball in the NAIA and were finally rewarded for their effort this week as they displaced Freed-Hardeman for the No. 1 position. Like Angelo State, the Lions didn’t play so much poorly, they just weren’t good enough to keep the pace. The Lions lost back-to-back games against Bethel and Hannibal-LaGrange, two clubs that a top-ranked team should have little trouble with. FHU did roll HLG the final two games of the series by a combined score of 30-4, but the previous losses opened the door for them to be jumped by SEU and Science and Arts, who went a combined 10-0.

The situation in D-III is near bedlam. Few of the teams highly ranked in the preseason are performing as well as forecasted. Webster had been given the benefit of the doubt for their slow start, but after losing to Aurora and two closer-than-anticipated wins over Westfield State and St. Joseph’s College, it was time to reconsider. The underachieving Worlocks were dropped to fifth and are likely to drop again as, at the time of this writing, they are on the cusp of dropping a pair of games to Concordia-Chicago. Their substandard play required a new team to move into the No. 1 position.

Wisconsin-Whitewater would be the obvious choice as the No. 2 team, but the Warhawks had the week off and shouldn’t be rewarded for a good week of practice. Instead the decision came between Randolph-Macon, North Central and Cal Lutheran. Each of three would have been made a worthy ascension to the No. 1 position. The Yellow Jackets only have a single loss on the season and it was in extra innings. North Central is undefeated on the year with a quality win over Heidelberg, however they’ve only played seven games, so the verdict is still out on the Cardinals. Cal Lutheran received substantial consideration as well. The Kingsmen have a 16-1 record which includes a series sweep over defending national champion Chapman.

In the end the nod when to R-MC, a school which was snubbed from the postseason last year despite their solid 28-10-1 record and first place finish in the ODAC regular season. The Yellow Jackets are having their best start to a season ever and have been rewarded with the No. 1 position in the Perfect Game D-III rankings.

Rankings are based on games through Sunday, March 8.

NCAA Division II

1. Angelo State Rams (19-3) – The Rams failed to win a series for the first time this season as they split on the road with St. Edward’s. The team traveled back home and will host the St. Mary’s Rattlers as they try to hold off a surging Central Missouri team for the No. 1 position.

2. Central Missouri Mules (18-3) – UCM started the week with an extra inning win over visiting Drury before scoring 47 runs in three games against Newman to stretch their winning streak to 12 games. With a team batting average of .327, three starting pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs and a steady defense – which has compiled a .974 fielding percentage – the Mules are solid all around.

3. Catawba Indians (17-3) – The Indians lost the opener in their series with Lenoir-Rhyne, but came back to win the series. Hunter Shepherd, like 2015 Catawba alum Craig Brooks – who advanced to AAA with the Cubs last season – has been an incredible presence at the plate and on the mound. Offensively he is batting .442 with seven home runs. On the mound he has a 2.95 ERA in five starts with 20 Ks in 21 1/3 innings.

4. Georgia College Bobcats (13-2) – GC won two out of three against an always tough USC Aiken team to continue to lead the Peach Belt contingent in the Top 25. The ‘Cats will face a dangerous UNC Pembroke team this week who have won ten games in a row and are averaging nearly 15 runs per game over that stretch.

5. Mount Olive Trojans (17-4) – The Trojans won their midweek game against Newberry and the first in their series with Barton, but the Bulldogs edged UMO to win the series. Mount Olive was their own worst enemy in the finale as they committed three errors and Barton was able to get the walk-off win on a throwing miscue.

6. North Greenville Crusaders (17-5-1) – NGU lost the conference battle of the Crusaders as Belmont Abbey won two of three against The ‘Ville. The Crusaders will be on the road with midweek matchups with Anderson and Newberry before heading to take on Erskine.

7. Colorado State Mavericks (14-4) – CMU hosted Regis and swept the series from the Rangers. The Mavericks will play their first game away from him in a month this week when they travel to Golden, Colo. to play the Colorado School of Mines.

8. Minnesota State Mavericks (6-4) – The Mavericks lost the first game of their spring trip in extra innings, but finished out their week in Florida undefeated with wins over rival St. Cloud State and Ashland. The Mavs have four more games on their trip south this week which includes contests against Sioux Falls, Florida Tech, Wayne State and another bout with Ashland.

9. UCSD Tritons (17-4) – The Tritons had little trouble sweeping Cal State San Marcos over the weekend as they swept the series by an average score of 13-3. Closer Michael Mitchell retired six batters with 22 pitches in the finale as he lowered his ERA to 0.75 and opposing batting average to a minuscule .077 (three hits in 12 innings).

10. Tampa Spartans (13-7) – After narrowly losing the final game of their series with Florida Tech the week prior, UT lost another pair to Seton Hill and Albany, each by a single run. The Spartans pitching staff stepping up to close the series in Georgia and held the Rams to a single run in 18 innings to win the series.

11. Augustana Vikings (7-4) – The Vikings has the week off. They return to action this week when they host Briar Cliff in a pair of double-headers at home.

12. Columbus State Cougars (17-3) – The Cougars’ impressive start continues as they increased their winning streak to 10 games after sweeping Augusta. CSU senior Jalen Latta has been dominating all season. Last week he only allowed a single hit in seven innings and lowered his ERA to 2.25 and has held opposition to a .207 batting average.

13. North Georgia Nighthawks (12-6) – The Nighthawks atypically allowed eight runs in an inning and were defeated by Georgia Southwestern 8-7 to start their series with the Hurricanes. NGU came back to win the series solidly and remain in the 13th position in the rankings. They’ll face Southern Wesleyan and Augusta this week.

14. Bellarmine Knights (10-4) – The Knights have only lost once since their season opening series. Last week they took two at Lee before sweeping Quincy on the road. Bellarmine will host Missouri S&T in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday.

15. Dixie State Trailblazers (15-3) – Dixie State cruised against Adams state, sweeping a four-game series from the Grizzlies in which they outscored them 62-6. The ‘Blazers upcoming series at UCCS in Colorado Springs should be much more competitive.

16. Southern New Hampshire Penmen (11-4) – The Penmen were shut out in the opening game of their series at Adelphi but came back to win the final two games and take the series. In the finale Jeffrey Praml threw a complete game one-hit shutout. SNHU will be on the road all week with contests at Queens (NY), Pace and Nyack.

17. Newberry Wolves (18-5) – The Wolves failed to usurp fifth-ranked Mount Olive mid-week, but they did handily sweep UVA-Wise over the weekend. Newberry has a top-ranked team on their schedule once against this week as they’ll face North Greenville before hosting Coker.

18. Davenport Panthers (13-2) – The Panthers slow accent up the rankings continues as DU swept three games from Hillsdale College. In one of their games with the Chargers the Panthers set season highs in runs and hits (22) in a 20-3 rout. The Panthers are slated to play Mercyhurst and Grand Valley State in what could be a memorable and momentum driving week.

19. East Stroudsburg State Warriors (14-1-2) – ESU rolled over IUP in a doubleheader and won a series over Bloomfield by earning a lopsided 12-0 win along with a pair of ties in games that were called due to darkness. The Warriors wins should increase as they have a pair of games this week against U Sciences as well as three more against Mansfield.

20. Southern Arkansas Muleriders (18-4) – The Muleriders held off Delta State mid-week to earn a win and took two of three on the road against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Brett Smith went 9-for-15 on the week to raise his batting average to a team leading .422. He also paces the team with nine home runs.

21. Ashland Eagles (7-2) – The Eagles won their first two games at the Russ Matt Invitational by outscoring St. Cloud State and Seton Hill. They rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to push Minnesota State to extra innings, but the Mavs won in 11. Ashland continues their Florida trip with contests against Minnesota Duluth, Sioux Falls, Wayne State (NE), Wayne State (MI) and another game with MSU.

22. Azusa Pacific Cougars (10-10) – The Cougars, who started the season ranked third overall, had another mediocre week. After splitting a four-game series with Hawaii Hilo, APU is on their last leg to remain in the rankings. The Cougars are batting 51 points lower as a team this season with an ERA 0.40 higher despite retaining much of the meat from a team that won 40 games last season.

23. Wingate Bulldogs (15-5) – The Bulldogs join the Top 25 this week after sweeping three games from Anderson. The starting pitching tandem of David Nash and Mac Callari have been particularly impressive this season as they have 1.73 and 1.91 ERAs respectively and both are holding opposition to a .229 batting average. Wingate faces UNCP midweek and Tusculum on the road this week.

24. NYIT Bears (6-4) – The Bears played a pair of games at Pace and outscored the Setters 23-4. NYIT will travel to Florida this week and play games against Caldwell, Post and Felician.

25. Delta State Statesmen (12-9) – The Statesmen started the season just outside the top 10 but are now barely in the Top 25. DSU lost a midweek game on the road to Southern Arkansas and won two of three against Auburn-Montgomery.

Dropped out: 

Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars (23) – The stars averaged 10 runs per game in their series with Southern Indiana but their pitching couldn’t keep the Screaming Eagles batters in check as USI won the series.

Rk.Prev.SchoolSTRecordWeek
11Angelo State RamsTX19-32-2
22Central Missouri MulesMO18-34-0
33Catawba IndiansNC17-32-1
46Georgia College BobcatsGA13-22-1
54North Greenville CrusadersSC17-5-11-2
65Mount Olive TrojansNC17-42-2
79Colorado Mesa MavericksCO14-44-0
87Minnesota State MavericksMN7-34-1
910UC San Diego TritonsCA17-44-0
108Tampa SpartansFL13-72-2
1111Augustana VikingsSD7-40-0
1214Columbus St. CougarsGA17-33-0
1313North Georgia NighthawksGA12-62-1
1415Bellarmine KnightsKY10-44-0
1517Dixie State TrailblazersUT15-34-0
1616Southern New Hampshire PenmenNH11-42-1
1718Newberry WolvesSC18-53-1
1822Davenport PantersMI13-23-0
1919East Stroudsburg WarriorsPA14-1-23-0-2
2025Southern Arkansas MuleridersAR18-43-1
2121Ashland EaglesOH7-22-1
2212Azusa Pacific CougarsCA10-102-2
23NRWingate BulldogsNC15-53-0
2424NYIT BearsNY6-42-0
2520Delta State StatesmenMS12-92-2

Dropped out: Illinois Springfield (23).

NAIA

1. Southeastern Fire (23-1) – The Fire continued to dominate 2020 with wins over a contingent of visiting northern teams which included Madonna, Spring Arbor, Judson, Robert Morris and St. Xavier. SEU’s 22 game winning streak should extend this week with games against St. Xavier, St. Francis, Lawrence Tech and St. Ambrose.

2. Science and Arts Drovers (17-1) – The Drovers played their stiffest competition of the year as they faced LSU Shreveport midweek and won their game with the Pilots 6-4 thanks to a late rally. Over the weekend USAO swept their series against Oklahoma Panhandle State to move into the No. 2 position.

3. Freed-Hardeman (16-4) – The Lions dropped their first two games of the week which included a midweek loss to Bethel and the first of their series with Hannibal-LaGrange. FHU rebounded to bop HLG 16-3 and 14-1 to win the series, but the pair of defeats move the preseason favorite out of the top position.

4. St. Thomas Bobcats (16-5) – STU won their games against ranked Bellevue and Madonna (as well as a game against Michigan-Dearborn), but surprisingly lost contests to Spring Arbor and Warner. The Bobcats will host Montreat and Bryant & Stratton before visiting USC Beaufort for a TSC series.

5. LSU Shreveport Pilots (18-4) – LSUS narrowly lost a midweek matchup of top five teams to Science & Arts when the Drovers scored three runs in the final two innings to earn a 6-4 win. The University of the Southwest played the Pilots tight, but Shreveport swept their Red River Athletic Conference series with the Mustangs.

6. Faulkner Eagles (18-4) – The Eagles hosted Blue Mountain over the weekend and soundly swept the series from the visiting Toppers. Faulkner has another week in which they bypass midweek action and will host Martin Methodist.

7. Cumberlands Patriots (19-1) – Patriot pitchers threw back-to-back road shutouts over Campbellsville which included an eight-inning, one-hit, 10-strikeout performance by Colton Easterwoord. The Tigers couldn’t be tamed in the finale however and mercy-ruled the Pats. UC is scheduled to play two teams this week who were in the NAIA World Series last season in Georgia Gwinnett and Indiana Tech.

8. Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies (21-2) – Gwinnett hasn’t suffered a setback since January 31 and have won their last 20 games. Last week GGC earned a pair of wins over Lourdes and one over Talladega. In the first game against LU Hunter Peck threw a nine-inning shutout in which he only allowed two hits and struck out 18. For the season he has totaled 38 innings and has yet to allow an earned run.

9. Tennessee Wesleyan (14-6) – The Bulldogs’ week started slow as they split a doubleheader with Reinhardt and then dropped the first game in their series with Point, but TWU came back to embarrass the Skyhawks by outscoring them 27-1 in the final two game to win the series.

10. Oklahoma City Stars (14-8) – The Stars earned a 10-run win over Oklahoma Wesleyan before facing Texas Wesleyan in a conference series of ranked teams. OCU was edged in the opener but came back to take the series which included a 24-0 thumping in which seven starters earned multiple hits.

11. Benedictine-Mesa Redhawks (20-7) – The Redhawks shockingly were 10-run ruled by Mount Marty but did importantly win two of three over Antelope Valley to remain atop the Cal Pac conference standings. BenU will be tested once again this week with games against Jamestown and Hope International as well as a series with Simpson. 

12. IU Southeast Grenadiers (16-1) – The Grenadiers lost their first game of the season in extra-innings to Campbellsville, but did win the nightcap of their doubleheader to avenge the loss. Over the weekend Southeast pummeled poor Ohio Christian as IUS tallied 45 runs in the three-game sweep.

13. Central Methodist Eagles (16-4) – The Eagles earned a convincing win over Missouri Baptist and split a road doubleheader with Mount Mercy. CMU will host Olivet Nazarene midweek before the Evangel Crusaders come to town for a Heart of America Athletic Conference.

14. Bryan Lions (14-5) – The Lions would like to replay the week as they went 1-3 with an extra-inning loss to Middle Georgia State and lost a series to Union. Bryan should get back on the track this week with games against Cumberland, Lourdes and Columbia International.

15. Lyon Scots (17-5) – The Scots lost the first game of their series with Columbia, but came back to win the series with a come-from-behind finish in the finale. The Scots take a break from NAIA action this week and host Arlington Baptist.

16. Campbellsville Tigers (13-8) – The Tigers went 2-3 on the week but remain in the same spot of the rankings as each of their opponents are positioned above them. CU handed IU Southeast their first loss of the season as well as pinning just a second loss on Cumberlands. The Tigers’ opposition this week is much more manageable with Brescia and Pikeville on the calendar.

17. Arizona Christian Firestorm (18-9) – The Firestorm’s first game with Ottawa went as anticipated with a 17-1 win over the Spirit, but ACU could only manage a split as they dropped the middle games of the series. ACU will host The Master’s Mustangs in a crucial GSAC series this week.

18. Wayland Baptist Pioneers (21-7) – The Pioneers made their 2020 debut in the rankings after sweeping a series from Central Christian. Baptist’s Luis Vargas is having a monster season in which he has already compiled an NAIA leading 18 home runs and is leading the division with a 1.161 slugging percentage, 108 total bases, 46 runs and 48 RBI.

19. Vanguard Lions (21-6) – The Lions were one of the last team out in the preseason rankings and took advantage of missteps by several clubs in the bottom half of the Top 25 to jump into the mix at the 19 position. The Lions easily outscored Bethesda and convincingly swept San Diego Christian to earn their spot.

20. Middle Georgia State Knights (17-8) – The Knights are typically a mainstay in the rankings but haven’t made their presence in this season’s edition until this week following a Stillman sweep which included a pair of shutout wins. MGA will play Blue Mountain on the road this week.

21. Texas Wesleyan Rams (16-11) – The Rams lost a midweek game to Texas A&M-Texarkana but rebounded to hold off Oklahoma City for a 5-4 win in the first game of their series with the Stars. OCU came back to win the next two however which included a 24-0 trouncing of Wesleyan. The Rams have gone 7-8 over their last 15 and face a tough Mid-America Christian team this week.

22. Martin Methodist Redhawks (15-3) – Following a series win over Mobile the RedHawks are in the Perfect Game rankings for the first time ever. MMC has lost only three games this season by a total of four runs. The rankings neophytes have been led by sophomores Lane Pope and Drew Bailey. Pope, who went 8-for-15 against Mobile, is batting .366 with a team-leading five home runs. Bailey has a 1.95 ERA and is holding opposition to a .200 batting average.

23. Taylor Trojans (13-4) – The Trojans won two games over Defiance College and the opener of their series with Goshen, but lost the series with their long-time nemesis when they allowed the Leafs to rally late in both ends of a doubleheader to lose the series.

24. Concordia (MI) Cardinals (13-4) – The Cardinals started the week with a shutout loss to Florida National in which a total of eight Conquistadors kept Concordia at bay. Concordia won three of four over Roosevelt to close the week.

25. Mobile Rams (17-4) – The Rams won the opener of their series with Martin Methodist, but lost the next two in a tightly contest series. Mobile will play a pair with LSU Alexandria on the road and host William Carey this week.

Dropped out:

Madonna Crusaders (19) – The Crusaders had a busy week in Florida in which they went 3-5 in eight games. Madonna earned wins over Warner, Bellevue and Robert Morris, but suffered setbacks against Southeastern, Mount Vernon Nazarene (twice), St. Thomas and Spring Arbor.

Georgetown Tigers (20) – An outstanding season was anticipated for Georgetown as they were in the preseason top 10, but so far they haven’t played as forecasted. Last week they split with IU Kokomo and won two of three against Thomas More.

Bellevue Bruins (21) – Last season the Bruins started the season 7-13 but subsequently went 39-1 to reach the NAIA World Series. The talent is there but the Bruins are unquestionably not playing like a Top 25 team.

Concordia (NE) Bulldogs (24) – The Bulldogs were penciled in for another week in the rankings but lost a pair of games to Jamestown Sunday to get bumped. Concordia can play their way back in by the end of the month with quality wins over Antelope Valley and Mount Marty.

Rk.Prev.SchoolSTRecordWeek
12Southeastern FireFL23-16-0
24USAO DroversOK17-14-0
31Freed-Hardeman LionsTN16-42-2
43St. Thomas BobcatsFL16-53-2
55LSU Shreveport PilotsLA18-43-1
66Faulkner EaglesAL18-43-0
77Cumberlands PatriotsKY19-12-1
89Georgia Gwinnett GrizzliesGA21-23-0
98Tennessee Wesleyan BulldogsTN14-63-2
1011Oklahoma City StarsOK14-83-1
1112Benedicine Mesa RedhawksAZ20-72-2
1214Indiana Southeast GrenadiersIN16-14-1
1313Central Methodist EaglesMO16-42-1
1410Bryan LionsTN14-51-3
1518Lyon ScotsAR17-52-1
1616Campbellsville TigersKY13-82-3
1715Arizona Christian FirestormAZ18-92-2
18NRWayland Baptist PioneersTX21-73-0
19NRVanguard LionsCA21-65-0
20NRMiddle Georgia State KnightsGA17-83-0
2117Texas Wesleyan RamsTX16-111-3
22NRMartin Methodist RedHawksTN15-33-0
2323Taylor TrojansIN13-43-2
2422Concordia CardinalsMI13-43-2
2525Mobile RamsAL17-41-2

Dropped out: Madonna (19), Georgetown (20), Bellevue (21), Concordia (24).

NCAA Division III

1. Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (14-1) – The Yellow Jackets’ winning ways continue as they added a victory over Catholic and two more over Guilford. R-MC extended their winning streak to 10 games and have matched its best start in school history. With the wins Ray Hedrick’s team takes over the No. 1 position.

2. Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks (2-1) – UWW didn’t have any games scheduled last week and isn’t slated to return to the diamond until March 16 when they host Marian.

3. North Central Cardinals (7-0) – The Cardinals remain perfect and make a move up the rankings with wins over St. John’s, Misericorida and Heidelberg. North Central will traveling to Franklin College for a non-conference doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.

4. Cal Lutheran Kingsmen (16-1) – The Kingsmen added three wins to their total with a victory over Redlands and a doubleheader sweep of Dallas in which they came from behind in both games. CLU only has a pair of contests this week with Occidental and Whittier on the schedule.

5. Webster Gorlocks (5-3) – The Gorlocks earned wins over St. Joseph College of Maine and Westfield State in Florida, but also were shut out by rapidly rising Aurora. Webster will continue play in the Sunshine State this week with games against Washington and Jefferson, Anderson and Benedictine. They’ll also have a game with Concordia-Chicago as well as conclude a match with the Cougars which was halted due to weather in the 10th inning last week.

6. Wooster (0-1) – Wooster did not have any games last week but will make up for it this week as they are in Florida playing a game per day during spring break.

7. Southern Maine (0-1) – The Huskies played their first game of the season Sunday and lost 5-1 to Trinity (CT). USM has games with Roger Williams, Case Western Reserve and Endicott scheduled this week.

8. UMass Boston Beacons (2-1) – The Beacons edged Suffolk in extra innings and suffered a setback against MIT. After hosting Framingham Monday, UMass Boston will play four teams in four days as they match up with Penn St-Abington, Wheaton, Ramapo and TCNJ.

9. Washington Bears (8-2) – The Bears had been considered for the No. 1 position last week but now take a substantial step back after losing a series with Coe. The Bears did have a lopsided 10-0 win over MacMurray to start the week.

10. Spalding Eagles (11-3) – With an away win over Hanover and convincing sweep of Principia on the road the Eagles move into the top 10. They’ll be looking to add to their eight-game win streak against three formidable opponents in Rowan, St. Scholastica and Coe this week.

11. Concordia (TX) Tornados (11-5) – The Tornados couldn’t get their bats going in the opening game of their series with East Texas Baptist as they were shut out, but came back to solidly take the series. CTX will host MIT and UT Dallas this week.

12. Shenandoah Hornets (10-1) – The Hornets stung the Wasps as SU thrashed Emory & Henry by a combined score of 22-2 on Saturday and then crushed Mount Aloysius 19-4 on Sunday. Shenandoah plays Salisbury on the road Thursday and Virginia Wesleyan over the weekend.

13. Salisbury Seagulls (6-3) – The ‘Gulls opened the week with a one-run win over Washington (MD) but couldn’t outscore Johns Hopkins as they Jays defeated them 10-4 on Sunday. Salisbury has games with Stevenson, Shenandoah and Penn St-Harrisburg this week.

14. Babson Beavers (2-1) – The Beavers had the week off but will see plenty of action this week as they travel down to Florida. Babson will play a game per day against the like of Baldwin Wallace, Marietta, Denison, Wisconsin-Stout and Bethel.

15. Trinity Tigers (8-2) – The Tigers didn’t play last week but will take of the mound near daily this week. Trinity plays New Jersey City twice, DeSales and Centenary thrice.

16. Texas Lutheran Bulldogs (8-4) – Texas Lutheran had little trouble earning a pair of wins over New Jersey City in their only games of the week. TLU hosts DeSales midweek and St. Thomas (TX) for a weekend series.

17. Rowan Profs (5-0) – The Profs had a pair of shutout wins and another pair of lopsided victories in their first full week of action. They’ll be one of many teams in Florida this week competing in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with games against Concordia (IL), Spalding, St. Norbert and Westminster.

18. St. John Fisher Cardinals (7-4) – The Cardinals had a terrible week in which they lost a series to John Carroll as well as singe game contests against Ohio Northern and St. Mary’s (MN). StFC did outscore St. Vincent 19-12 for an additional win on Thursday.

19. Heidelberg Student Princes (5-4) – Heidelberg lost a game Friday morning to North Central, but did finish the weekend with wins over Misericordia and Swarthmore to get back to .500. The Princes have five games scheduled this week with matchups against La Roche, Susquehanna and Bridgewater State.

20. Chapman Panthers (12-3) – The Panthers bested Caltech in their only official game of the week. The Panthers play Dallas, Rochester and Illinois Tech this week.

21. Aurora Spartans (9-2) – The Spartans are in the Perfect Game Top 25 for the first time ever as they’ve earned wins over Spalding and Webster as a part of their 9-2 start. All four of their starting pitchers have ERAs below 3.50 with Nick Malmberg leading the way with a 1.88 mark and 19 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.

22. Emory Eagles (11-3) – The Eagles return to the rankings after a long-time absence. Last week Emory swept three games from Mary Washington by a combined score of 35-8. They have a difficult schedule this week with a pair of games abasing Birmingham Southern as well as matchups with Berry, LaGrange and Wilmington (OH).

23. Tufts Jumbos (0-0) – The Jumbos first games of the season are this week against Castleton and Johnson & Wales on Friday. Over the weekend they’ll play at Apprentice School and play St. Vincent at a neutral site.

24. Concorida-Chicago Cougars (2-3) – The Cougars earned wins over Wheaton and Fontbonne over the weekend while in Florida. CUC will play a pair of ranked opponents in Webster and Rowan as well as Keystone, Dubuque and Wisconsin-La Crosse this week.

25. Coe Kohawks (3-3) – Despite having a 3-3 record the Kohawks enter the rankings based on their strength of schedule. Each of the three wins are against teams currently in the top 10 and two of their three losses were to quality opposition. Coe will play in Florida this week and has another big matchup with a ranked team this week in Spalding.

Dropped out:

Cortland Dragons (21) – The Dragons have been abysmal this season with results far below their typical performance. They lost two games last week to Montclair State in which they gave up 26 runs.

Birmingham Southern (24) – The Panthers lost their second series in a row. This time it was Millsaps who got the best of them.

Swarthmore Garnet (22) – The Garnet went 1-2 last week with a win over Baldwin Wallace and losses to Heidelberg and La Roche. They can earn their way back in with a slew of games this week while they are in Florida. They’ll head home to host Middlebury Sunday.

Rk.Prev.SchoolSTRecordWeek
19Randolph-Macon Yellow JacketsVA14-13-0
22UW-Whitewater WarhawksWI2-10-0
36North Central CardinalsIL7-03-0
410Cal Lutheran KingsmenCA16-13-0
51Webster GorloksMO5-32-1
64Wooster Fighting ScotsOH0-10-0
75Southern Maine HuskiesME0-10-1
88UMass-Boston BeaconsMA2-11-1
93Washington BearsMO8-22-2
1012Spalding EaglesKY11-34-0
1111Concordia TornadosTX11-52-1
1217Shenandoah HornetsVA10-13-0
1313Salisbury SeagullsMD6-31-1
1414Babson BeaversMA2-10-0
1515Trinity TigersTX8-20-0
1616Texas Lutheran BulldogsTX8-42-0
1719Rowan ProfsNJ5-04-0
187St. John Fisher CardinalsNY7-42-4
1918Heidelberg Student PrincesOH4-42-1
2020Chapman PanthersCA12-31-0
21NRAurora SpartansIL9-25-2
22NREmory EaglesGA11-23-0
2323Tufts JumbosMA0-00-0
2425Concordia University Chicago CougarsIL2-32-0
25NRCoe KohawksIA3-32-1

Dropped out: Cortland State (21), Swarthmore (22), Birmingham-Southern (24).

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