TEN TO LEWISTON #2

It’s once again that time, time to single out the 10 teams that I believe would be arriving in the Pacific Northwest to play baseball in late May. These 10 to Lewiston rankings are usually pretty hard to make, and this week was no exception. Let’s jump in!

What factors into the rankings?

I use a combination of the following factors: overall record, conference record, record vs. the current Top 25, home/away/neutral splits, last 10 games, record vs. NCAA, record vs. USCAA/NCCAA, overall competition played, strength of wins, and worst losses. Understand that these are just my thoughts; there’s reasoning but no wild formula other than a spreadsheet where I keep information. Some of these teams were easy to rank, but the other spots were very difficult as I thought there were maybe 4-5 teams that could have fit in. But let’s rank these teams as of the overall records on 4/11 when we update data.

#1 Southeastern (FL) 33-5

I am once again here to tell you that Southeastern is really good at baseball; this should not surprise anyone. Their batting average is now 9 points over .300 (as of 4/11), so their offense is clicking. Their pitching staff is elite and could compete across many divisions of play. Adrian Dinkel and his staff have done a great job at reloading this club year in and year out. Baseball is a weird game, and the ball can bounce in any direction, but SEU has some great odds with their personnel. Well-rounded and getting better, especially now that they’ve been punched in the mouth lately.

#2 LSU-Shreveport 32-3

The Pilots continue to have the Red River Athletic Conference run through Shreveport, Louisiana. The Pilots hold a 5-game lead with Jarvis Christian and winless Texas College remaining in their conference schedule. This weekend, LSU-Shreveport will head to Lewiston early for a 4-game series with plenty of meaning for both the Pilots and Warriors. It’ll be great to see that pitching staff in Lewiston this weekend for that series. The Pilots have the talent, the knowledge, and the leadership to get back to Lewiston.

#3 Georgia Gwinnett 33-5

451 – that’s how many runs the Grizzlies have scored this season, making them the #1 scoring offense in the nation by 45 runs over the 2nd place team. 200 stolen bases in 228 attempts also ranks first nationally for the ‘Griz Gang’. There is a lot to like about the Grizzlies; their offense can slug with the best of them, and their starting pitching staff has garnered plenty of innings of experience, especially their starters. They just feel like a team that’s on pace to make some noise in the postseason. Expect that and more!

#4 Cumberlands (KY) 33-5

The experience of this club is definitely shining on offense, with a team average of .359, a total of 394 runs scored, and a nation-leading 86 home runs. The offense at UC always seems to shine when they’re at home, where they are 19-1 overall and welcoming Freed-Hardeman for a 3-game set to determine Mid-South regular season supremacy. The pitching staff has felt deeper this season but got a bit dinged up by the Campbellsville offense, giving up 25 runs in 25 innings this weekend (offensively, the Patriots scored 26 runs in 25 innings). They’ll be tested with a great offense this weekend as well. But all in all, when you look at the Patriots, you have to like their chances: experienced offense, deeper staff, and you have to imagine they’ve already put in a bid to host an opening-round tournament at Doyle Buhl Stadium in Williamsburg, Kentucky. I like the chances of the Patriots heading back to Lewiston.

#5 Webber International (FL) 32-8

At the start of the season, I was a bit down on The Sun Conference and wasn’t sure what to expect from the league this year. And then here’s Webber! Winners of 11 straight and 26-7 at home. Offensively, they won’t wow you on paper with just 98 of their 376 hits being for extra bases, which is tied for 90th nationally. The Warriors (we have way too many teams named Warriors in this league) just continue to win. They are top 10 in strength of schedule, top 5 in BoChip, and just come out and win ball games. Their pitching staff has some real solid bright spots and plenty of experience with a staff whose team earned run average is 3.92. If I had one concern, it’s that I don’t think they would submit to host in Babson Park, Florida; actually, I don’t think either team likely to be ranked a 1-seed from the state of Florida will host (that’s just my opinion), and Webber has not traveled much north at all this season. Just something to keep in mind. I still really like the opportunity for Webber to go back to Lewiston, especially after challenging themselves all year long.

#6 Jessup (CA) 30-6

I mentioned in my Big Series of the Week article that Jessup has been my favorite surprise of the year, and that’s just the truth. On paper in January, it looked like this ball club was well put together and had some very exciting pieces, and it certainly all came to be. Their offense does so many things well, and they are a team that can beat you with their slugging. That being said, they do have some question marks in their pitching staff, and oftentimes it’s the teams with the solid pitching in Lewiston that get the furthest. They have a HUGE test this weekend with Hope International, and it should give us a great look at one of the toughest tests that Jessup has faced this season. But at this moment, I like that offense and their ability to get to Lewiston, especially if they can stay home, which has happened before when they hosted in 2018.

#7 Central Methodist (MO) 30-7

Central Methodist (CMU) has done a great job of winning the games they are supposed to this season, resulting in another 30-win year. Not counting 2020 (CMU was 16-5, well on their way to 30 wins), you’d have to go back to 2015, the last time the Eagles did not have a 30-win season. As a team, CMU is hitting .337 this season and has a staff earned run average of 3.92. They rank 20th nationally in homers this season with 56 and rank 10th nationally in staff ERA. This team is well put together, has reliable starting pitching, and a variety of experienced bats who find their way on base. If CMU keeps playing the way they do, it’ll be hard not to see them back in Lewiston once more.

#8 Lewis-Clark State (ID) 23-9

No one should be surprised that LC State is here once more; literally, no one should. That is because until they are eliminated in the Opening Round, then, I’ll remove them from this power ranking. 8-2 in their last 10 games played and winners of 4 straight, LC State now welcomes #2 LSU-Shreveport to Lewiston, Idaho, this weekend for a 4-game set. For those interested in these games, they historically charge for their broadcast. My two best suggestions are to listen to KOZE – they do a fantastic call and are my typical Sunday yard work listen, or follow our friend Teren Kowatsch (@Teren_Kowatsch) on X for updates! This Warriors team has tons of talent, way too much to not be ultra-competitive. They’ve done a nice job of managing their pitching staff, as 17 different arms have thrown at least 5 innings this year. This weekend will give us a small glimpse of a playoff atmosphere, and that should be exciting.

#9 Faulkner (AL) 27-10

Faulkner drops one spot in this ranking, but out in Montgomery, Alabama, they are still working to find their way back to Lewiston. The 2013 national championship organization went to 9 straight before missing out last season. The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is one of the best in the nation, with 3 teams all within striking distance of Faulkner. This whole list could look VERY different come next week. The Eagles are hitting .316 as a team with 320 runs driven in, and their pitching staff has a 5.15 earned run average. Faulkner has 3 major series coming up in the SSAC: this weekend with Blue Mountain, next weekend with Middle Georgia, and they close out with a very good Point team. But they are on this list because they’ve gotten it done to this point with series wins over William Carey, Loyola, Mobile, and a win over Reinhardt as well. A lot to learn over the next few weeks for Faulkner!

#10 Reinhardt (GA) 27-11

The Eagles started the year 0-4 with losses to LSU-Shreveport (2), Tabor (KS), and Cumberlands (KY), and there were plenty of people ready to write them off as a ranked team. They are 27-7 since the start of the year with a series win over #1 Southeastern and winners of 7 straight. Maybe right now they are the ‘it’ team, but they have done everything right lately to catch my eye and be on this list. Reinhardt is hitting .333 as a team and features 7 bats who have driven in 20 or more this season. Their 151 extra base hits rank 12th nationally, and their offense has been a huge part of their success since the start of the year. The pitching staff has been improving, and that staff earned run average of 5.38 is making its way down. As far as the right now goes, which is what this entire power ranking is based on, then give me the Eagles on fire right now with the best series win nationally to go to Lewiston.

Outside Looking In

Missouri Baptist

Concordia- NEB

Doane (NE)