The 2024 NCAA Div. II College World Series semifinalist Catawba headlines a deep South Atlantic Conference in the 2025 baseball season. 

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With five nominees to the preseason 1st Team All-SAC lineup, Catawba is the clear favorite to win the conference again in 2025. Just behind the Indians is fellow 2024 NCAA Regional qualifier Wingate. The Bulldogs were not one of the four teams to receive a first-place vote in the preseason poll, however, a possible indicator of the conference’s strength behind front-running Catawba in the coming campaign. 

Anderson Baseball

Head Coach: P.J. Zocchi 

2024 Record: 24-24, 12-18 

Preseason 1st Team All-SAC first baseman Gray Wells leads an Anderson Trojans bunch looking to break through to the upper half of the league in 2025. Wells is coming off a 2024 in which he hit .314 and drove in a team-leading 39 runs. 

Wells is one of three Trojans who hit north of .300 150-plus at-bats, joining Mac Ketchin and Zach Stover. The outfield duo of Ketchin and Stover also led Anderson with 18 and 12 stolen bases in 2024. 

Anderson’s pitching staff replaces its two primary starters from a season ago, but reliever Corben Childers, who struck out 21 in 29 ⅓ innings and limited batters to a .250 average, returns.  

Carson-Newman Baseball

Head Coach: Tom Griffin 

2024 Record: 24-26, 16-14  

Breakout freshman Logan Floyd is now a super sophomore for Carson-Newman. The preseason 2nd Team All-SAC first baseman hit .356 in his collegiate debut with five home runs, 47 RBI and a .412 on-base percentage. Outfielder Spencer Williams joins Floyd to set the cornerstones for the Eagles batting order. 

Williams hit .331 and slugged .534 a season ago. His six home runs are most among C-N returners. The pitching staff’s most experienced returning starter, Blake Cooper, is a left-hander who worked 41 ⅔ innings in 13 appearances last season. He struck out 30 but finished with an 8.21 ERA. 

Brock Culpepper, who started three games and primarily came out of the bullpen, struck out 22 and had the team’s second-best WHIP at 1.52. 

Most runs scored in a season-opener in school history ➕ strike out the side in the ninth

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Catawba Baseball

Head Coach: Jim Gantt 

2024 Record: 46-17, 24-6 

Catawba reloads for a national championship pursuit in 2025 with five preseason 1st Team All-Conference selections: outfielders Dylan Driver and Sam Hunter; starting pitchers Payne Stolsworth and Austin Fine; and relief pitcher Hayden Simmerson. 

Both Fine and Stolsworth pitched more than 111 innings in 2024 and maintained sub-4.00 ERAs – Fine at 3.78, Stolsworth at 3.63. The two struck out a combined 169 batters and each finished in the top 50 nationally for total hitters fanned. With Fine and Stolsworth shutting opponents down in their starts, Simmerson came on to dominate in relief. 

Simmerson produced a staggering 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched with 83 Ks in his 72 ⅓ innings of work. He also racked up eight saves. At the plate, returners Driver and Hunter hit batted north of .350. Driver homered eight times and drove in 55 runs, while Hunter hit five home runs and his 31 stole bases ranked 19th among all Div. II players. 

Coker Baseball

Head Coach: Fico Kondla 

2024 Record: 31-20, 20-10 

Coker checked in at No. 4 in the preseason SAC poll and garnered a first-place vote. The Cobras head into their third season under head coach and Coker alum Fico Kondla, coming off a strong 2024. 

Catcher Jaylen Mack, a preseason 2nd Team All-SAC selection, hit .287, drove in 38 runs, and was among the conference’s most prolific base-stealers with 19 swipes in 2024. Utilityman Luke Alford’s three home runs as a freshman last season trailed only Mack’s four for team lead, and Ick Cirino rounded at Cobras with multiple round-trippers, having hit two. 

The Coker pitching staff features a pair of preseason All-SAC honorees with starter Aaron Diaz and reliever Tyler Satterley. Diaz threw 78 ⅔ innings, struck out 3,9, and maintained a 4.12 ERA. Satterley came out of the bullpen to work 34 innings, posting a 2.65 ERA and recording five saves in 2024. 

Emory & Henry Baseball

Head Coach: Trey McCall 

2024 Record: 11-38, 6-24 

The Wasps try to turn things around after a last-place finish in 2024. Emory & Henry is a relative newcomer to the Div. II ranks, but coach Trey McCall is among the most tenured leaders in the division with 21 years heading up the program. 

E&H has a long climb from the bottom of the SAC to contention, but the Wasps have pieces to build around. Preseason All-Conference third baseman Jared Foley hit a tremendous .366 in 2024 and slugged .543 with a team-best 13 doubles. He also swiped a team-leading nine bases. 

Steven Smith is back after hitting five home runs a season ago, most among E&H returners. The pitching staff brings back experience in Jack Swarbrick, a reliever who struck out 41 batters in 42 ⅓ innings and produced a 1.44 WHIP; and Drew Lanzo, a lefty transfer from UNC Wilmington. 

Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball

Head Coach: Adam Skonieczki 

2024 Record: 30-22, 16-14 

Checking in at fifth in the preseason SAC poll with a first-place vote, Lenoir Rhyne aims to contend with a veteran roster. Four Bears garnered preseason 1st- or 2nd-Team All-SAC, led by catcher Cole Stanford and designated hitter Sal Carricato. 

Carricato produced a 1.094 OPS in his 193 at-bats last season and homered a team-leading 17 times. He was one of three Bears with a double-digit total of rounder-trippers, joined by Stanford with 11. Stanford batted .294, drove in 42, and slugged .581 a season ago. 

Second baseman Cole Laskowski hit an outstanding .340 last season and stole seven bases. Outfielder Owen Blackledge is back from a .295 batting season with seven home runs. Right-handed pitcher Kellen Gradisar returns to anchor the pitching staff after his 2024 with a 3.77 ERA and 5-1 record. 

Nathaneal Keeter making plays ‼️😮‍💨#SACbaseball | @SAC_Athletics | @Baseball_LR pic.twitter.com/LUtw6OVPFu

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Lincoln Memorial Baseball

Head Coach: Justin Haywood 

2024 Record: 33-17, 18-12  

Lincoln Memorial is slotted No. 3 in the preseason SAC poll, and the Railsplitters have the making of a league title contender. LMU just missed the NCAA Regionals, advancing to the championship round of the SAC Tournament before bowing out to Wingate. 

Railsplitters who helped key that run are back in 2025, including preseason 1st Team All-SAC selections Kasten Harvey and Chris Hall. Both exceeded 1.000 OPS last year at 1.109 and 1.058, and Harvey hit 11 home runs to go with a perfect 17-of-17 on stolen-base attempts. 

Starting pitcher Christian Pencek went 9-2 over 15 starts in 2024, striking out 71 batters in 69 ⅓ innings. Fellow returning LMU starter Eli Edds pitched a team-high 70 innings and struck out 73 while posting a .247 opponent batting average. 

Limestone Baseball

Head Coach: Brett Harker 

2024 Record: 22-25, 14-16 

In each of its three seasons under coach Brett Harker, Limestone has improved its record both overall in SAC play. The Saints look to continue their upward trajectory behind the former Furman head coach’s guidance. 

Limestone returns a pair of hitters who put up batting averages of better than .300 with at least 140 at-bats: second baseman Sion Barnette, who hit .364 in 2024; and catcher/first baseman Davis Turner, coming off a .329 campaign. Barnette’s 43 runs driven in led the Saints, while Turner homered seven times. 

Winston Parke, who hit nine home runs, is also back for 2025, and shortstop Peter Adams could be poised to bounce back after he was limited to 13 games in 2024. On the mound, last season’s top two starters – Cale Wagoner and Colt Wilkins – will again anchor the pitching rotation. The two each made 12 starts in 2024 and produced sub-5.00 ERAs. 

Mars Hill Baseball

Head Coach: Zach Honeycutt 

2024 Record: 18-32, 7-23 

Although they fared well in conference play, the Lions finished near the cellar of the SAC standings a season ago. The 2025 Mars Hill team will rely on some new contributors to try to gain ground in the deep league, as some of last year’s top hitters – Zach Weaver, Jaden James, Chris Bleeker, and Alex Naran – are gone.

Elec Young leads the returning contingent, coming off 2024 in which he drove in 32 runs and stole seven bases. The pitching staff returns some promising arms who shined as youngsters, including Brennan Williams. As a freshman, Williams threw a team-high 60 ⅓ innings and struck out a team-leading 43 batters. 

Brady Stephens, a reliever with 25 appearances as a freshman, produced a 1.50 WHIP in his 21 ⅓ innings pitched. 

Newberry Baseball

Head Coach: Jay Snyder

2024 Record: 26-28, 18-12 

Newberry earned a first-place vote in the preseason SAC poll, and the confidence in the Wolves having breakout potential is not unfounded. Coach Jay Snyder’s team employed an aggressive base-running strategy in 2024 and should continue that approach in 2025 behind preseason All-SAC selections Luke Compton, Bryson Nuckols ,and Kade Faircloth. 

The trio stole 10, 11, and 15 bases a season ago. Both Compton and Faircloth also batted above .300, with Compton’s 41 RBI matching the team lead. Newberry’s small-ball approach complements strong pitching, and the Wolves return a promising right-handed arm in Hunter French. 

French started 12 games and threw a team-leading 68 ⅔ innings in 2024. He had a 4.59 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Righty Brayden Gilson showed some dominant coming out of the bullpen with 30 strikeouts in 41 ⅔ innings. 

Tusculum Baseball

Head Coach: Brandon Steele 

2024 Record: 26-26, 18-12 

Shortstop Ben Scartz, a preseason 1st Team All-SAC honoree, leads Tusculum into 2025. Scartz was outstanding in 2024, hitting .377 and slugging .503 with 38 RBI and a team-leading 14 doubles. Scartz was also great on the base paths with 10 steals on 13 attempts. 

The Pioneers welcome back another base-stealing threat in Luis Reyes, who swiped a team-best 15 bags on 17 attempts. Outfielder Jake Absher emerged as a promising power hitter in his freshman debut, knocking out four home runs – tops among Pioneers returners. He also doubled eight times. 

Tusculum’s pitching staff features talented and experienced bullpen relief with Jake McKenna back. The Lynn transfer struck out 15 batters in 15 ⅔ innings pitched his first season as a Pioneer. Drew Sliwinski recorded four saves last season and Caid Sanders notched 22 strikeouts in 30 ⅔ innings pitched. 

UVA Wise Baseball

Head Coach: Brandon Costa 

2024 Record: 12-37, 8-22

UVA Wise head coach Brandon Costa earned SAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Cavaliers to an impressive turnaround in 2022. The team looks to do so again in 2025 after finishing near the bottom of the conference standings in 2024. 

They return some standout contributors for the 2025 campaign, including preseason All-SAC selection Nick Badgett. The shortstop had 107 assists in 2024 and turned 13 double plays. Offensively, he stole five bases, matching fellow returning DJ Dickson. Dickson posted UVA Wise’s best batting average among returning Cavs at .299 and he slugged .431. 

UVA Wise returns Justin Snider, who started a team-high 13 games in 2024. He struck out 39 in his 51 ⅔ innings. 

Wingate Baseball

Head Coach: Jeff Gregory 

2024 Record: 34-25, 18-12 

Wingate reached the NCAA Regionals in 2024 after winning the SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs aim for a regular-season championship ahead of their conference tournament title defense, and they are not lacking for the firepower to claim the crown. 

Wingate features a pair of preseason All-SAC starting pitchers in Kelan Hoover and Carson Morton. Morton posted a 4.10 ERA and .233 opponent batting average last season, striking out 53 over 59 ⅓ innings pitched. Hoover worked a team-leading 79 innings and struck out 56, maintaining a 4.56 ERA.

First Team All-SAC second baseman Cam Harris, meanwhile, is coming off a season batting nearly .400. He produced an excellent .465 on-base percentage and homered five times. Breon Ishmael, who hit nine round-trippers and stole a team-high 14 bases, is also back to power Wingate at the plate.

When Are The 2025 Division II Baseball National Finals?

Teams in Division II will play up to 50 regular season games before they reach Regionals. Regionals begin the week of May 15, with double-elimination tournaments that will decide the regional champions.

The eight champions will advance to the National Finals, held on May 30-June 7 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, where they will face off in two four-team brackets. The winners of each bracket then go head-to-head for the championship title.

When Are The 2025 Division III Baseball National Finals?

Division III teams will face a similar double-elimination tournament both for Regionals and in the Championship.

The Championship tournament will be held at Classic Park from May 30 to June 5.

How Many Division II and Division III Baseball Players Were Selected In The MLB Draft?

The 2024 MLB Draft saw 13 Division II players selected, with picks ranging from the sixth-19th round. Division III athletes, who have accounted for almost 300 draft picks since 2000, also had a notable handful of players drafted in later rounds.

How To Watch NCAA Division II And Division III Baseball

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