Teams Who Just Missed Just Baseball’s Preseason Top 25
Not every team could make Just Baseball's pre-season top 25 for the best teams in College Baseball in 2025. Here's who just missed.
This past Monday, we released our Preseason College Baseball Top 25 Rankings. As exciting as that is, we understand only 25 teams can make the poll. This article highlights six programs that just missed our Top 25 and should be ones to watch.
We’ll dive into each team’s key returners, incoming freshmen, and transfer portal acquisitions for each squad.
Additional Notes –
– All teams mentioned are in Alphabetical Order, and order does not determine rank
– Rating percentage index (RPI) & strengthen of schedule (SOS)w data points are sourced from Warren Nolan.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Record: 36-25
Conference Record: 16-14
RPI: 34
SOS: 21
A new era begins in Conway as legendary coach Gary Gilmore retires after 28 seasons managing Coastal Carolina’s baseball program.
The 2024 Chanticleers saw their season come to an end at Clemson, where they reached the regional championship but fell to the Tigers. It’s now year one under new head skipper Kevin Schnall, and he inherits a roster with the same motivation as years past.
Coastal lost arguably three of their best four hitters from 2024, though two vital components return. Catcher Caden Bodine and second baseman Blake Barthol will now lead this offense, receiving Preseason All-American honors at their respective positions.
Bodine is one of the best catchers in college baseball, hitting .328 with a .934 OPS in 241 at-bats for Coastal last season. Barthol was one of the best players in America for the first half of 2024 but struggled over the second half, as he hit only 1 HR in his last 34 games. That said, Blake had an incredible fall, so expect him to be at the top of Coastal’s lineup, getting on base and doing damage.
Coastal’s pitching depth on paper looks promising, but can some step up to a higher level?
Anticipate Riley Eikhoff as the lead catalyst in the rotation, a five-pitch guy who threw 67% of the strikes last season. Virginia transfer Cullen McKay will likely be another weekend guy, along with Cameron Flukey. Flukey is a player to keep tabs on, having held opposing hitters to a .242 batting average while leading the Chanticleers in strikeouts as a freshman last season.
Darin Horn is back from injury and figures to be a backend guy for Coastal, a low-slot guy that produces good sink and a high spin slider.
Overall, there are many bright ways to look at this Coastal Carolina roster. The amount of returning pitching is indeed assuring, along with the best Sun Belt Conference player in Caden Bodine.
Even with the head coaching transition, the Chanticleers are in a great position to be one of the best mid-majors not just in the Sun Belt, but across the country.
East Carolina Pirates
Record: 46-17
Conference Record: 19-8
RPI: 24
SOS: 65
It was another extraordinary season for East Carolina, winning 46 games and hosting its third regional in the last four years.
Undoubtedly, the Pirates face significant losses, including pitchers Trey Yesavage, Zach Root, Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, and outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart. Over 60% of this team is new, and perhaps the youngest roster head coach Cliff Godwin has had throughout his tenure in Greenville.
East Carolina’s pitching staff will be led by sophomore Ethan Norby, a sinker-slider left-hander who posted a 3.79 ERA over 59.1 innings last season.
Another notable arm is true freshman Sean Jenkins, a four-pitch guy in the low 90’s. The Pirates picked up quite a bit of pitching transfers as well. Lefty Nick Moran transferred to East Carolina this past cycle, making 14 starts for the 2024 Liberty Flames.
Ryan Towers is also a new face, as he made 13 starts and threw over 50 innings for Loyola Marymount’s club this past year. Additional pitching pickups include Brett Antolick (Texas A&M), Brad Pruett (Oklahoma), and Talor Grubbs (Liberty).
Youth is still apparent maneuvering over to the offense as East Carolina returns two main pieces from last season’s traditional lineup. Center fielder Ryley Johnson is one, as he hit .339 with a .461 OBP and stole over 20 bags in 2024.
The other Pirate is infielder Dixon Williams, who had a .308 average and 20 extra-base hits this past year. I anticipate Johnson will remain in center field, and Williams will primarily handle third base for East Carolina while continuing to be a key contributor at the top of the lineup in 2025.
The talent is there for East Carolina, though it’s less established than in years past. That said, the Pirates will be the team to beat again in the American. Assuming roles will be earned throughout the 2025 season, this staff understands how to develop and mature the younger guys.
With all that said, East Carolina is in a great position to compete deep into its conference tournament in May and play continued regional baseball in June.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Record: 40-23
Conference Record: 17-13
RPI: 19
SOS: 15
Mississippi State regained its respected form in 2024 after two underwhelming seasons before that, as they won 40 total games with 17 against SEC competition. Even after losing 11 players to the 2024 MLB Draft, it’s another annual ‘next man up’ mentality for Chris Lemonis, his staff, and his players.
The expected Bulldogs lineup is assumed to be scattered with newly acquired transfers. Arguably, the most notable pickup is Noah Sullivan, a primary designated hitter for three seasons at USC Upstate. Noah hit .324 with 25 extra-base hits last year, as he will be an assuring complement to lead catalyst Hunter Hines.
Additional transfers Mississippi State acquired are Gehrig Frei (North Alabama), Ace Reese (Houston), Reed Stallman (Campbell), and Sawyer Reeves (The Citadel). All five transfers will assume significant lineup time this spring, joining Hines and young returnees Dylan Cupp and two-way Nolan Stevens.
Regarding the pitching, the loss of both Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje are significant, as they accounted for more than half of State’s starts and over 186 innings pitched. Expect southpaw Pico Kohn and headline the rotation, a 6 ’4 southpaw that sits 90-93 with a tight slider.
Other possible contributors in the rotation include righthander Karson Ligon and Indiana State transfer Jacob Pruitt. I want to mention again Noah Sullivan, as he made 12 starts for USC Upstate and threw over 75 innings in 2024, and how he could be a play on midweeks or possibly in the weekend mix as well.
From a relief standpoint, anticipate Virginia transfer Chase Hungate to be a high-leverage guy, as well as Nolan Stevens and Gavin Black.
Again, it was a new year with many new faces for this Mississippi State club. Given this caliber of offensive potential, if this pitching staff can emerge and establish their presence on weekends, it’s a scary team.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 40-22
Conference Record: 16-8
RPI: 29
SOS: 40
Another 40-win club on this list includes the Nebraska Cornhuskers, arguably the top team in the Big Ten conference. Both catcher Josh Caron and pitcher Brett Sears, 2024 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, headline the players no longer around for head coach Will Bolt’s program. That said, the returners and the amount of input coming back are promising, especially on the offensive side.
Nebraska returns eight positional starters and acquires a few notable transfer bats. Utilityman Rhett Stokes led the team in average (.360) and can play anywhere on the infield.
Other Cornhuskers returning include outfielders Case Sanderson, Gabe Swansen, and infielder Cayden Brumbaugh, who all hit over .300 last year. Center fielder Riley Silva is also returning, as he stole 32 bags on 35 attempts in 2024.
Adding on, Nebraska picked up two key portal acquisitions this latest cycle. Cael Frost, hitting .343 with 21 home runs as a freshman for South Dakota State, is an assumed lock in the outfield to start the year. Hogan Helligso is another notable transfer, a career .286 collegiate hitter and three-year starter at Creighton.
The valued experience returns to the pitching staff and starts with anchor Mason McConnaughey. Mason had an impressive 3.79 K-BB ratio last year and pitched to a 3.45 earned run average.
Lefties Jalen Worthley, Will Walsh, and righthander Drew Christo follow him. Anticipate both Worthley and Walsh to start a significant number of games for Nebraska with Christo serving as a premier bullpen piece for the 2025 Cornhuskers.
As mentioned earlier, the percentage of output returning to campus is simply incredible. Over 70% of their at-bats return this spring, along with every pitcher who made a start, not named Brett Sears. Nebraska will be the top favorites to win the Big Ten regular season and the tournament.
TCU Horned Frogs
Record: 33-21
Conference Record: 14-16
RPI: 42
SOS: 35
After being one of the first teams left out of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament, Texas Christian is an obvious candidate to bounce back in 2025.
Notable roster losses include one of the best two-way talents in Peyton Tolle, as his output must now be replaced. Going into season four under head coach Kirk Saarloos, it’s a fine mix of fresh underclassmen talent and an experienced core back on this year’s roster.
Texas Christian welcomes nearly an untouched freshman class onto campus, headlined by Noah Franco, Sawyer Strosnider, and Mason Brassfield. All three players will see immediate playing time, which will be instrumental to TCU’s success this spring.
The most notable is Franco, though, as he is arguably the top two-way freshman in the country. It’s a 6 ‘3 presence in the box with violent hands while also being 91-94 on the mound this past Fall.
As far as key returners, it starts with Anthony Silva. The veteran shortstop hit .268 with 190 at-bats and led TCU in stolen bases in 2024.
Other lineup returnees include outfielder Chase Brunson and catcher Karson Bowen, as they project to be one of the top offenses in the Big 12. On the pitching side, Second Team Preseason All-American Ben Abeldt will be the anchor and transition into the weekend rotation.
Other notable arms for the Horned Frogs include righties Kole Klecker, Trevor Baumler, and Wichita State transfer Tommy LaPour.
On paper, this roster is fun. It combines experience, premium freshman talent, and impact transfers across the diamond. Expect TCU to be one of the top seeds in the Big 12 in 2025, aspiring for a regional bid, if not a hosting site.
UC Santa Barabra Gauchos
Record: 44-14
Conference Record: 26-4
RPI: 17
SOS: 90
A career season for the Gauchos, as they won 44 games and steamrolled through the Big West Conference again in 2024. Head coach Andrew Checketts has recorded 40 or more wins in four of the last five seasons, excluding the COVID year.
UC Santa Barbara was also among the latest 16 host sites for the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament, though being eliminated by the 2-seed Oregon Ducks.
The strength of this 2025 club is the pitching staff, and it begins with the top mid-major arm in Tyler Bremner. He has elite command, as shown by his 4.96 K-BB ratio in 2024, but also has the best changeup in this upcoming draft class (46% whiff rate last spring).
Another pitching anchor will be Cole Tryba, as it’s unclear whether he will start on weekends, close games, or perhaps both. Tryba threw 47 innings last year for UC Santa Barbara and filled up the zone. A low-release angle guy, he generates elite ground-ball rates with his sinker and a slider with a plus sweep.
Three additional noteworthy arms for the Gauchos include Frank Camarillo, Jackson Flora, and TCU transfer Chase Hoover.
From an offensive standpoint, there’s significant output gone from 2024, although a few players in the starting position are back on campus.
Infielder Jonathan Mendez returns after a wonderful freshman campaign, finishing with a .272 average in 2024. LeTrey McCullum joins Mendez back on campus, a .320 hitter last season with an OBP of .400 and a perfect 10 for 10 on stolen bases. Also noteworthy is former starting shortstop Corey Nunez returning, who played only nine games most recently due to injury.
The Gauchos will be heavy favorites to win the Big West Conference again in 2025. Thanks to an untouched high school recruiting class, plenty of experience back on the mound, and a quality amount of at-bats returning, they are well-positioned to do damage once again.
Anticipate UC Santa Barbara to compete for a second consecutive hosting bid while also being one of the best collegiate teams on the West Coast.
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