Alright folks, so today I finally sat down to tackle compiling those expert predictions for the 2025 NAIA baseball rankings. Heard whispers floating around and figured it was time to get my hands dirty and see what I could piece together. No fancy insider stuff here, just good old-fashioned digging.
Step One: Wading Through the Info Swamp
First things first, I opened a bunch of browser tabs – probably too many, honestly. Started hitting up the usual suspects: sports news sites, college baseball forums talking preseason buzz, even checked out some regional sports blogger accounts. It’s crazy noisy out there, especially this early. Had to filter out a ton of pure guesswork and hot takes. People get fired up about their local teams, you know? Had a notepad open just scribbling names constantly popping up as potential top contenders.
Step Two: Finding Actual Experts (It’s Tricky)
Then I remembered – preseason predictions? You gotta find people who actually watch this level consistently. Not the big D1 shouters. Dug deeper into specific NAIA baseball sites, podcasts focused on small college ball, looked for writers who cover these conferences year-round. Found a few analyst names popping up multiple times with solid track records. Trustworthy voices aren’t always the loudest, had to tune out the noise. Started compiling their projected top 10/15 lists side-by-side. Took forever, kept bouncing between tabs. Coffee became essential.
The Frustrating Bits
- Consistency Nightmares: One expert loves Team A, another has them barely cracking top 20. Had to weigh how reliable each source usually is.
- “Potential” Overhype: Everyone talks about young pitchers and “stud” recruits. Tried focusing on proven returners and coaching history.
- Small School Spotlight Issues: Some great programs just don’t get the ink others do. Had to cross-reference stats and past performance hard.
Step Three: Doing the Math
Okay, so I had maybe 7 or 8 legit expert lists in front of me on screen. Opened a spreadsheet – good old reliable. Listed each expert down the side, teams across the top. Started entering where each expert placed each top team. Simple ranking, but manually punching it all in? Tedious as heck. Seeing patterns emerge slowly. Team X kept landing in the 3-5 spot. Team Y was always 1 or 2. Team Z? All over the darn place. Highlighted those consistent high-placers.
Step Four: Finding the Common Ground
This was the meat of it. Averaged out the rankings for each team that appeared frequently. Looked for the outliers – those teams one expert loved but everyone else was meh on, or vice versa. Tossed the wildest outliers most times. Used a simple point system: #1 spot = 25 points, #2 = 24 points, down to #25 = 1 point. Added up the points for each team across all the lists they appeared in. The point gaps started telling the real story – separating the obvious frontrunners from the next tier. Some teams clustered tightly score-wise.
Step Five: My Best Guess Composite
Based on that average ranking and total points, I ordered them. Top five kinda fell out naturally based on points. The 6-15 range was tighter, more debateable. That’s where I really looked back at why – why did Team A consistently place 8th-10th? Oh, nearly all starters back, strong conference. Team B jumps to 7th? Ah, that one analyst hyped their recruiting class big time, maybe pulled them up slightly. Ended up with a consensus-driven ranking that reflects what the actual NAIA watchers are leaning towards, not just hype.
Final Takeaway? The top spots feel solid – Teams 1 and 2 seem universally expected to dominate based on history and known rosters. Middle of the pack is always a crap shoot this early, injuries, transfers, you name it. But getting this compiled? Feels good to have a clearer picture, even if it’s bound to change before the first pitch. Now to see if my list holds water!