Defending SLIAC Baseball Champion, Spalding University is the preseason favorites in 2025 according to league coaches. The Golden Eagles picked up 81 total points and nine first-place votes after winning the program's first-ever championship last spring. The Golden Eagles return every hitter from last year's squad as well as several of their top arms. Caden Krystofiak, the SLIAC Pitcher of the Year, is back after going 6-1 with a 2.41 E.R.A. and 94 strikeouts. Cameron Rayborn, 9-3 with a 2.97 E.R.A. and 86 strikeouts, gives the Golden Eagles a dominant top two in the rotation. They are joined on the pitching staff by Wesley Clark (4-1 with 44 strikeouts) and Garrett Matthews (2-2 with 28 strikeouts). Ethan Tuttle is the driving force of the offense and hit .434 with 21 stolen bases last year. Hunter Strong provides thump after hitting 12 home runs while batting .394 while Matthew McDowell continues the production, hitting .338 with 37 RBI last spring. Evan Fisher, Jacob Spanyer, and Whitt Callahan add to the potent lineup. Head Coach Matt Downs is excited about the addition of Ryan Eubanks to the program.
Webster University was chosen 2nd in the poll with 71 points and received the other first-place nod. Head Coach Bill Kurich will look for continued production from his offense, which brings back four All-Conference hitters while continuing to develop his young pitching staff. James Theodore led the team with a .424 average last year while Karl Peters batted .324 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. The consistent Evan Evola is back after hitting .335 with 7 home runs and 33 RBI while R.J. LaRocco is one of the most experienced players in the league, having played in 160 games, and is a career .319 hitter. Newcomers to the program that could see time are Nick Wrubluski, Bauer Dalke, Michael Pasquesi, Austin Happel, and Dalton Groves.
Finishing 3rd on the poll is Lyon College with 66 points. Head coach Justin Cunningham returns the core of last year's team that finished 23-17 overall and finished second in the league with a 15-3 record. A trio of All-Conference hitters lead the way in Walker Smith (.378 with 20 RBI), Garrett Graef (.32 with 3 home runs and 36 RBI), and Ashton Compton (.351 with 39 RBI. Also back are pitchers Patrick Babcock (5-3 record with 60 strikeouts) and David Jennings (0.95 E.R.A. with 4 saves). New faces to watch are Slade Inman, Andrew James, Jace Campbell, Eli Marcotte, and Landon Swallow.
MUW was picked 4th with 57 points. No team information provided.
Greenville University comes in 5th with 48 points. Head Coach Lynn Carlson brings in 22 new players looking to fill the role of three graduating All-Conference players. They were 18-25 last season and will be lead by Third Team All-SLIAC infielder Snyder Pennington. The junior hit .371 with 33 RBI last year. He is joined in the lineup by returning outfielder George Schneider. Cade Buehnerkemper will assume the role of top pitcher after striking out 45 batters in 64 innings as a sophomore. Top newcomers to keep an eye on are Landyn Smith, Dawson Hope, Dax Bailey, and Matt Rocco.
With 42 points, Westminster College placed 6th. No team information provided.
Eureka College totaled 29 points, finishing 7th. The Red Devils were 19-21 overall last season and set several program records with head coach Noah Suarez. They return 12 hitters and 5 pitchers while bringing in a large incoming class that boosts its roster up to 55 players. Nickolas Cartmill is the team's leading returning hitter after batting .327 and swiping 15 bases last spring. Also back are Gabe Peters (.289), David Hidden (.333 with 5 stolen bases), and Hayden McKenna (.298). Mike Dunne is a two-way player that hit .286 with 26 RBI while working a team high 60 innings and striking out 54 batters. Fellow pitchers Colin Delaere and Colton Yanish will offer the program more arm depth.
Fontbonne University received 27 points for an 8th place showing. The Griffins went 14-26 overall last season under head coach Ryan Good. He starts the year with 19 players including 6 returning hitters and 5 pitchers. The Griffins will build their lineup around Ty Kueper and Eric Creech. Kueper, one of the leaders of the team, hit .320 with 4 home runs and 23 RBI while Creech batted .312 with 24 stolen bases and was named Second Team All-SLIAC. Kendal Horton should see a larger role on the mound after throwing 26 innings as a freshman.
With 17 points, Blackburn College was picked 9th. The Beavers return 15 hitters and 9 pitchers from a team that was 6-32 overall last season. Heading up the list of returners is Andrew Lozano, who hit .308 last season with 9 doubles. Also back are Diego Perez, Gehrig Loera, and Harley Carney. Payton Blackburn is back for his senior season after working nearly 50 innings off the mound last spring, striking out 40. First-year head coach Jacob Kraft was able to bring in some newcomers that include Royce Congi, Bailey Kasprowicz, John Wolf, Cruz Medina, Hunter Sarver, Carter Hood, and Omar Claudio.
Wrapping up the poll was Principia College, who totaled 12 points. Head Coach Chris Marston will have a mix of returners and newcomers looking to improve on their 9-29 overall record last season. Top returners include Josh Dement (.360 average), Braxton Ramsey (.297 average), and Cole Christensen (.286 average). Newcomers Cooper Martinez, Ben Sander, Koye Calzada, and Justice Fortso will push for playing time.