Mid-Major Omaha Watchlist: Week 1
A Blog By Julian
Dallas Baptist
The Patriots have advanced to each of the past 10 regionals, joining powerhouses Florida, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Vanderbilt as the only teams to accomplish such. The staff is led by Luke Pettitte, (yes, the son of that Pettitte), and his battery mate, Grant Jay, has one of the biggest impact bats of any catcher in the nation. The staff is deep, and the lineup, featuring 2024 CUSA OBP leader Tom Poole, Chayton Krauss, and 2024 CUSA newcomer of the year Michael Dattalo, is poised to make a deep postseason run.
Troy
Troy is arguably the biggest mid-major riser over the past year. Coach Meade is confident that outfielder Shane Lewis will get back to being the dynamic cornerstone in Troy’s lineup he was in 2023. Coach Meade has also shown an immense amount of confidence in true freshman outfielder Houston Markham, batting him in the two-hole to begin the Trojan’s season. The infield and heart of the lineup will depend on standout slugging catcher Brooks Bryan, first baseman Blake Cavill, and the highly touted freshman third baseman Jimmy Janicki. If the staff can give the bats confidence early in the season, this squad is going to wreak havoc in the Sun (Fun) Belt.
Credit: troytrojans.com UC Santa Barbara
Tyler Bremner is likely the first arm drafted come June. The Gauchos could rival Oregon State for boasting the most talented pitching staff West of the Mississippi. Jackson Flora will start behind Bremner, Cole Tryba as a Freshman had a 65/14 K/BB line in 2024, and if Hudson Barrett is healthy again, they have arguably the top left handed reliever in all of college baseball in their bullpen. The offense returns LeTroy McCollum, and adds UCLA transfer Jack Holman and Division III Pomona-Pitzer transfer Isaac Kim, who will both bat in the meat of the Gauchos lineup. If the big arms can stay healthy, this team could storm into Omaha.
Credit: Jeff Liang/UCSB Athletics Southern Miss
The Eagles have gotten off to a hot start, and look to make their NINTH consecutive regional appearance. Apart from DBU, Southern Miss has as respectable a pedigree as a mid-major can have. The lineup will be led by Ozzie Pratt and Nick Monistere playing up the middle, with Davis Gillespie and Matthew Russo adding some pop behind them in the lineup. They return sophomore gem Colby Allen, who racked up ten wins and seven saves while leading the Eagles in innings last season. Other arms including Matthew Adams and freshman Grayden Harris are expected to heavily contribute to Southern Miss making their tenth regional in ten years.
Credit: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentine
Other mid-majors I’m keeping an eye on: UC Irvine, Hawaii (shoutout
), Liberty, UNCW, Coastal Carolina, Charleston, East Carolina, and Georgia Southern.Which mid-majors am I missing? Who do you think will be the last mid-major standing?
Thank you for reading, I’d love to hear your thoughts!