Conerly’s Region Rundown: May Madness is Coming

As we hit the home stretch of the regular season, postseason positioning is starting to take shape across the country. I took a dive into four regions — Atlantic, East, Midwest, and South Central — to identify which teams are on the rise, who I think is built to win their regional, and who else could make some serious noise in May.

Each region has its own dynamic, so here's the format:

This Week’s Winner: Hottest team of the week. A team trending in the right direction.

My Pick to Win the Region: The squad I believe will win the region.

Runner-Up: A team I think will reach the Super Regional.

Watch Out For: Other dangerous teams who could round out the region and make noise.

Atlantic Region

Spots: 6

Auto Bids: PSAC, MEC

This Week’s Winner: Indiana (Pa.) — The Crimson Hawks are surging and have firmly inserted themselves into the PSAC conversation. They are 16-19 overall but 11-5 in conference play and have won nine straight. It’s been a roller coaster for Steve Kline’s group. They began the year as a preseason top-10 team after a trip to Cary, North Carolina, in 2024 but struggled mightily out of the gate this season. After starting the season 3-17 and getting swept to begin PSAC play, they’ve now won three straight conference series and face a major test this weekend against California (Pa.). Despite being under .500, they’ve improved drastically and are starting to look like the team many expected. One thing they’ve done consistently? Field the baseball. Their .972 fielding percentage ranks 30th nationally. Elijah Dunn is leading the offense with a .370 average and 10 home runs.

My Pick to Win the Region: Millersville — Consistently strong and tournament-tested, the Marauders have the arms and experience to make a deep run.

Runner-Up: East Stroudsburg — This group is built for May baseball. Their lineup is dangerous, and they’re as capable as anyone of winning the region.

Watch Out For: West Chester, Seton Hill, California (Pa.), Shippensburg — The PSAC is loaded. Any of these squads can steal the show.

Quick MEC Note: Frostburg State is the clear favorite to grab the MEC's automatic bid, especially with Point Park ineligible. Concord could challenge them. Either way, Frostburg vs. Point Park should be a fun series this week.

Point Park: They’d absolutely be in the mix here if they were eligible. One of the better teams in the region — just can’t join the dance this year.

East Region

Spots: 7

Auto Bids: CACC, ECC, NE10

This Week’s Winner: St. Thomas Aquinas (STAC) — STAC swept rival Dominican, snapping the Chargers' 14-game winning streak. They won 7-2 on Friday and 5-2 on Sunday, a huge bounce-back after a four-game skid. While STAC is just 9-23 overall and 4-8 in conference play, this rivalry win shows there’s still fight in the Spartans.

My Pick to Win the Region: Jefferson — The Rams have the résumé, rotation, and swagger to take this regional. Javon Hernandez is hitting .425 with 25 extra-base hits and deserves more attention.

Runner-Up: Goldey-Beacom — Don’t sleep on the Lightning. They’ve been consistent all year, played a tough schedule, and have a real shot at the regional crown.

Watch Out For: Bentley, Molloy, Southern New Hampshire, New Haven, Wilmington (Del.) — SNHU and New Haven are battle-tested, Molloy is trending up, and Bentley is sneaky good. Wilmington has the pieces to play spoiler.

Midwest Region

Spots: 7

Auto Bids: GLVC, GLIAC, G-MAC

This Week’s Winner: Maryville — The Saints are 22-15 and have won nine straight. They swept Southwest Baptist this past weekend, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in each of their last six games. Ambrose Russo is hitting .341 with 13 doubles and eight homers. The staff is deep and effective, ranking 15th in Division II in strikeouts per nine innings, led by Braden Smith, Ben Gregory, and Ty Rauser. Smith is 5-1 with a 3.93 ERA with a team-best 57 punchouts.

My Pick to Win the Region: Davenport — Top to bottom, this is a complete team. The Panthers are 25-11, 11-1 in conference play, and have a balanced attack. Keegan Batka is one of the best arms in the region (6-1, 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP).

Runner-Up: Grand Valley State — GVSU has shown they can beat anyone on any day and are built to make a run.

Watch Out For: Lewis, Illinois-Springfield, Ashland, Northwood, Saginaw Valley — Lewis is rolling, UIS is solid, Ashland is quietly dangerous, and Northwood and Saginaw can surprise. Oh, and don’t forget about UIndy, the defending regional champ, who is heating up again.

South Central Region

Spots: 6Auto Bids: LSC, RMAC

This Week’s Winner: Regis — The Rangers are 27-11, 17-3 in RMAC play, and have won nine in a row. Adam Paniagua is putting up historic numbers: 22 home runs, 75 RBIs, a .426 average, and a 1.504 OPS. He’s the heart of a lineup that’s powering Regis into the national conversation. They face Colorado Mesa this weekend in what is the RMAC series of the year.

My Pick to Win the Region: Angelo State — Year after year, the Rams are contenders. They’re No. 1 in the country and have the experience and depth to go deep.

Runner-Up: UT Tyler — The Patriots have been steady all year and have Super Regional potential. A UT Tyler vs. Angelo State showdown would be a must-watch.

Watch Out For: Colorado Mesa, St. Edward’s, West Texas A&M, Lubbock Christian, Regis — Mesa has the pedigree, St. Edward’s and WT have firepower, LCU can rake, and Regis is on a serious heater. This region is stacked.