It’s been just under a month since the college baseball season started, so there’s now a good sample size for all 10 teams in Conference USA. We’ll be doing weekly power rankings from now until the end of the year, so here’s a look at the first set of them.
1. Dallas Baptist Patriots, 11-4 (0-0)
Dallas Baptist comes in this week at No. 20 in the nation per D1Baseball and No. 1 in my CUSA power rankings. The Patriots boast a potent offense led by CUSA Preseason Player of the Year, Grant Jay, who’s off to a hot start, batting .396 with seven homers and 20 RBI.
He’s the big bat, but DBU has a great supporting cast, including Tom Poole, Chayton Krauss, Nathan Humphreys, and more. Overall, they’ve batted .286 as a team with 21 long balls and 122 runs scored (8.13 per game).
On the bump, they’ve been outstanding with a 3.94 ERA led by right-hander Rian Schwede, their Sunday guy. Other notable names are sophomore James Ellwanger, who holds a 1.48 ERA. Along with junior reliever Ashton Branson, with a team-leading 1.17 ERA.
The Pats have series wins over North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, and a midweek run-rule of No. 12 Oklahoma.
2. Liberty Flames, 11-4 (0-0)
The Liberty Flames have been a pleasant surprise following the departure of head coach Scott Jackson in July, followed by several key players.
LU has been on a tear since the campaign began, beating NC State and Duke in midweek games and sweeping two-weekend series to start 2025 at 11-4. They’re solid on offense but have two standout bats, Jaxon Sorenson and Nick Barone, who have slugged 10 home runs and driven in 37 runs through 15 games.
The lineup isn’t anything crazy with a team .263 batting average and 109 runs scored, but the pitching side of things is rather impressive.
Saturday arm Ben Blair leads the way with a 3-0 record, 1.17 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP through 23 innings of work. Dylan Mathiesen has also been good on Fridays with a 3.63, but the best part of Liberty’s team is in the ‘pen. They’ve posted a 4.09 ERA with 72 punchouts in 74 2/3 innings.
With a lockdown bullpen, they’ll continue to be one of the top teams in CUSA.
3. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 15-1 (0-0)
Western Kentucky has been impressive to start the season and holds the conference’s best record, but it’s been done against a weak non-conference schedule. Western’s opponents compiled a record of 34-66 through the season's first quarter, which is not great.
However, beginning the campaign 15-1 is still impressive, and WKU deserves its flowers. The Hilltoppers are led by a consistent offense where nobody necessarily sticks out, but everyone does their job and does it well. 10 ‘Tops are batting over .290, with five driving in double-digit runs. Only 19 homers have been hit by this squad, but when you have a team batting average of .317, that doesn’t matter.
To help out its offense, Western Kentucky features potentially the best pitching staff in the conference. WKU hurlers have combined for a 2.23 ERA; five have yet to allow their first run of the season.
If the Hilltoppers can keep it up on the mound, few teams in this league can beat them.
4. MTSU Blue Raiders, 9-5 (0-0)
Middle Tennessee baseball is an interesting team. They’ve been inconsistent, and like WKU, their schedule has been weak to begin the new year. Still, the Blue Raiders have a lot of talent, including one of the best starting rotations in mid-major baseball.
Trace Phillips, Chandler Alderman, and Drew Horn have been sensational for Jerry Meyers’ team, compiling a 2.23 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings. But the bullpen has been shaky, allowing 46 of the team's 62 earned runs this year.
Offensively, the Blue Raiders have a lot to like. They’re a complete offense from top to bottom, and when they are healthy, nobody’s an easy out. Center fielder Eston Snider leads the way with a .446/.529/.643 slash line to go along with three homers and 13 RBIs.
Brett Vondohlen has been the power bat with seven bombs (T-most in CUSA), while the team is batting .317 and averaging nearly eight runs per game.
If Middle can figure out its bullpen woes, this team will be very dangerous in Conference USA.
5. FIU Panthers, 12-5 (0-0)
Florida International may be the most underrated team in CUSA right now. They’re 12-5, have a powerful offense, solid starting rotation, and one of the best bullpens in the conference.
Beginning with the bats, Kishon Frett, Brylan West, and Austin Dearing are three of the best at their position and have already clubbed 13 home runs with 38 RBIs. In total, the Panthers have scored 138 runs in 17 games.
On the mound, they hold a team ERA of 4.97 with a good starting rotation of Easton Marks, Logan Runde, and Owen Puk. The bottom half of the bullpen has been bad, but Juan Villarreal, Jarek Woodward, and David Eckaus have been solid.
This is another team that, if they can fix the ‘pen, will be dangerous in 2025.
6. LA Tech Bulldogs, 9-7 (0-0)
Louisiana Tech has taken a step back this season, but that was expected with losses of multiple MLB draft picks.
The Bulldog bats aren’t great, batting .251 and averaging 6.1 runs a game. But the pitching has been solid so far this season. Grant Hubka and Luke Cooley are two premier starting pitchers, holding 2.79 and 2.89 ERAs, respectively, with a couple of good pieces in the bullpen.
The Bulldogs have yet to win a series aside from a four-game sweep of Maine to begin the season. They did take a game from No. 22 Southern Miss, but that’s where the resume ends.
LA Tech is a middle-of-the-pack team in CUSA but does have some pieces to compete this year.
7. Jax State Gamecocks, 10-6 (0-0)
Despite what the record says, Jacksonville State is not a bad team. They’ve had to play five games against No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 17 Alabama.
The Gamecocks are a decent contact offense, batting .267 with four batting over .285. However, there’s no pop on this team, as only seven homers have been hit, and four come from Ace Williamson. There’s not much to rave about on the mound, but bullpen arms James Wilson, Grayson Knight, and Jackson Phipps have been good thus far.
This is a small ball squad that gets on base at whatever cost and could find some success as the season progresses.
8. New Mexico State Aggies, 8-7 (0-0)
New Mexico State sits at 8-7 for a reason, they’re not a very good club. Offensively, they do hit for average (.297) but struggle to get runners in and have scored just 90 runs in 15 games. There’s little power for a lineup with the luxury of playing in New Mexico, where the ball flies. However, senior infielder Sheehan O’Connor has clubbed seven home runs for his team and has been a good player this year.
There’s not much to like on the mound, but reliever Saul Soto has been fantastic, boasting a 0.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 13 frames.
The Aggies have been underwhelming this season but did hand No. 19 Texas A&M a 4-1 loss on Sunday.
9. Kennesaw State Owls, 6-11 (0-0)
Kennesaw State was a solid team last season, posting a 32-24 record. But after losing most of its talent, they’ve had trouble in 2025. Starting the campaign 6-11 and have won just one series, which was against Columbia.
The Owl offense has been underwhelming, averaging under six runs per game on a .269 batting average. The pitching staff isn’t much better, as they hold a 7.55 ERA. But do have one of the top prospects for the 2025 MLB draft in Braden Osbolt.
He and reliever Ryan Renfroe have been the only bright spots on this KSU team.
10. Sam Houston State Bearkats, 3-12 (0-0)
Sam Houston was a good team a season ago, but losing All-American catcher Walker Janek and several quality arms has been brutal to the Bearkats. The team has won three games and lost series to New Jersey Tech and future CUSA foe Missouri State while going 1-9 against other opponents.
The Kats have an atrocious offense that’s batting .246 and scored only 84 runs. They do have a nice player in Hunter Autrey, who’s batting .321 with three homers and 15 RBIs.
There are a few solid arms on the Sam Houston staff, but it’s not been suitable for the most part. The team holds a 6.87 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts (74/99). To sum it up, this will be a down year for SHSU.
