Another week has passed, which means another set of power rankings from myself. Conference USA play began this week, and while some teams played better than others, there were no sweeps. With CUSA being a top conference, you can expect games to be competitive like this past weekend for the rest of the season. Let’s get into my rankings for all 10 teams.

1. Dallas Baptist Patriots, 16-7 (2-1)

DBU showed it was human this past week, going 2-2 and dropping two spots to No. 17 in the D1Baseball poll. It started with an 8-5 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs on Tuesday, where the Patriots were once ahead 3-0 after four innings.

They bounced back over the weekend with two straight run-rule victories over the MTSU Blue Raiders, where they outscored Middle 35-7. MT would steal a game on Sunday by a score of 12-6, but DBU has set the tone for conference play and still sits atop my CUSA power rankings.

Starting pitchers Micah Bucknam and James Ellwanger led the way for DBU, tossing 11 scoreless frames with 23 strikeouts to just three walks.

2. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 21-3 (1-2)

Western started the week on a high note with a 14-8 victory over a putrid Eastern Kentucky team, but things would get uncomfortable when conference play began. They’d hit the road to play a three-game set against Kennesaw State and drop two of three games.

Not only did they lose the series, but also that extremely impressive Hilltopper pitching staff was dominated and gave up 17 runs in two of the games, both of which were losses. WKU is still an outstanding baseball team, but the weak non-conference schedule embellished how good the 'Tops actually are.

3. Liberty Flames, 17-8 (1-2)

The Flames started the week with an 11-8 win over No. 16 Wake Forest. But its six-game winning streak would be snapped after New Mexico State walked into Lynchburg, Virginia, and took care of business by taking two of three games.

Though Liberty lost its first CUSA series of the season, it was a fluke, and you can’t drop them due to the resume on hand and the inconsistency of the teams behind them. LU has a ranked win (Wake Forest) and victories over good squads in UNC-Wilmington, NC State, and Duke.

4. Florida International Panthers, 16-9 (2-1)

FIU had a good week with a lot of rest. There was no midweek game, but they would play host to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who rolled in with a 14-7 record.

The Panther pitching staff had a blunder on Saturday, allowing 12 runs. But in the other two contests, they gave up just seven runs behind two stellar starting pitching performances from Easton Marks and David Eckaus. The two combined for eight innings of four-run ball, which allowed the FIU bats to get in front early and never look back.

I’m a big fan of this team, and they could undoubtedly see themselves rising in the rankings in the coming weeks.

5. MTSU Blue Raiders, 13-10 (1-2)

The inconsistency of MTSU baseball continued last week as the Blue Crew went 1-3 during the week, including a series loss to No. 17 DBU.

Middle Tennessee started with an 11-7 loss to SEMO after true freshman Logan Bingham started the game and was shelled for four earned runs in one inning. The Blue Raiders would try and get back into the game, but it was too much to overcome after starting down 4-0.

Dallas Baptist bludgeoned MT on Friday and Saturday by outscoring them 35-7. But Middle would bounce back on Sunday with a 12-6 win over the Pats to stay three games above .500.

6. Jax State Gamecocks, 15-9 (1-2)

A 6-4 win over Samford was a good way to start the week for the Gamecocks. Unfortunately for them, that would not set the tone for the week, as they were dominated by the FIU Panthers in Miami.

They would grab a Saturday win to even the series but couldn’t keep the offense rolling into Sunday, as they'd lose to begin the conference slate at 1-2. This is still a solid team that could easily climb the ranks as the 2025 campaign continues.

7. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 14-10 (2-1)

The Bulldogs desperately needed to rebound after a bad stretch of games last week. They started with a 6-2 victory over UL-Monroe and would start CUSA play against the last-place Sam Houston State Bearkats.

Though it was closer than they would have liked, a win is a win, and it still says 2-1 in conference play by LA Tech’s name. Three or fewer runs would decide every game, but a 9-7 win on Sunday sealed the deal for the Bulldogs, who had just won its first conference series of the year.

CUSA is extremely muddy past the first three teams, and this is another squad that could be either very high or very low in the power rankings this year.

8. New Mexico State Aggies, 13-11 (2-1)

New Mexico State was the surprise of the week for CUSA. They picked up a 6-4 win over UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday, then would prepare to play Liberty.

After a one-run loss on Friday, it was evident that the Aggies were close to picking up a series win or at least competing for one, but would they? NMSU would respond with back-to-back wins over the Flames to clinch its first series win since May 2024.

With five wins in its last seven games, the Aggies are on a roll and will look to continue that this week against UNC-Greensboro and Dallas Baptist.

9. Kennesaw State Owls, 10-14 (2-1)

A 5-4 loss to Georgia Southern on Tuesday was not what the Owls were looking for, especially heading into a tough matchup against the WKU Hilltoppers. Whatever was said in the clubhouse before that series worked, as they narrowly took the first game before losing on Saturday and finishing the weekend with an 8-2 victory on Sunday.

Kennesaw State still sits at 10-14 (2-1 in CUSA), which is not good, but they showed the potential of their team. Georgia Tech is a tough midweek draw, but they’ll be matched up against LA Tech on the weekend, an entirely winnable series.

10. Sam Houston State Bearkats, 7-17 (1-2)

This week was odd for the Sam Houston Bearkats. After starting strong with a Tuesday win over 13-10 Houston, a series loss against Louisiana Tech would follow that. While it was competitive, it’s a series you must win if you’re SHSU and wish to revive your season.

Things don’t get any easier for Sam Houston, who will play at Texas on Tuesday and then at Western Kentucky for the weekend set.