Spring has sprung and the 2025 DII softball championship is inching closer and closer. While it is easy to list UT Tyler, West Texas A&M or Central Oklahoma as contenders for the finals, there are often a few surprises along the way that may not be on the radar during the season.
Here's a look at five teams that aren't in the top 10 — in fact . Disregard the national rankings. These are teams that can make a lot of noise come May.
Saint Leo
The Lions have won six in a row and 22 of their last 23. Wins over that span include a sweep over nationally ranked Tiffin, then-nationally ranked Wilmington (DE) and nationally ranked Barry who is hot on the Lions trail in the South Region. Per , they are the fourth-best team in the South Region — a region that has five teams in the top 30 of DII softball. has the Lions with the fifth-best KPI in DII, and the South Region makes up Nos. 2-5, again reiterating how tough it is to play here. They are getting it done in the circle, where a four-head monster has combined for a 2.27 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
Tiffin
What a season for the Dragons. Tiffin enters the national polls this week for the first time since 2011, so that should tell you how well it is playing. That includes a huge series sweep against Findlay and Saginaw Valley State, two teams vying atop the Midwest Region. The Dragons are red hot, winners of five in a row and 15 of their last 16, giving them the highest KPI in the G-MAC and second highest in the Midwest Region. They lead the conference at the plate in home runs, runs scored and RBIs and are among the top 20 nationally in ERA (1.94), strikeouts (233) and shutouts (12).
Pace
The Setters are scorching hot, winners of 16 in a row. That has them at No. 25, cracking the national rankings for the first time this season. What they are doing is quite remarkable: They have a top 10 ERA and are top 10 in shutouts and WHIP and they have done all this against the eighth toughest schedule in DII softball. They tested themselves early against several nationally ranked teams to mixed results, but have righted the ship and have the highest RPI and KPI in the East Region by a large margin.
Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals have won 10 in a row and 15 of their last 16. They have the highest RPI in the Midwest, but that earlier series loss to Tiffin could put their No. 1 seed hopes in jeopardy. Still, this has been a pretty steady team all season long, posting the highest KPI in the Midwest Region. Like many of the teams on this list, the Cardinals are pretty sharp in the circle with the No. 8 WHIP in DII (1.02) and an ERA of 2.18. SVSU doesn't have many teams remaining with winning records on its schedule, so the Cardinals should continue to rack up wins.
MSU Denver
It is somewhat mind-boggling that the Roadrunners aren't getting more love in the national polls. Not even receiving votes, MSU Denver is 21-3 since the calendar flipped to March. Perhaps they are overlooked because the Roadrunners haven't played the toughest schedule in a region with three of the best teams in the division (West Texas A&M, UT Tyler and Angelo State are all in the top 7) but they are right there. Right now, by the metrics they are a tournament-bound team and in a heated race with Colorado Mesa to win the RMAC. As with many teams in the South Central, there is a lot of offense here, as MSU Denver is ranked No. 15 in DII in home runs (45), No. 6 in RBIs (274) and No. 7 in scoring (7.42 per game).
For your consideration: Biola, Colorado Mesa, Goldey-Beacom, Minnesota State
