GNAC announces preseason poll
- Updated: February 14, 2025
WINTHROP, Mass. – Reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball champion Mitchell looks to repeat in the 2025 season after capturing the 2024 title in their first season in the GNAC. The Mariners come into the season receiving votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 national poll as well as the preseason favorite as determined by the 2025 GNAC Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, earning 165 points and 11 first place votes cast by the league’s 13 baseball head coaches last week.
Mitchell finished 14-2 in GNAC play (34-13 overall) last season and earned the top seed in the 2024 GNAC Baseball Championship, The Mariners cruised their way through the double-elimination tournament losing only one game, eventually besting Johnson and Wales in the championship.
As the GNAC champion, Mitchell earned the league’s automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship and participated in the Babson Regional. After big wins against Babson and Salisbury, the Mariners had enough momentum to get into the super regional before falling to Salisbury twice in the regional championship.
Johnson & Wales earns the second spot in the preseason poll as the Wildcats earned a first-place vote and 157 points. JWU comes off a 27-13 season (13-3 in conference play) as they clawed through to the championship despite their early loss in pod play to Norwich. The Wildcats fell short of a potential four-peat at the fate of Mitchell’s hands. They look to bounce back and re-claim their spot at the top of the conference this season.
Colby-Sawyer and Lasell, earned the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in this year’s voting despite tying with 130 points. The Chargers earned a first-place vote which broke the tie in points between the two institutions.
The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) comes in fifth in this year’s poll, sitting at 110 points, followed by Anna Maria (104), Saint Joseph’s (Maine) (94), Elms (76), Norwich (63), and Rivier (56) to fill out the top 10 spots in that exact order.
Albertus Magnus (41), Dean (31), and New England College (26) finalized the poll in that order.
Mitchell gets the GNAC Baseball season started on Feb. 21 as it begins its non-conference slate in New Jersey with the conference schedule getting underway on Saturday, March 22. The teams will play a 16-game schedule featuring single-games on weekdays and Sundays with conference doubleheaders scheduled for every Saturday except the first.
The top eight teams at the end of the regular season earn berths into the 2025 GNAC Baseball Championship Tournament. This year’s tournament features a new format as the eight teams will be split into two double-elimination pods. Pod play will take place from May 2 to Sunday, May 4 with the two pod champions advancing to the 2025 GNAC Baseball Championship Series. The best-of-three GNAC Championship Series is scheduled for Thursday-Friday, May 8-9. The winner of the GNAC Championship Series will be named the 2025 GNAC Baseball Champion and earn the league’s automatic qualifier into the 2025 NCAA Division Baseball Championship.
2025 GNAC Baseball Preseason Poll
| 1. | Mitchell | 165 (11) |
| 2. | Johnson & Wales | 157 (1) |
| 3. | Colby-Sawyer | 130 (1) |
| 4. | Lasell | 130 |
| 5. | University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 110 |
| 6. | Anna Maria | 104 |
| 7. | Saint Joseph’s (Maine) | 94 |
| 8. | Elms | 76 |
| 9. | Norwich | 63 |
| 10. | Rivier | 56 |
| 11. | Albertus Magnus | 41 |
| 12. | Dean | 31 |
| 13. | New England College | 26 |
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