I had an article queued up about the NCAA transfer portal for this week, but I decided to pivot at the last minute.

This Tweet got a lot of engagement this week:

Since engagement signals high interest in the Twitter world, I decided a post about my thought process may intrigue you.

(I’ll definitely write about the transfer portal in the future).

First, I must admit that I made this list quickly, without much thought in the moment.

However, I’m qualified to offer my opinion on this because:

• I have coaching experience at multiple levels on the list.

• I’ve watched baseball from ALL levels on the list.

• I’ve thought about this topic for years.

Nevertheless, as I mention in the Tweet, this is just an educated guess.

I don’t think I’m right or wrong.

If I’m wrong, however, I would bet that I’m close.

I appreciated the this challenge from @DudeAlertHTX:

I’m glad he felt willing to share. Here was my response:

The main question I asked myself when developing the list:

“How would a team from one level fare in a 10-game series against a team from another level?”

In general, I believe a team from any each level would win 6-7 games out of 10 versus a team from the level below it.

Here is more depth about my thought process about each level:

D1 (Power Five)

Example College: University of Kentucky

The “Power Five” level includes colleges in the following conferences:

1. ACC

2. Big Ten

3. Big 12

4. Pac-12

5. SEC

I think few would argue that Power Five college baseball shouldn’t be at the top of this list.

However, there are non-Power Five colleges who are better (much better) than some Power Five colleges.

For example, the D1Baseball.com RPI rankings list five programs in the top 25 that are not in Power Five conferences.

So maybe D1 (High) would be a better label for this level.

D1 (Mid)

Example College: Central Michigan

Since D1 baseball includes just over 300 colleges, I classify programs 101-200 in the RPI rankings as “mid” level D1 programs.

JC (High)

Example College: Iowa Western Community College

The best junior college rosters in the country include many D1 and pro prospects.

These schools would compete well against mid- and high-level D1 programs and likely beat low-level D1 programs most of the time.

D1 (Low)

Example College: Arkansas State

I classify the bottom 100+ D1 programs in the RPI rankings as “low” level D1 programs.

Many of these programs are smallish colleges and universities.

Some are private and some are public.

Many of them are outstanding academic institutions.

D2 (High)

Example College: University of Tampa

The best D2 programs include many players who transferred out of D1 programs and/or from high-level junior colleges.

I don’t disagree with @DudeAlertHTX (see Tweet above). I think the best D2 programs are just as good or better than some low-level D1 programs.

NAIA (High)

Example College: Georgia Gwinnett

This one may surprise you.

Through my work with College Athlete Advantage over the past couple years, I’ve learned that many players and parents don’t know much about NAIA programs.

Since most of them are small, private colleges, some people lump them in with D3 programs.

In reality, the top NAIA programs in the country are better than the top D3 programs in the country.

The top NAIA programs would also hold their own against many lower-level D1 programs.

Like high-D2 programs, the best NAIA rosters include quite a few D1 transfers and/or JC transfers.

I coached at one of these colleges (University of the Cumberlands) before it ascended into one of the best NAIA baseball programs in the country. I’ve seen the quality of this level first-hand.

D2 (Mid)

Example School: Carson Newman

Admittedly, D2 is the level I’ve watched the least, but knowing how good the best D2 programs are helps me guess where the mid and lower tiers likely fall.

JC (Mid)

Example School: Des Moines Area Community College

I’ve seen a lot of games at this level.

Many of the players at mid-level JCs have higher-level tools, but need to improve fundamentally to get there.

Some of them are already polished fundamentally, but need to add mass/strength/explosiveness to attract interest from high-level 4-year programs.

These programs typically send multiple players to D1 programs after two years and many more to good D2, NAIA, and D3 programs.

D3 (High)

Example College: Webster University

I’ve heard a some myths about D3 baseball over the years:

• D3 baseball is no better than high school baseball

• You’ll easily start right away if you go to a D3 school

• Your high school teammate (who isn’t very good) is going to a D3 school, so you’re above the D3 level

• Etc.

These myths stem from a couple things:

• D3 schools don’t offer athletic scholarships

• D3 rules restrict coach contact with players to safeguard athletic/academic balance for players

The reality:

The best D3 programs would beat many programs at the others levels on any given day.

These programs typically feature multiple pitchers who throw in the high 80s to low 90s and multiple position players with impressive skill.

Many D3 players COULD play at a higher level, but choose D3 as their BEST FIT due to:

• Academic programs

• The likelihood of earning playing time early in their career

• The athletic/academic balance

• The winning tradition of the program

• The connection with the coaching staff

• Etc.

Some of these players go on to play professional baseball:

NAIA (Mid)

Example College: Baker University

Many NAIA colleges are similar to D3 colleges in some ways:

• They are small private colleges

• They are strong academic schools

What puts NAIA ahead of D3 (in general) are these factors:

• NAIA programs offer athletic scholarships

• The admission standards (at some NAIA) schools aren’t as strict

• NAIA coaches get MUCH more contact time with players

Still, the top 10-20 D3 programs would beat many NAIA program more often than not.

D2 (Low)

Example College: Bemidji State

The bottom programs in D2 struggle to win many games versus better D2 programs.

They also WOULD struggle to win many games against the levels I’ve put higher on the list.

Even these programs, however, have some solid players who COULD play at a higher level.

D3 (Mid)

Example College: Brevard

This is the level I coached at for most of my career.

The programs at this level would struggle to win many games against the higher levels on the list.

Still, most of these programs feature 1-2 high-velocity pitchers and multiple position players who are very good.

Programs at this level CAN be competitive with higher-level programs on a given day:

The best players at this level can still earn opportunities at the professional ranks:

JC (Low)

Example College: Holyoke Community College

This level and the two below it struggle to win games against colleges at any level.

However, some of them have the pieces in place to ascend.

These programs are worth considering if you have a strong desire to play college baseball and are struggling to find opportunities.

NAIA (Low)

Example College: Harris-Stowe State

D3 (Low)

Example College: Cazenovia

There you have it!

Feel free to reply/comment with any agreements/disagreements.

All the best!

- Matt

P.S. If you'd like to schedule a free consultation with me to discuss your specific recruiting process, reply to this email or sent me a text at 319-883-0242.