2025 William & Mary vs Charleston

2025 CAA Baseball Championship Preview: What To Know

2025 CAA Baseball Championship Preview: What To Know

Previewing the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association Baseball Championship in Charleston, SC.

May 20, 2025 by Kyle Kensing
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Nationally ranked Northeastern takes a whopping 24-game winning streak into Charleston, South Carolina, host city of the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association Baseball Championship

The Huskies headline a six-team field of NCAA Tournament hopefuls, looking to claim a CAA championship en route to the field of college baseball's 64 best squads. 

Along with the hottest team in college baseball, the 2025 CAA Baseball Championship features future MLBers, potential Cinderella stories, and some of the most intriguing matchups anywhere in this postseason. 

CAA Baseball Championship 2025 Teams

Here are the six teams competing in the CAA Baseball Championship

No. 1 Northeastern University Baseball

2025 Record:  45-9, 25-2 Coastal Athletic Association 

What to Know: April 6 was the last time the Northeastern Huskies dropped a decision, the 18-8 setback vs. Campbell also marking one of only two NU losses in conference play. Northeastern dominated the regular season with a combination of prolific and balanced offense and lights-out starting pitching. 

NU's rotation of primary starters — Will Jones, Jordan Gottesman, and Aiven Cabral — has ERAs of 1.99, 2.40, and 2.45 in 63 1/3, 71 1/3, and 80 2/3 innings pitched. All three also head into the postseason sporting a WHIP of fewer than 1.00. The sensational Huskies' starting rotation has an equally strong bullpen supporting it. Charlie Walker has struck out 49 batters in 42 2/3 innings and has an ERA of 1.27 with a minuscule WHIP of .73. 

Complementing its strength on the hill is an equally impressive lineup at the plate, starting with veteran standout Cam Maldonado. A three-year fixture for NU, Maldonado is having perhaps his best season yet with a .375 batting average, 1.161 OPS, a team-leading 15 home runs, and 57 RBI to match Harrison Feinberg for a team-high. Along with his 57 runs driven in, Feinberg also leads the Huskies with 35 successful steals on 38 attempts. 

Maldonado's swiped 28 bags on 34 attempts, and Carmelo Mussachia has 25 steals on 31 attempts. Northeastern's 181 steals are third among all Div. I teams. All told, the Huskies have very few weaknesses, so taking them down in Charleston demands the competition's best effort. 


No. 2 UNC Wilmington Baseball 

2025 Record: 32-22, 19-8 

What to Know: The 2025 season is already poised to be one for the UNCW record books. Freshman pitcher Cam Bagwell threw the program's first perfect game at the Division I level early in the campaign, and come summer, Tanner Thach could be a first-round selection in the MLB draft. Between those individual milestones, the Seahawks aim for a return to the NCAA Tournament. 

UNCW sports an RPI of No. 82 ahead of the CAA Baseball Championship, thus presumably needs to win the automatic bid to qualify for the NCAA Regionals. The Seahawks may be best-equipped among the six remaining teams to dethrone Northeastern, however, thanks to outstanding pitching both among the starters and relievers.  

Bagwell, Zane Taylor, and Connor Marshburn each have made 14 starts and worked between 69 and 87 2/3 innings. In that time, they have posted ERAs of 2.16 (Taylor), 3.01 (Bagwell,) and 3.26 (Marshburn) with Taylor's 91 strikeouts leading the CAA. 

MLB prospect Thach is raking at a .322 clip to pace the UNCW offense with 10 home runs on the season. 

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No. 3 Charleston Baseball 

2025 Record: 34-20, 15-12 

What to Know: CAA Baseball Championship host Charleston looks to capitalize on its advantage playing in The Ballpark at Patriots Point. The Cougars went 24-13 there in the regular season, a mark that includes a win over Top 25-ranked Coastal Carolina. 

Charleston's offense thrives with heady base-running. The Cougars' 107 stolen bases are 42nd nationally, with Dariyan Pendergrass' 39 ranking No. 9 among all Div. I players. Pendergrass joins Will Baumhofer and Ethan Plyler, who have sporting batting averages north of .300, while Baumhofer and Plyler add 16 and 11 swipes to the Charleston ledger. 

On the mound, 2024 All-CAA honoree and right-hander Jake Brink anchors the Cougars' starting rotation. Charleston's bullpen features one of the top closers in the nation, Davis Aiken, whose 12 saves are tied for sixth nationally. If the Cougars take a close lead into the ninth inning, Aiken's presence helps Charleston lock down the win. 

No. 4 Campbell Baseball 

2025 Record: 24-29, 15-12 

What to Know: Campbell aims to finish its first season under the direction of head coach Chris Marx strong, riding a streak of series wins in their last four going into the postseason. The late-season push secured a CAA record above .500 and a spot in the CAA Baseball Championship. 

Joe Simpson has played a key part in the Camels' finish, delivering hits in 10 of the 11 games leading up to the tournament. That stretch includes six multiple-hit performances, with three three-hit games. Simpson and Dalen Thompson, Campbell's two most-consistent hitters at .343 and .326, have parlayed their ability to get aboard into 20 stolen bases each. 

The Camels have swiped 119 bags as a team, second in the conference and 27th in Division I. Combining their small-ball game with home-run pop from Charlie Meglio (12) and both Andrew Schuldt and Joey Morton (11), the Camels can put up the runs to compete with any opponent in the CAA. 

No. 5 William & Mary Baseball 

2025 Record: 21-33, 14-13 

What to Know: Perhaps the league's most dangerous lineup at the plate, William & Mary embarks on the CAA Baseball Championship with Ben Parker batting a staggering .413 with 11 home runs, a team-leading 50 RBI, and a conference-leading 1.200 OPS. 

Lucas Carmichael comes in batting .365 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI, while Christian Rush has clouted a team-high 14 home runs. The trio gives the Tribe arguably the most fearsome offense in the CAA, and a fighting chance to emerge from Charleston as the conference's NCAA Tournament representative. 

William & Mary will need its committee of pitchers to step up. The Tribe staff has used its most active arms both as starters and frequent relievers, with no one working more than 50 innings. None of the William & Mary pitching staff to make multiple starts has produced an ERA of less than 6.12. 


No. 6 Elon Baseball 

2025 Record: 24-30, 13-14 

What to Know: The Phoenix look to rise from the ashes after a disappointing finish to the regular season. Elon dropped five straight to close out league play, but the Phoenix held onto the final berth in the CAA Baseball Championship thanks to a stretch of winning 10-of-12 in April and early May. 

2025 MLB draft prospect Ryan Sprock brings one of the biggest bats in the conference to Charleston. Sprock has 14 home runs and is batting .332 on the season, good for a 1.030 OPS. Alex Duffy and Tank Yaghoubi join him, hitting .325 or better ahead of the CAA Baseball Championship. 

If the Phoenix are to go on a dark-horse run, expect them to lean on the high potential of starting pitcher Justin Mitrovich and Declan Lavelle. Mitrovich, a 2023 Freshman All-American, has struck out 226 batters over his three seasons at Elon. The right-hander can be one of the most dominant starters in the league. 

2025 CAA Baseball Championship Bracket

The 2025 CAA Baseball Championship begins Wednesday, May 21, and runs through Sunday, May 11. 

Wednesday, May 21

  • Game 1: No. 5 William & Mary vs. No. 3 Charleston  - 12 p.m. ET 
  • Game 2: No. 6 Elon vs. No. 4 Campbell - 4 p.m. ET 

Thursday, May 22  

  • Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser - 11 a.m. ET
  • Game 4: No. 1 Northeastern vs. Lowest Seed of Game 1 & 2 Winners - 3 p.m. ET
  • Game 5: No. 2 UNCW vs. Highest Seed of Game 1 & 2 Winners - 7 p.m. ET

Friday, May 23

  • Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Lower Seed of Games 4 & 5 Losers - 11 a.m. ET 
  • Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Higher Seed of Games 4 & 5 Losers - 3 p.m. ET 
  • Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner - 7 p.m. ET  

Saturday, May 24

  • Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser - 11 a.m. ET 
  • Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner - 3 p.m. ET   

Sunday, May 25

  • Game 11 (if necessary): Game 10 participants - 1 p.m. ET

How To Watch The 2025 CAA Baseball Championship

Fans can watch all the action from the 2025 CAA Baseball Tournament live on FloCollege.

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