1. What conferences receive automatic bids?
2. Who goes to the playoffs?
3. How does the NCAA compute Quality of Wins Index?
4. What is a regional game?
5. What are the criteria used to select Pool B and Pool C teams?
1.
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What conferences receive automatic bids?
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The following 41 conferences get automatic bids in 2025:
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
American Rivers Conference
American Southwest Conference
Atlantic East Conference
Centennial Conference
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Colonial States Athletic Conference
Conference of New England
Empire 8
Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Landmark Conference
Liberty League
Little East Conference
MAC Commonwealth Conference
MAC Freedom Conference
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Midwest Conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
New Jersey Athletic Conference
North Atlantic Conference
North Coast Athletic Conference
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
Northwest Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Presidents' Athletic Conference
Skyline Conference
Southern Athletic Association
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
State University of New York Athletic Conference
United East
University Athletics Association
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
USA South Athletic Conference
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
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2.
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Who goes to the playoffs?
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Sixty four teams go to the 2025 tournament — 41 conference champions and 23 at-large teams. They will play in 16 four-team double elimination regionals. |
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3.
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How does the NCAA compute Quality of Wins Index?
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Thankfully, it doesn't anymore. The "Quality of Wins" index went away after the 2007 season.
Also a piece of history is the weighted scale will apply. Once the opponents' winning percentage (OWP) and opponents' opponents' winning percentage (OOWP) are calculated, they are to be combined on a weighted scale (e.g., 2/3 weight for OWP and 1/3 weight for OOWP) and this combined number becomes the strength of schedule.
Starting in 2025, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) will deteremine who in the playoffs with the top 23 teams without a confernec bid will qualify for the playoffs.
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4.
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What is a regional game?
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A game can be classified as regional in any of three ways.
Both teams are full Division III members (or third- or fourth-year provisional members) and:
1) are in the same Division III member conference or same region as defined by the Division III baseball committee. That list of regions is linked on the top menu rail on this page.
2) The teams are within 200 miles of each other via the NCAA's approved mapping software.
3) Played in a one time spring trip. |
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5.
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What are the criteria used to select Pool B and Pool C teams?
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As of 2025, there are no Pool b and C bids. All teams that do not play in a qualified conference will comptete in the same pool as teams who did not win their conference tournament.
The primary criteria emphasize regional competition (all contests leading up to NCAA championships); all criteria listed will be evaluated (not listed in priority order).
• Win-loss percentage against Division III opponents.
• Strength-of-schedule (only contests versus regional competition).
- Opponents’ Average Winning Percentage (OWP).
- Opponents’ Opponents’ Average Winning Percentage (OOWP).
• In-region head-to-head competition.
• In-region results versus common regional opponents.
• In-region results versus regionally ranked teams.
• Ranked opponents are defined as those teams ranked at any time of the rankings/ selection process.
• Conference postseason contests are included.
• Contests versus provisional and reclassifying members in their third and fourth years shall count in the primary criteria. Provisional and reclassifying members shall remain ineligible for rankings and selection.
If the evaluation of the primary criteria does not result in a decision, the secondary criteria will be reviewed. All the criteria listed will be evaluated (not listed in priority order). The secondary criteria introduce results against out-of-region Division III and all other opponents including those contests versus opponents from other classifications (i.e., provisionals, NAIA, NCAA Divisions I and II).
• Out-of-region head-to-head competition.
• Overall Division III win-loss percentage.
• Results versus common non Division III opponents.
• Results versus all Division III ranked teams.
• Overall win-loss percentage.
• Results versus all common opponents.
• Overall DIII Strength of Schedule.
Additionally, input is provided by regional advisory committees for consideration by the men’s baseball committee. In order to be considered for selection for Pools B or C, an institution must play at least 50 percent of its competition against Division III in-region opponents. Coaches’ polls and/or any other outside polls or rankings are not used as a selection criterion by the men’s baseball committee for selection purposes.
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