While the CAA more often than not in recent years has earned just one bid to the NCAA Tournament, there’s frequently an argument to be made that the conference deserves more due to the caliber of competition at the top of its ranks.
This year should be no different.
A trio of teams—Charleston, UNCW and Northeastern—appear built for runs at a berth, which should generate plenty of excitement, at a minimum, or even allow the league to increase its postseason presence.
Check out our complete CAA season preview below.
Projected Standings (2024 Record)
- Charleston (41-14; 21-5)
- UNCW (40-21; 20-7)
- Northeastern (38-17; 18-9)
- Campbell (31-22; 12-15)
- Delaware (31-26; 16-11)
- Elon (21-32; 10-17)
- Stony Brook (24-28; 12-15)
- William and Mary (32-26; 13-14)
- Hofstra (24-33; 13-14)
- Monmouth (18-30; 11-16)
- North Carolina A&T (25-28; 9-17)
- Towson (15-39; 5-20)
Top Five Draft Prospects For 2025
- Tanner Thach, 1B, UNCW
- Cam Maldonado, OF, Northeastern
- Justin Mitrovich, RHP, Elon
- Connor Kane, RHP, UNCW
- Trace Baker, RHP, UNCW
Team To Beat: Charleston
Charleston came tantalizingly close to a postseason berth last season when it was the only team in the nation with 40 or more total wins (41) and a top 50 RPI to get denied entry. This year, they again appear positioned to make the field with ample returning talent, especially on the pitching side. After easily pacing the CAA in ERA in 2024, the Cougars brought back weekend starters Jake Brink and Aidan Hunter, who pitched to a 3.69 ERA in a team-high 92.2 innings and 3.76 ERA in 76.2 innings, respectively. Charleston also returned left fielder Avery Neaves, who hit .338/.475/.715 with 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 44 RBIs and eight stolen bases in his first Division I season after transferring from Division III Lynchburg. Seniors Dariyan Pendergrass and Will Baumhofer are also back in the fold in the Cougars’ outfield after batting over .300 with double-digit stolen bases. The Cougars have won the CAA regular season title twice in the last three years but couldn’t cap it off with a conference tournament victory, which has kept them out of the NCAA postseason since 2015. They’ll have plenty of competition at the top of the conference from UNCW and Northeastern, but BA expects the Cougars to return to tournament action in 2025.
Player Of The Year: Tanner Thach, 1B, UNCW
While BA likes the Cougars to win the CAA this year, there’s a very strong argument to be made for UNCW,…