PBR JUCO: NJCAA DI Preseason Top 25
January 18, 2023
As usual, it is baseball's thriving JUCO scene that will kick off the nation’s 2023 college season. Even though calendars just flipped into the new year, the NJCAA Division I season begins on Friday, Jan. 27 – at least, for those programs in warm-weather states.
Quite a few of the teams ranked in our Preseason Top 25 will be in action in less than 10 days, and @PBR_JUCO is as eager as ever for the season to get started. Today, we’re breaking down the top 25 teams, as we see it, ahead of opening day.
Below, we’ve included breakdowns on each team in our Top 25, paced by reigning DI champs Central Arizona.
NJCAA DIV. I PRESEASON TOP 25
| 1 | Central Arizona |  |
59-13 | NJCAA DI World Series Champions |
+ Click to view their 2023 Season PreviewThe Vaqueros captured their second national championship in four seasons last year, and they’re set to defend that title as our preseason top team. Central Arizona returns a handful of contributors from last year’s squad, including OF Tyrese Johnson, OF Ashtin Webb, and 1B Blake Avila (Grand Canyon). There’s potency on this pitching staff as well, with RHP Ryan Schiefer (Arizona State), RHP Patrick Steitz (Kansas), and LHP Matt Wilkinson (Arizona State) all slotting inside the top 65 on our Top 150 JUCO prospect rankings. Steitz and Wilkinson return from the 2022 team, joining RHP Jasiah George and RHP Daniel Davila to form not only an experienced pitching staff, but a talented one too. There’s no shortage of success within this program and CAC’s quest to repeat as champions begins on Jan. 27. |
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