The time of the year has come again, and the college season is right around the corner as we dive into our predictions for HBCU baseball’s Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
There are some heavy hitters up front and a few intriguing arms who will highlight the coming season.
SIAC baseball programs are nationally recognized in polls, Black College Nines (BCN) Top 10 HBCU Baseball, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Associations (NCBWA) Top 25 and Top 10 Regional Rankings, and DII Baseball.
Some SIAC teams opening day for the 2025 college baseball season is set for February 1 and wraps up May either in the SIAC Baseball Championship Tournament, NCAA Division II Regionals, or the Black College World Series May 7-10, Jackson, TN.
Black College Nines previews the 2025 SIAC baseball season and predicts the order of finish.
Here are the predictions:
| Preseason Predictions | Team | 2024 Conference Record | 2024 Overall Record | 2024 Postseason Finish | Head Coach | |
| 1 | Edward Waters | 21-11 | (31-19) | SIAC Co-Champs/Black College World Series | Reginal Johnson | |
| 2 | Savannah State | 21-12 | (31-17) | SIAC Co-Champs NCAA DII Regionals | Florentino Burgos | |
| 3 | Miles | 20-12 | (22-26) | Black College World Series | Milton Barney | |
| 4 | Albany State | 30-3 | (37-12) | Lost SIAC Championship game | Scott Hemmings | |
| 5 | *Spring Hill – Not An HBCU | 25-7 | (32-21) | Concluded season SIAC Tournament | Walker Bullington | |
| 6 | Morehouse | 15-17 | (21-28) | Concluded season SIAC Tournament | Antonio Grissom | |
| 7 | Lane | 18-14 | (21-25) | Concluded season SIAC Tournament | Jeffery De La Concha | |
| 8 | Kentucky State | 14-17 | (21-28) | Concluded season SIAC Tournament | Rob Henry | |
| 9 | Benedict | 10-23 | (14-25) | No Postseason | Selwyn Young | |
| 10 | Tuskegee | 7-26 | (10-35) | No Postseason | Chadwick Hall | |
| 11 | Clark Atlanta | 8-23 | (11-35) | No Postseason | Trennis Grant | |
| 12 | LeMoyne-Owen | 4-28 | (4-30) | No Postseason | Brian Young | |
Edward Waters – The Tigers will enter the season as our No. 1 SIAC team as they return five every day pitching starters and landed some top transfers and incoming freshmen to go along with returning last season’s full roster. They have the deepest lineup in the SIAC. Its 2024 team won the SIAC Championship. Head coach Reginal Johnson’s squad is still veteran-heavy and this year’s senior group has a good blend of power and upper-tier arms at the front end of a rotation or keys out of the bullpen.
Savannah State – Florentino “Tino” Burgos, the new head coach of the Tigers’ baseball program hired this past November inherits last season’s 31-17 entire roster and has arguably the most talented offense in the conference. Burgos added some top arms to the pitching staff.
Miles – Head Coach Milton Barney figures to have a talented roster in 2025 returning six starters from last season with strong hitting and pitching from top returners will have a stronger pitching staff than last year. The addition of some talented freshmen and junior college transfers at key positions is a plus. Miles College looks forward to a big season with more speed to a team that finished 3rd in the nation in stolen bases.
Albany State – Scott Hemmings is in his tenth season at the helm of the Golden Rams baseball program. Expect the Rams will be very balanced offensively and defensively this season. Offensively they should be able to hit. Defensively will work every day to improve and to get better. Their season will hinge upon how well pitching holds up this season to have a chance to compete for the SIAC Championship.
*Spring Hill – Not an HBCU
Morehouse – The baseball program matured under head coach Antonio Grissom last season with young talented players thrown into the fire early and learning how to play the games by taking their lumps against outside competition. The Maroon Tigers still fared well in the conference, making the tournament. Could be the surprise SIAC team to move up in the conference in 2025.
Lane – First-year head coach Jeffery De La Concha has one of the toughest schedules in the SIAC conference. The schedule is going to get the Dragons ready for a prime run when the conference tournament starts in May. Lane has scheduled NCAA DI and DII contests. Expect to see a team that plays solid defense, pitchers who pound the strike zone, and aggression on the basepaths.
Kentucky State – This year’s team makeup will be considerably different than last year. The fallout from graduating 12 key position players and pitchers, the Thorobreds will turn to a wealth of new faces in 2025. Head coach Rob Henry’s keys for success this year will be to gel quickly, get quality starts from weekend arms, and develop a strong bullpen to win games late.
Benedict – The Tigers will continue under head coach Selwyn Young breaking national NCAA DII stolen base records each season. If Benedict expects to improve on last season’s 14-25 overall record, they must fill the pitching void that has plagued the program for the last four years.
Tuskegee – Head coach Chadwick Hall’s season will hinge upon how well pitching holds up this season to have a chance to compete for the SIAC Championship.
Clark Atlanta – Trennis Grant became the ninth head baseball coach in CAU history on June 17, 2024. The former DI baseball coach will be tasked with starting his baseball program with an impressive transfer class and contending within the conference.
LeMoyne-Owen – If the Magicians can do a better job of stopping opponents from scoring, then the offense should help improve on its disappointing 4-30 season including a 4-28 SIAC record. New head coach Brian Young took over the program in July 2024. This past offseason was his first chance to sign recruits. He hopes to improve the offense with pitching and lead back to the SIAC tournament for the first time in seven years.