New Jersey may be suffering through some bitter cold this week, but spring is right around the corner, which means baseball is on the minds of many. This spring could be a wild one in New Jersey as the battle for supremacy in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) will be intense. A handful of local programs received national attention when the 2025 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 was released.
Rowan and Ramapo found themselves in the Top 25 at No. 21 and 23, respectively. Both squads advanced to the NCAA Regional rounds last season before having their seasons come to an end. Kean and TCNJ received votes but currently find themselves outside the Top 25.
Those four teams are expected to be among the conference leaders, but they are not alone. Montclair State will be a force to reckoned with, having ace Jack Haveson at their disposal. Haveson was named to the D3Baseball.com Preseason All-America First Team. In 2024, Haveson appeared in 11 games and pitched 58 innings. He finished with a 7-1 record while ranking third in the nation in ERA (1.24). He recorded 56 strikeouts and threw six or more scoreless innings in four of his eight starts.
Rowan second baseman Tyler Cannon (Clayton, NJ) was named to the D3Baseball.com Preseason All-America Third Team. The captain is back with the team as a graduate student after leading the Profs by batting .387 with 75 hits, 55 runs, and 19 doubles last season. Cannon currently ranks third on the Rowan all-time list with 221 career hits, chasing the record of 230 held by Alex Kokos.
Other Notable Preseason Honors
Salve Regina junior Sean Mulligan (Verona, NJ) was named to the Preseason All-America First Team. Last season, Mulligan started 15 games, finishing 9-2 while striking out 96 batters in 94.1 innings. He had three complete games and finished with a 2.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Opponents batted just .192 against him.
