Eastern Region Leads All 4 NWAC Regions in Total Alumni Placement Score
Eastern Region Leads All 4 NWAC Regions in Total Alumni Placement Score
Eastern leads all 4 NWAC regions with a combined 635.7 Raw Alumni Placement Score (APS) — the highest total of any region in the 2026 reporting year.
Across all 4 reporting NWAC regions, 28 colleges have combined for 529 alumni currently active on four-year rosters — spanning NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA programs.
No Region Reordering Under Combined APS
NWAC’s region order holds steady whichever raw-count metric you use: the same 4 regions rank in the same order by combined Raw APS as they do by total alumni count. Eastern and Southern hold a clear first and second either way, and Western stays last in both systems. APS does change which individual colleges lead within some regions — the Eastern Region saw a different college break into its top 3 — but it doesn’t reshuffle the regions themselves.
Why Average Raw APS Per College Tells a Different Story
Combined Raw APS naturally favors regions with more reporting colleges — Southern and Eastern each field 8 colleges, more than any other region, while Western fields just 5. That’s why this board also shows each region’s Average Raw APS per College, dividing the combined total by the number of reporting colleges — a measure of the typical program’s strength, independent of how many programs a region has.
Under this lens, Western jumps from 4th by combined total to 1st by average — its 5 colleges are more uniformly strong than a larger region’s. Southern shows the opposite pattern: 2nd by combined total, but 4th by average, since its total is spread across 8 programs of varying strength. Neither number is wrong — combined Raw APS measures a region’s total contribution to the NWAC pipeline, while average Raw APS measures the strength of a typical program within it.
All 4 NWAC Regions Ranked (2026)
How These Rankings Are Calculated
Regions are ranked by combined Alumni Placement Score (APS) — the sum of every reporting college’s Raw APS within that region. Average Raw APS per College divides that total by the number of reporting colleges. See the full APS methodology for the per-college formula, division weights, and what “placement” means in APS.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many total NWAC alumni are currently active on four-year rosters?
Across all 4 NWAC regions and 28 reporting colleges, 529 alumni are currently active on four-year rosters spanning NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA programs in 2026.
Which NWAC region has the highest combined Alumni Placement Score?
Eastern leads all NWAC regions with a combined 635.7 Raw APS, built on 152 alumni currently active on four-year rosters. Southern (603.5) and Northern (563.4) rank second and third.
Do any regions rank differently by Raw APS than by raw alumni count?
No — all 4 NWAC regions hold the same relative order whether ranked by combined Raw APS or by total alumni count. APS does change which individual colleges lead within some regions, but it doesn’t reorder the regions themselves.
Which NWAC region has the highest Average Raw APS per college?
Western leads this measure at 92.1 average Raw APS per college — a reversal from its 4th-place finish by combined total. Its 5 colleges are more uniformly strong than the larger regions, which post higher combined totals only because they field more programs.
How many colleges does NWAC baseball include?
28 colleges report alumni data across all 4 NWAC regions in the 2026 reporting period, ranging from 5 colleges (Western) to 8 colleges (Southern, Eastern).
Where can I see the individual college rankings within each region?
Each region has its own detailed leaderboard with every reporting college, records, and win percentages, linked from the region names in the board above. See the Top 5 Programs board for the leading individual colleges across all of NWAC.
Each region has its own detailed leaderboard with every reporting college, records, and win percentages, linked from the region names in the board above. See the Top 5 Programs board for the leading individual colleges across all of NWAC.
Explore more NWAC rankings: Top 5
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Insights reflect data available at time of publication and are subject to change.
