Sub-Division I baseball is not what it used to be. Formerly a level of ball that is vastly subpar to the Division I level, in 2026 you will see hundreds of college baseball’s best programs fielding transfers that come from the Division II, III or junior college level.

Even in the College World Series, this fact holds true. In West Virginia’s opening contest win against Troy, not a single out from a West Virginia pitcher was recorded by a pitcher who started at the division one level.

So, it is no surprise that the Williamsport Crosscutter roster is littered more and more every year with talents that take over from little known schools. These days, for every UConn or Pitt product, you will see a Mineral Area Junior College or a State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota athlete sharing a box in the lineup.

And so it should come as no surprise these days that a University of South Carolina-Aiken athlete, the same school that Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas nurtured for 22 years before taking the trip up north to Williamsport, is taking over the headlines early in the season.

A South Carolina native himself, Williamsport outfielder Chance Jennings has quickly captured fans attention with his stellar defense and versatility at the plate.

“Chance definitely deserves to be in this league,” said Thomas prior to the season. “He’s a good player.”

“He knows how it is,” echoed Jennings. “The grind of being a division two athlete and coming to an environment that’s very challenging.”

A classified junior following the 2026 college season, Jennings’ underclassman career was spent at the division one level with fellow Palmetto state school Winthrop. Despite limited appearances with the Eagles, the South Carolina native showed solid production. Across 49 appearances, Jennings would bat a crisp .281 with 12 RBIs, 10 extra base hits and an eyebrow raising .836 OPS.

But it would be at division two’s USC Aiken where the game came together. Starting in all 53 contests for the Pacers, Jennings exploded out with a .355 average, 22 extra base hits, 29 walks, and a ridiculous .445 on base percentage.

“It made me see the game differently,” admitted Jennings. “If I’m being honest, I had the mindset when I was D-I that I was better than everybody. I still had that (in Division II,) but it showed me that just because it is a level under, there are still guys that are very good that are just slept on or our late bloomers. I think every guy in D-II should have an even level of playing field as guys at D-I because they can compete.”

The production earned a trip up north, with Jennings suiting up for the Cutters for the first half season.

“This is amazing,” discussed Jennings on playing with the Cutters. “Many guys don’t have this opportunity, so I’m thankful to have it.”

Jennings has since continued his productive levels in the MLB Draft League. Across nine appearances, the South Carolina native has batted .250 with four extra base hits and three runs scored.

But what has come out of nowhere has been Jennings’ pop off his bat. In 49 appearances with Winthrop, Jennings would get a ball out of the park just once in a contest against Presbyterian his freshman year. Even in his lights out campaign with USC Aiken, Jennings took just six balls out of the park with just two excursions in the last 37 games of the season.

But despite wooden bats in tougher pitching, the Batesburg native is just one of six athletes in the MLB Draft League going into the weekend with multiple home runs. Jennings would spread the love across a five-game road trip going into the weekend, bombing twice in a three-game series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. In the road trip, Jennings would finish six of 11 from the plate with six runs batted in.

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to add,” said Jennings. “I’ve felt looser (with the bat.) I’ve been talking with my brothers and my hitting coach and he told me just to stay free, be loose, work on minor adjustments that we made so I can have the opportunity to lift it a little bit and still be able to drive the ball in the gaps.”

Williamsport find themselves in the midst of a five game home stead, concluding with a three game mid-week series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.