Another dodgeball season has come and gone in the Michigan region. While some new stars entered the scene and exciting storylines emerged, the bigger picture remained largely unchanged: Michigan State University continues to sit atop the totem pole in Michigan, and the entire country for that matter.
2025-26: Spartans Reign Supreme
The Spartans snagged their third national title in four years this April, with a dominant undefeated season. This came after winning yet another Michigan Dodgeball Cup, and for good measure, claiming the top two spots on the 2026 All-American Team (Matt Barriball and Alex Edson).
The Spartans had a strong regular season, with a 4-0 record vs. GVSU, and 2 wins against another title contender in Kent State. Beyond those matches, MSU was rarely tested, making the inevitable matchup vs. Ohio State even more highly anticipated than a normal 1 v 2 matchup might be. Good news for dodgeball fans: we got that matchup twice at Nationals (Day 1 for seeding and Day 2 in the title game). Good news for those in East Lansing: they won both contests convincingly.
Beyond the big 2 of Barriball (back-to-back Player of the Year winner) and Edson, MSU showed off the best depth in the league throughout the year.
Strong seasons from some seniors helped raise MSU’s ceiling. Zach Vanfleet was a great all around player and brought his best at Nationals. Jacob Rademacher continued to play his role perfectly as a smart, consistent, opportunistic offensive player paired with some of the best hands in the region. Colin Miller may have been the biggest riser this year as he turned into a major weapon for coach Kevin Nguyen to utilize.
The graduating seniors weren’t the only stars for this team. Luke Foco once again was a major factor offensively for MSU. They also saw breakout seasons from the likes of Jake Smith, Gavin Bangs, and a solid rookie class. More on that young core in the preview.
As a whole, MSU proved once again to be the class of the NCDA this year. With better stars, better depth, and better team cohesion than their opponents. Will this roster be ready for a repeat? Keep reading to learn more on that.
Grand Valley State: Another Second Best
Just behind MSU, Grand Valley State put together another solid campaign. The Lakers rebounded from a quarterfinals exit in 2025 by reaching the Final Four once again. However, they were unable to get past Michigan State in any of their four meetings this season: an overtime loss in September, a blowout at home, a one-point defeat at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, and a convincing loss in the nationals Final Four.
GVSU relied on a veteran-laden roster in 2025-26, including All-Americans Matt Budai and Aidan Jacobs. Junior Michael Budai stepped into a bigger role offensively and also had a strong year finishing as a 2nd Team All-American while Senior Ryan Paddock closed out his career on 3rd Team.
Depth was an issue for the Lakers, as was play-style versatility at times. GVSU, on occasion, saw a big drop off in production when their top arms were eliminated, and had a few sloppy games that they either lost (blowouts to Kent and JMU), or nearly lost (an OT scare to CSU in late November).
The offensive firepower on the roster wasn’t enough by day 2 of Nationals, and while the Lakers found their way back to the Final Four thanks to some heroics from Justin Chiodini against Miami (OH), the team ran out of gas and couldn’t hang with eventual champion MSU. This season was a step back towards what GVSU is known for, but wasn’t a big enough step to come home with the trophy in April.
The Lakers will graduate eight or nine players heading into 2027, putting a ton of pressure on their young core to step into bigger roles in what looks to be a rebuilding phase for the storied program.
The Gap Below the Top Two
As has been the case since COVID, a significant gap exists between the top two programs and the rest of the Michigan Region.
Central Michigan University showed clear growth throughout 2026. Team leaders have done an excellent job rebuilding the program, and a strong recruiting class featuring several of the region’s top rookies has positioned the Chippewas for a promising future.
While they didn’t secure wins against GVSU or MSU, they showed noticeable improvement and competitiveness.
Look for captain Ethan Gibson to keep this group moving forward in 2026-27 as they return the vast majority of their roster. The biggest loss for the Chips will be Blake Brown, a major offensive piece for them last year.
Good news is this was arguably the best recruiting class CMU has had this decade. Central has 9 rookies on their Nationals roster! Tyler Wieseler and Mantas Jett were the two biggest standouts of that group, but expect to learn more of those names next season.
All in all, this season should be seen as a success for CMU. They challenged themselves with more scheduled matches than prior seasons, and the result was a team that showed some real flashes by Nationals.
Western Michigan University struggled with roster numbers for much of the season but made strides in the second half of the year. The Broncos showed real improvement at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and gained valuable experience by attending Nationals.
Though they didn’t record any major wins, new players were integrated, setting the stage for potential growth in 2027. Look for WMU to possibly have a 2025-26 CMU-type year and take another step next season.
Zoomed-Out Perspective: MSU’s Post-COVID Dominance
Since COVID disrupted recruiting and leadership pipelines across many programs, Michigan State has stood out as the most consistent and successful club in the country. With three national titles in the last four seasons, the Spartans have proven to be a tier above the competition. Even in years they fell short (losing to Grand Valley in 2022 and Miami in 2025), they remained elite.
Their success stems from strong recruiting, impressive player development, smart coaching, and a culture that emphasizes strategy, chemistry, and execution. Despite significant senior losses, few would bet against MSU remaining at or near the top of the preseason rankings in 2027. So let’s discuss it:
Looking Ahead to 2027
MICHIGAN STATE:
2027 will be one of the younger Michigan Regions as a whole that we’ve seen in quite some time. Michigan State will again be the favorite, and while they have arguably the best depth in the league, they did graduate a star-studded cast of athletes.
Captains Smith, Foco, along with Jack Krajewski and Jacob Piniatoglou will have some big shows to fill, and second year players like Ashton Jager, Turner Bauer and Owen Swaney will need to ascend into bigger roles.
Sure, the 2026-27 MSU team enters the year with more question marks than maybe the last few versions of the Spartans, but they’ve proven to be capable of filling in gaps in a roster better than anyone, so an argument can be made to keep MSU at #1 in the country heading into the fall. We will believe it when we see it, but while the gap might be closer next year between MSU and some of the other contenders nationally, the gap between MSU and the rest of the Michigan Region might actually be larger this coming season..
GRAND VALLEY STATE:
Grand Valley State will likely enter next season as the clear #2 in Michigan but faces a challenging transition. With over half their starters graduating and relatively thin underclassmen groups from a numbers perspective, the Lakers will field one of the youngest teams in the country this fall. They’ll need their 2025-26 rookies to step up quickly and must secure another strong recruiting class to keep the club numbers needed for success.
Michael Budai was the main non-senior standout for the Lakers this past year, while Doug Berner stepped into a bigger role as a junior as well. Outside of those two, the other leaders for GVSU will be a cast of 2nd year players including Captain Aiden Madon, Assistant Captains Alden Schulte and Logan Marshall, along with Ryan Welscott (brother GV OT-6 player and 2026 graduate: Alex Welscott).
The true test for GVSU will come in the winter semester after their young core has time to develop into their roles. The fall could be very interesting in Allendale.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN:
Central Michigan enters 2027 with genuine momentum and excitement. Graduating only a couple players, the Chippewas return key pieces like Wieseler and Jett, both entering their second year and poised for major leaps. They’ll team up with players like Gibson, Colin Ellis, and Pierce Hansen to form the strongest core CMU has had since 2019.
With continued strong recruiting, CMU has a realistic path to close the gap on Grand Valley and compete at a much higher level. If you hear rumblings in the fall about another giant rookie class for the Chippewas, take notice.
WESTERN MICHIGAN:
Western Michigan will be young and low on numbers again in 2026-27 barring a big rookie class. Their success hinges on recruitment and retention. If they can build their roster toward 20 active players and gain early momentum, they could follow a similar trajectory to Central Michigan’s 2026 season.
Having Coach Peter Broe on their side is a major factor here and an advantage they will hope to lean on. Only a few years ago the Broncos were a competitive roster making noise at Nationals, and while they had a down 2025-26, a rebound is more than possible. Nick Hoffon and Patrick DeVito will be two key players for this team heading into the fall.
Final Thoughts
Can Central Michigan continue closing the gap on Grand Valley? Will the Lakers successfully rebuild with youth and new talent, or will inexperience cause a major step back? Will Michigan State’s player development and culture overcome significant senior losses, or will another program break through for a national title?
There are many unknowns, but one thing is certain: the Michigan region will once again play a part in the story of the college dodgeball season. Is the offseason over yet?
