D3baseball.com Daily Dose

With the playoffs behind us. it is time to see how I did in my predictions. Those who are regulars at the discussion board know my preseason predictions was only third best. The preseason poll had all eight teams ranked from the start with 5 in the top 10. The surprising thing is that the last poll was a worse predictor of success since in the May 8 poll there was only 4 teams in the top 10 and Carthage was missing from the Top 30 (I expect them to shoot up in the poll released this week). So by region:

Mideast Regional

Marietta was a surprise winner of the regional. So much of a surprise that many Marietta fans were reluctant to pick them. Thats in the past and the Marietta bandwagon is headed to Wisconsin. This is the second year Wooster has rolled into the regional looking for a ticket to the Championship and come up empty. The Scots did extract a bit or revenge when they eliminated Otterbein. If you remember last year, it was the Cardinal’s who gave Wooster their second loss. Our cinderella team, Ohio Wesleyan, was able to force Marietta to play a second regional championship game so give me two out of three .

New England Regional

Once again our cinderella team made it to the championship game but Eastern Connecticut did not disappoint anyone other than the teams they faced. Wheaton never got the chance to play Eastern Connecticut as they were 0-2 against the Owls of Keene State. Our predictions were a little off imagine if Keene state did not have Wheaton’s number we would be sitting pretty. Okay only one of three taking us even so far.

South

Are you seeing a trend? Our cinderella team loses to the team we picked to “most likely to disappoint”. Ferrum comes within one inning of making their first Championship but lose to Emory in an extra innings game. Where was Salisbury? They only got to play on the third day only because rain delayed the tournament. Otherwise The Eagle are flying high and should represent the south well. This brings me to down one

New York

Now I am starting to feel like the seer I am. Trinity (Conn.) nearly made it to the Championship game but found out just like Ithaca that beating Cortland twice in the same tournament is pretty tough. Our champion pick had to win twice on the final day but did so to advance. Ithaca once again is staying home. I dont think it is me but I started covering Division III baseball the same year Cortland State made beating Ithaca in the New York regional a yearly thing. Coincidence? Either way, I had this regional pegged - three for three gets me two above .500

Mid-Atlantic

I have been high on Kean all season and they were my pick to make the tournament for the first time and there they are. I expected New Jersey in the Championship game but “cha-ching” score me another point as they fail to advance after winning the NJAC. I will not claim to predict Johns Hopkins as my cinderella but all the non NJAC teams did remarkably well. Kean was on a roll for the tournament and nobody was going to stop them. Give me two points and a push.

Central

Is anyone hotter than Carthage? I think not. Luther did well ending their season on the next to last game. Give me a push here also since Augustana had a better series from the #6 spot in the regional. Washington was 0-2 again. They bring a quality team and had the unfortunate luck in playing Carthage (did I mention the 18,19 games in a row they won) and Luther. Illinois Wesleyan had the tournament to forget as they were out 0-2 on their home field. Give me two for two here

Midwest

St. Olaf had a good run, not to mention the misfortune to run into the pitching performance of the playoffs in Baitinger’s no-hitter - minus one. Plus one for getting UW-Oshkosh in the Championship game but losing a point for picking the Tommies to advance. There will be good crowds for UW-Stevens Point at the Championship as they ride the arm and bat of Jordon Zimmerman. This nets me just one point for this regional.

West

Chapman was a safe pick and squeaked out another trip to Wisconsin. The Pacific Lutheran boys gave them all they had and like Ferrum - fell a little short. Pomona-Pitzer, 1-2 in the tournament, beat the only sub .500 team and lost twice to Texas Lutheran netting me a point. Speaking of Texas Lutheran, the bull dogs were a force in the ninth inning. In the game they were eliminated, I don’t think anyone thought they were really out until the last out was made. They are the comeback kids of the playoffs. Lets see, three more points giving me a 15-7-2 record. Not bad.

Any comments on the playoffs?