D3baseball.com Daily Dose

With the 54 team field set, I consulted with my staff and here are what we have to say about the eight regionals that start tomorrow. I have been following the season, trying to keep an eye on all 369 teams. With the regular and tournament season behind us, it is playoff season and my attention is being drawn to those teams assembled in the regional playoff sites around the nation.

There are a lot of intriguing matchups and stories that one hopes develops over the next five days and we will be there to report it all. Good luck to all the teams still playing and I hope to see the eight best in nine days at the Championship round in Appleton Wisconsin.

Now here is my take of the playoffs that start tomorrow morning.

Mideast Regional

Top to bottom, this is the best balanced regional. It would not be a surprise if any team ended up the winner. Transylvania had a good start and although the faded in mid season, they have righted the ship at just the right time. Only Wooster has made the Championship round before and this regional has the best chance of sending a first-timer to Appleton.

Cinderella: The MIAA. Few people would have expected this regional to be dominated by the MIAA as they have been playoff fodder for many years. Not this year. Adrian signaled the change with big early wins against tough south competition and they are only a second place team. Calvin over took Adrian o the last day.

Most likely to disappoint: Rose-Hulman. A last minute Poll C bid got the Terre Haute regional a home team. The Engineers battled hard to get here and will have the crowd support and these folks will be disappointed if Rose-Hulman does not win the regional.

Champion: Heidelberg won big games all year and with their backs against the wall, denied OAC foe, Marietta a playoff bid. Although Wooster has been in the top 25 all year, they have been inconsistent at times and this difference is why we see the ‘Berg advancing.

New England Regional

This is one of the toughest regionals and no home team (unlike the other regionals). The three top seeded teams are all ranked in the first half of the D3baseball.com/NCWBA Top 25, and there is little relief at the bottom of the regional. The team that advances from this region will certainly know what it takes to win in the Championship round.

Cinderella: Western New England. Since starting 0-5 they are 31-6. They have a deep pitching staff, headed by two pitchers that can beat anyone in that region on a given day. Don’t count out their experience; this is their third straight appearance in Harwich.

Most likely to disappoint: A single loss this year will qualify as a disappointment but Trinity might get two this week. Eight-seeded Castleton has played against twice the number of NCAA playoff team (4) as Trinity (2) and coupled with the fact that since coming back from their spring trip, has not played games on three straight days, the Bantams’ might find getting out of the regional not as easy as getting here.

Champion: Keene State is the most prepared team for this tournament. They played a tough schedule in AZ, they played in the toughest conference, they have played a lot of games bunched together, they can win a 1-0 game but can MASH, they played in the conference tournament that most closely resembles the regional (quality of teams and format), and they showed they can come back from a loss and win a tournament. Another key is their line up, their 3-4-5 hitters combined for the following numbers (.328 BA, .599 slg%, 16 2B, 14 3B, 26 HR)…Oh wait, I got that wrong, that isn’t their 3-4-5 hitters that is their 7-8-9 hitters: Ford, Darak, & Jones. There are no breaks in the Owl’s lineup

South Regional

Danville is not far from Lynchburg and there should be plenty of support for the Hornets. With two more schools from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Randolph-Macon and Christopher Newport expect big crowds this weekend. This regional also features the toughest 1-2 seeds as both Johns Hopkins and Salisbury are ranked in the top five.

Cinderella: Piedmont has a good even season. Here at D3baseball.com, we thought this was the year a GSAC team would get a playoff bid, just picked the wrong team. The Lions could challenge the two heavy favorites if they can start the regional with a tough Lynchburg team.

Most likely to disappoint: Christopher Newport. Playing near home, the Christopher Newport will have a tough road starting with a first round game with Johns Hopkins. Moreland and Bailey will need a big series to get the Captains out of this round.

Champion: Salisbury was also our pick last year but this year is special. They had that monster win streak playing against the best in the South and are ready to make another trip to Appleton. Expect Johns Hopkins to challenge them for a ticket north.

New York Regional

The New York region has always been dominated by the same few teams. Twenty years ago it was Ithaca and now the dominant team is the Cortland State Red Dragons. Joining the three perennial New York teams (Cortland State, Ithaca, and RPI) are a host of new names, including two teams shipped in from the Mideast. Traditional powers Eastern Connecticut and Montclair State make this regional more competitive than it has been in past seasons.

Cinderella: Ohio Wesleyan made it here with a big playoff series win over Wooster and followed it up with a playoff clinching performance against Denison. They have a core group that could challenge a regional filled with teams bringing in lots of playoff experience.

Most likely to disappoint: Ithaca has not been to the championship round since 1994 and once again this does not appear to be their season. They started poorly at the beginning of the season and then breezed through the Empire 8. The Bombers are stumbling at the end of the season and even we don’t know which team will be at the regional.

Champion: Cortland State should start making its hotel reservations at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton.

Mid-Atlantic Regional

How often has a NJAC team claimed this regional? The regional has the 1-2-3 NJAC finishers in the same position at this regional hosted by Kean. Last year Gwynedd-Mercy made a run that was ended by Johns Hopkins who fell to the eventual National Champions. Someone will step up to challenge the best of the NJAC but here at D3baseball.com we see a NJAC team win out in the end.

Cinderella: Penn State-Behrend was 17-1 in the AMCC conference. They won their first AMCC title since 2003. The Lions have both the conference player of the year in third baseman Dustin Dubensky and pitcher of the year David Koerbel.

Most likely to disappoint: With Johns Hopkins moved to the South Region, it would be a major disappointment for an NJAC team not to advance.

Champion: Defending NCAA Champion Kean has swept both Rowan and New Jersey in the regular season and is 2-0 against both teams. The Cougars can pickup two wins before the likelihood of playing an NJAC team in game eight on Friday. Kean returns to Appleton to defend the national championship they earned last year.

Central Regional

Two teams come to this regional from another regional. UW-Stevens Point and Linfield hope to crash the central party. Will the long layoff hurt Linfield’s chances? Will a tough WIAC tournament win be key for the Pointers? Not if any one of four central region teams want to advance.

Cinderella: The Knights played a tough non-conference schedule and are tournament tested as they return to the NCAA Tournament. An experienced team, the Knights could pose a threat to the top two seeds.

Most likely to disappoint: Augustana. The Vikings were the third team in the CCIW all season long. While they are playing on their home field, the Vikings have struggled to find consistency among their pitching staff

Champion: Illinois Wesleyan. It took the Titans a while to gel, but they backed up the preseason hype with a strong finish to win the CCIW regular season and Tournament crowns, knocking off Carthage in the process. UW-Stevens Point was a very similar team that also put on a strong run at the end of the season.

Midwest Regional

Knox is the only sub .500 team in a regional. A remarkable four-way tine in the MWC southern division set up a the Prairie Fire in their first playoff appearance. It will be a miracle if they pull off another upset but here we see the regional belonging to the traditional powers.

Cinderella: St. Scholastica has most of the ingredients: pro-prospect pitcher (Kummet), great left-handed starter (Burg), decent pitching depth (Gerten, Lewis, Lanari), can hit with anyone, veteran team, proven it can beat the region’s best (St. Thomas, Oshkosh). The Saints are expected to make a run for their first championship round appearance.

Most likely to disappoint: UW-Whitewater. Their offense struggled a bit at the WIAC tourney and with only have two reliable SPs (Dominick and Dott), the Warhawks will need to hit to make a run at the regional title.

Champion: St. Thomas’ only appearances in the championship round is during a remarkable three years as the finished 2-2-1 in the nation. They have the team moving in the right direction and could they be starting another string of championship appearances? Fortunately for the Tommies, Carthage played their best baseball at the start of the season and have faltered as of late, otherwise it would be a toss-up picking a regional winner between St. Thomas and Carthage.

West Regional

Everyone expected more than two teams from Texas in the tournament so with the likes of Texas-Tyler, University of the Ozarks, and Concordia-Texas sitting out we get to see more west coast teams try for the regional win.

Cinderella: Cal State East Bay quietly worked itself into a Pool B slot with quality wins over Washington (Mo) on the last weekend to knock out Emory. The Pioneers have faced most of the competition in the regional and this experience will help them advance through the regional.

Most likely to disappoint: McMurry has overcome all the adversity that you could imagine: injuries, mid-season slump, and injuries that boggle the mind. Derek David has carried this team on his shoulders all season long and he will be looked to do it one more time.

Champion: Chapman has been strong all season long against the top teams and here at D3baseball.com we see the Panther’s moving on to another appearance in the Championship round.

2008 NCAA DIVISION III BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

INDIANAPOLIS—The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee has announced the 54 teams that will compete in the 2008 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. Six teams will compete at five first-round sites; eight teams will compete at three first-round sites. All first rounds will use a double-elimination format. Thirty-four conference champions qualified automatically. Winners of the eight first-round tournaments will qualify for the double-elimination championship at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin, May 23-27.

DATES/SITES/SEEDINGS:

May 14-18
Hosted by Eastern College Athletic Conference, Harwich, Massachusetts
1. Trinity (Connecticut) (37-0)
2. Wheaton (Massachusetts) (32-8)
3. Keene State (33-9)
4. Southern Maine (32-12)
5. Western New England (31-11)
6. St. Joseph’s (Maine) (28-16)
7. Worcester State (23-16)
8. Castleton State (20-10)

Hosted by USA South and Old Dominion, Danville, Virginia
1. Salisbury (38-2)
2. Johns Hopkins (34-5)
3. Piedmont (33-12)
4. Lynchburg (30-11)
5. Christopher Newport (28-12)
6. Randolph-Macon (25-15)

Hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana
1. Heidelberg (37-8)
2. Wooster (34-9)
3. Calvin (32-8)
4. Rose-Hulman (31-13)
5. Adrian (30-10)
6. Transylvania (31-12)

Hosted by Kean University, Newark, New Jersey
1. Kean (35-9)
2. Rowan (30-12)
3. The College of New Jersey (28-10)
4. Penn State-Behrend (34-10)
5. Messiah (27-16)
6. DeSales (24-18-1)
7. Keystone (30-10)
8. Gwynedd-Mercy (21-18)

Hosted by Ithaca College, Auburn, New York
1. Cortland State (38-3)
2. Ithaca (28-11)
3. Rensselaer (30-10)
4. Montclair State (26-18)
5. Eastern Connecticut State (29-13)
6. Farmingdale (23-13)
7. Ohio Wesleyan (28-17)
8. Grove City (18-16)

Hosted by Augustana College (Illinois), Moline, Illinois
1. Illinois Wesleyan (33-9)
2. Wisconsin-Stevens Point (28-14)
3. Augustana (Illinois) (32-11)
4. Wartburg (26-13)
5. Linfield (30-10)
6. Webster (28-13)

Hosted by McMurry University, Abilene, Texas
1. Chapman (35-3)
2. George Fox (28-12)
3. McMurry (29-17)
4. Cal State East Bay (26-14)
5. Trinity (Texas) (32-13)
6. La Verne (25-14-1)

Hosted by University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
1. St. Thomas (Minnesota) (31-7)
2. Wisconsin-Whitewater (35-8)
3. Carthage (35-8)
4. Wisconsin-Oshkosh (29-9)
5. St. Scholastica (32-4)
6. Knox (15-23)

First round matchups for the championship site will be as follows:

McMurry regional winner vs. Kean regional winner
Rose-Hulman regional winner vs. USA South/Old Dominion regional winner
Wisconsin-Oshkosh regional winner vs. Augustana (Illinois) regional winner
Ithaca regional winner vs. Eastern College Athletic Conference regional winner

CONFERENCES RECEIVING AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION BERTHS:

Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference - Penn State-Behrend
American Southwest Conference - McMurry
Centennial Conference - Johns Hopkins
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin - Illinois Wesleyan
Commonwealth Coast Conference - Western New England
Commonwealth Conference - Messiah
Freedom Conference - DeSales
Great Northeast Athletic Conference - St. Joseph’s (Maine)
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference - Transylvania
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wartburg
Liberty League - Rensselaer
Little East Conference - Keene State
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference - Worcester State
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association - Calvin
Midwest Conference - Knox
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - St. Thomas (Minnesota)
New England Small College Athletic Conference - Trinity (Connecticut)
New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference - Wheaton (Massachusetts)
New Jersey Athletic Conference - Kean
North Atlantic Conference - Castleton State
North Coast Athletic Conference - Ohio Wesleyan
North Eastern Athletic Conference - Keystone
Northwest Conference - Linfield
Ohio Athletic Conference - Heidelberg
Old Dominion Athletic Conference - Randolph-Macon
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference - Gwynedd-Mercy
President’s Athletic Conference - Grove City
Skyline Conference - Farmingdale
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - La Verne
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - Trinity (Texas)
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Webster
State University of New York Athletic Conference - Cortland State
USA South Athletic Conference - Christopher Newport
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wisconsin-Stevens Point

In the 2007 Division III championship game, Kean defeated Emory 5-4 in 10 innings.
The 2008 NCAA Spring Seasonal Show will air on CBS at 2 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, June 22, and will include highlights from the championship.

D3baseball.com has evaluated all the data that we can assemble and wishes to provide an informative, possibly fictional, scenario about the National Selection Committee deliberations. We have used the third (but not the final) Regional Rankings. We have combed the links to team websites and schedules to find out common opponents, games from in-region ranked teams and the other criteria that are in the Handbook. We do not have access to the OWP/OOWP, and we may have missed pertinent head-to-head and common opponent outcomes. With those caveats, let’s project the field.

Pool A bids are automatic. See Playoff Central for a list of Pool A bids awarded.

——— POOL B ———

The D3baseball.com selection committee looks at the Pool B bids intently and sees the first five teams easily are deserving of a Pool B bid.

Salisbury, Chapman, Ithaca, Piedmont, St Scholastica.

Remaining in Pool B are Emory (South #4) CSU-East Bay (West #6), Concordia IL (Central #6) and Juniata (Mid-Atlantic #9), Rochester Tech New York #6).

Emory is 25-11-1/23-9-1. (In-region percentage is .671) Records versus In-region ranked teams: Adrian 0-1, Methodist 1-0-1, and Piedmont 1-2. Emory’s in-region record is 2-3-1

Juniata is 26-12/ 25-9 (.735) (They have 2 losses to St Scholastica in Pool B, and went 1-0 vs. Elizabethtown in Mid-Atlantic Region.)

Concordia IL, 32-13/ 28-12 (.700), has in-region win over Wartburg and Carthage and losses to Augustana and IWU to give an in-region record versus ranked teams of 2-2. However they went 3-2 in the Northern Athletics Conference tourney and lost to Rockford. The 2 losses in the last week did not help Concordia IL in Pool B consideration.

CSU-East Bay is 26-14/ 20-10 (.667). Results versus In-Region ranked teams, 0-4 versus Chapman, GFU 2-1. CSU-EB also is 2-1 versus SCIAC Pool A LaVerne and 2-1 versus NWC Pool A Linfield. Since we don’t know the final West Region Rankings, CSU-EB may be 2-5 versus ranked teams or as good as 6-7. In common opponents, CSU-EB is 2-0 versus Washington U/St. Louis, whereas Emory is only 1-1.

Emory was the highest ranked team in the third Regional Rankings at 4th in the South. We think that the committee will determine that the criteria favor Emory, which gets the 6th Pool B bid.

After the committee has decided the six Pool B schools, they return CSU-East Bay, Juniata, Concordia-IL and RIT back to Pool C for re-consideration.

——— POOL C ———

The D3baseball.com selection Committee began looking at the best teams from the various regions. The best Pool C candidates by region were

Central: Carthage; Mid-Atlantic: Rowan; Mideast: Wooster; Midwest: UW-Whitewater; New England: Eastern Connecticut State; New York: Rochester, but barely; South: Lynchburg: West: George Fox. Those 8 bids were easily given.

With 6 bids remaining, the Committee saw these schools by region.

Central: Augustana; Simpson; Concordia IL
Mid-Atlantic: New Jersey (TCNJ); Montclair State; Manhattenville, Juniata
Mideast: Adrian; Thomas More
Midwest: UW-Oshkosh; Ripon
New England: Suffolk; Southern Maine
New York: Brockport
South: Methodist
West: Concordia-Austin; UT-Tyler; CSU-East Bay.

They looked at the regional criteria and gave the next Pool C bid to Augustana. They moved Simpson to the table and re-evaluated. Adrian got a Pool C bid. (Thomas More moved up.) TCNJ got the eleventh. UW-Oshkosh got the twelfth .

The teams at the table looked like this:

Central: Simpson
Mid-Atlantic: Montclair State, Manhattanville
Mideast: Thomas More
Midwest: Ripon
New England: Suffolk, Southern Maine
New York: Brockport
South: Methodist
West: Concordia-Austin; UT-Tyler

Montclair State got #13, although Rochester may have been the 12th or 13th best Pool C team.
We project that the last Pool C bid came between ultimately came between Concordia-Austin and Suffolk. Suffolk is 29-12, 26-11 (In-region percentage .711.) Suffolk lost 2 games to St Joseph’s ME this last weekend. Whether that hurts their Pool C chances versus given them 2 more results versus in-region ranked teams is a concern. Versus in-region ranked teams, Suffolk is 2-4 versus St. Joe’s Maine, 1-0 vs. Western New England, 2-0 vs. Southern Maine, 0-1 vs. TCNJ, and 0-1 vs. ECSU, 5-6 on the season.

Concordia-TX is 30-16/ 27-13 (..675) in-region. (CTX is 1-4 versus McMurry, 3-2 versus UT-Tyler or 4-6 versus West Region ranked teams. Concordia also split a DH with Trinity TX.)

Ripon was 27-10/19-7 (.730) but only played UW-Stevens Point among Regionally ranked teams, with whom they split a DH.

Selecting Concordia-Texas makes the 6th team in the West. Chapman and LaVerne fly to Texas and probably fly NWC Champion Linfield to Texas. Trinity TX and Concordia-Austin would bus to Abilene. Pool C George Fox gets flown to either Wisconsin or to Rock Island to complete a bracket. Selecting Suffolk would mean that both NWC teams Linfield and George Fox would be flown to Texas, and Suffolk or another team might be sent out of New England. If Suffolk and Concordia-Texas were listed in the baseball standings, Suffolk would have a half-game lead over Concordia-Texas. What would switching one outcome in a season do for Concordia-Texas? What about that loss to Texas Lutheran or to Howard Payne in ASC-West Division play? If Concordia-Texas wins either of those games, then they host the ASC Post-season tournament. It is probably that close, for everyone left on the table!

We think that Suffolk gets #14.

Gustavus third baseman Tory Herman digs a ball out of the dirt to throw out an Ole in the third inning

I’m finally getting settled back in at the home office after covering just one game of the MIAC Championship and play-in. St. Olaf exploited every single opportunity Gustavus Adolphus gave them in their 15-6 victory. St. Olaf was supposed to face St. Thomas 30 minutes after they shuttered the Gusties’ 2008 season.

But Mother Nature showed up in the 3rd inning of the play-in and never left. Rain was expected, the start of the first game was moved from 1pm to 11am in an attempt to get both games in before the field was unplayable. However, that was not the case. MIAC Executive Director Dan McKane, Asst. Executive Director

The grounds crew tends to the home plate area following the completion of the Gustavus/St. Olaf game.

Matt Ten Haken, St. Olaf head coach Matt MacDonald and St. Thomas’ Dennis Denning met just off the third base line at 2pm. It didn’t take long for them to make the postponement official and it was no surprise to the fans in the stands — the grounds crew, comprising the head coaches from Bethel, Carleton, Augsburg and two more, had already tarped, drained and staked both the pitching mound and the home plate area.

A photographer came up to me and asked the question I have heard posed each of the last three years: What happens if they don’t get the game(s) in tomorrow? The NCAA requires that Pool A conferences submit their auto qualifier at 6pm Eastern tomorrow. Most conferences want to have their auto qualifier to come from a tournament but they are allowed to determine it in whatever manner they wish.

Dan McKane shed some light on this particular situation for me this evening explaining that all games will be 9 innings in the MIAC tournament, they have no intention of slimming either games tomorrow down to 7 innings to fit them in before the deadline. In addition to that, he added that the committee is willing to let the MIAC complete their games a bit late.

But that brings up the question of what if the field is unplayable? St. Thomas gets the AQ for the MIAC having won the regular season title with an 18-2 conference record.

Gustavus right fielder Spencer Campion makes a catch in the fifth inning

St. Olaf turned four double plays in the game.

Division III Regional Rankings

Central Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Illinois Wesleyan 29-8 28-3
2 Carthage 32-5 26-5
3 Augustana 31-9 24-7
4 Wartburg 23-12 21-9
5 Simpson 25-14 22-9
6 Concordia (Ill.) 28-11 24-10

Mid-Atlantic Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Kean 34-9 28-7 (NJAC Pool A)
2 Johns Hopkins 34-5 31-4 (CC Pool A)
3 Rowan 30-12 26-10
4 TCNJ 28-10 26-10
5 Montclair State 26-16 24-11
6 Penn State-Behrend 31-9 29-6
7 Manhattanville 28-13 24-12
8 Elizabethtown 26-12 22-11
9 Juniata 26-12 25-9

Mideast Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Heidelberg 33-7 27-7
2 Wooster 34-9 28-8
3 Adrian 29-9 24-9
4 Calvin 28-8 20-5
5 Thomas More 25-11 19-5
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6
7 Rose-Hulman 28-11 23-9

Midwest Region

Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 UW-Whitewater 33-6 30-6
2 UW-Oshkosh 28-7 28-7
3 St. Thomas 27-7 19-5
4 St. Scholastica 29-4 21-3
5 UW-Stevens Point 25-14 22-10

New England Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Trinity (Conn.) 34-0 25-0
2 Wheaton (Mass.) 32-8 29-6 (NEWMAC Pool A)
3 Keene State 28-8 25-7
4 Eastern Connecticut State 27-11-1 23-8-1
5 Suffolk 28-10 25-9
6 Western New England 31-11 28-11 (TCCC Pool A)
7 Southern Maine 29-10 24-10
8 Amherst 22-10-1 17-7-1
9 Williams 24-10 21-8

New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1
6 RIT 22-12 20-9

South Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Salisbury 38-2 34-2
2 Lynchburg 30-11 24-8
3 Piedmont 33-12 31-12
4 Emory 25-11-1 23-9-1
5 Christopher Newport 28-12 21-11 (USAC Pool A)
6 Methodist 28-15-1 22-12-1

West Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Chapman 35-3 28-3
2 George Fox 28-12 27-11
3 McMurry 29-17 28-16 (ASC Pool A)
4 Concordia-Austin 30-16 26-13
5 Texas-Tyler 36-9 33-9
6 Cal State-East Bay 26-14 20-10

Posted: 5/8/2008
Revised: 5/9/2008 (West Region correction)

In this final edition we look at the Mideast, Central and Midwest conference tournaments. Don’t forget that all playoff information as we get it will be in Playoff Central. The regional sites are as follows:

The Mideast Regional will be hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology at Art Nehf Field, Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Central Regional will be hosted by Augustana College at Brunner Field at Duane R. Stadium in Rock Island, Illinois.

The Midwest Regional will be hosted by UW-Oshkosh at E.J. Schneider Field, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Number one seeded Mount St. Joseph will host the HCAC tournament that starts this Thursday as the Mount gets Transylvania for the first game. Transylvania came out of the blocks quickly and faded towards the end of the season. but still has the best overall winning percentage of the tournament field. Game two will feature Rose-Hulman and Franklin. The incentive for Rose-Hulman is that if they can advance, their regional will be a home series as they host the Mideast regional on their own field. All four teams had nearly the same record with just 1.5 game separating Transylvania for Mount St Joseph. Anyone can win and to advance but you have to do just that - win the tournament as Pool C hopes are slim for all.

There is no tournament for the MIAA so the regular season winner advances to the playoffs. Adrian has a single game advantage over Calvin with the end of the season just few days away. Adrian could clinch a playoff spot today, otherwise the playoff spot will be decided on Thursday, the last day of the regular season. The Pool C hopes for both Adrian and Calvin are as good as the teams in the HCAC so the automatic bid is important for either team so they can continue their fine seasons.

The NCAC will get two teams in the playoffs. Wooster, losers to Ohio Wesleyan last weekend will slip in with a Pool C bid and Denison will host Ohio Wesleyan as the two teams battle it out for conference playoff spot. Ohio Wesleyan split the series meeting between the two teams but Denison had the better record of these two west division teams.

Marietta was the favorite going into the 2008 OAC season. The Pioneers stumbled early and but are playing as well as anyone now. The story for this season is Heidelberg. Heidelberg will host the 2008 OAC Baseball Tournament Thursday-Saturday May 8-10 at Peaceful Valley in Tiffin, Ohio. Heidelberg finished the season at the top of the standings with a 15-3 mark to become the regular-season champions. Heidelberg gets Mount Union, whom they swept this season, in the opening round while Marietta will play Otterbein. Heidelberg should be relaxed as they are a possible Pool C candidate if they lose the tournament, although they still need a good showing to impress the committee. For all others winning is all that remains of their seasons.

The 2008 PAC Baseball Tournament will be at Thomas More College where on Thursday #4 Grove City will play #1 Thomas More and #3 Thiel gets #2 Westminster in the late game. This is the first year for the PAC to have an automatic bid and all four teams need to know this is their only way into the playoffs.

Illinois Wesleyan, the 12th ranked team in the D3baseball.com poll, earned the right to host the CCIW tournament for the second straight season after taking two of three from seventh-ranked Carthage in the final series of the year to win the regular season championship. Home field advantage did not help the Titans a year ago as they were eliminated at home in the conference and regional tournaments. The Titans will get surprise Wheaton in the opener. After beginning the season with 29 straight wins, Carthage closed with three losses in its final four conference games and is 3-4 in the last seven games. Augustana, ranked 14th, is vying for a Pool C slot and the right to play at home in the NCAA Tournament and meets Carthage in the opener. Wheaton has had a surprising season, winning 12 conference games to place fourth. The Thunder are making their first ever tournament in appearance and took a game in the regular season from both Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan. Winning the tournament is the only chance for Wheaton. Otherwise Augustana, Carthage, and Illinois Wersleyan all are sitting pretty for a Pol A and two Pool C bids.

The six-team IIAC conference tournament will be played on a neutral field at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, the home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Wartburg ran away with the regular season IIAC crown. The Knights won 17 games en route to their 12th straight title. Wartburg overcame a 6-9 start to finish 23-12. Simpson improved in their second season under Ben Blake to finish second by a game over Coe. Wartburg and Simpson receive a first round bye. Wartburg gets the winner of Luther and Loras while Simpson faces the Coe-Central victor. With no teams in the regional rankings and neighboring conference CCIW doing well, a tournament win is what is needed to play past next weekend.

The NATHC is going to wait one more season for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but there is more than one team vying for a potential Pool B bid at the tournament this weekend played at Rockford’s home field, Road Ranger Stadium. Benedictine and Rockford shared the regular season crown, but Concordia (Ill.) also won 20 games in addition to the top two seeds. Benedictine is the top seed by virtue of their sweep over Rockford. The Eagles will face Concordia (Ill.), who just weeks ago was in the Top 25. Benedictine swept a pair of 9-8 decisions from Concordia earlier this year. Rockford faced Marian, who won the tie-break with Aurora for the final slot in the tournament. With so many Pool B teams on the bubble, tournament wins will be key to advancing.

It was a new year but the same story in the SLIAC as Webster captured its second straight title. The Gorloks finished 21-3 in conference and are looking for their fourth straight NCAA berth. They made some noise last season with an upset of Illinois Wesleyan in regional play. Webster opens with fourth seeded Greenville while Westminster (Mo.) takes on Maryville in the other semifinal. The path to the playoffs clearly sits with a tournemant win.

In the MIAC, No. 1 seed St. Thomas (29-7) appears to be in good shape for at least a Pool C bid, barring a two-and-done effort in the tourney to be held May 9-11. Even in that worst-case scenario, the Tommies, could limp in. No. 2 St. Olaf (25-10), which still has one regular-season game to play on Wedneday, has some work to do. Although not in the current regional rankings, the Oles are 19-6 in-region heading into today’s game and could move into the last published rankings in Stevens Point’s place. St. Olaf and St. Thomas both received NCAA bids the past two seasons, but the Oles may need to at least make the MIAC finals to continue that streak, although they may need to win. Longshots Hamline (23-16) and Gustavus (20-16) round out the 2008 MIAC field.

The MWC tournament will feature St. Norbert (24-9) and Ripon (25-8) from the North Division and Monmouth (9-22) and surprise host Knox (11-22) from the South for the MWC Pool A bid on May 9-10 in Galesburg, Ill. As the records indicate, Ripon and St. Norbert are the overwhelming favorites. Ripon has won the past four MWC tourneys and eight of the last 10. Ripon has also made eight NCAA appearances in the past nine seasons. St. Norbert won the 2003 MWC tourney and the last two regular-season titles, but the Green Knights have never made an NCAA appearance. A tournament winn will be needed to make the NCAA tournament since neither Ripon nor St. Norbert were in the latest regional rankings.

In the non-Pool A UMAC, all eyes are on St. Scholastica (29-4), which is in the Pool B hunt after winning the conference regular-season title for the 12th straight year. St. Scholastica, ranked No. 5 in the Midwest Region is looking for its 12th consecutive UMAC Tournament crown when it hosts on May 8-10 in Duluth, Minn. A three-game sweep at the UMAC tournament could be St. Scholastica’s ticket to the NCAA tournament. Anything less than a St. Scholastica three-game sweep of the UMAC tournament would be shocking considering CSS is the winningest D-III team in the 2000s with a 289-66 (.814) record. The Saints have also faired well against regionally ranked teams this season, registering wins over Oshkosh, St. Thomas, Juniata, Alvernia and Elizabethtown.

Like every year since 2000, the WIAC tournament has the usual suspects fighting for the Pool A bid: No.1 seed UW-Whitewater (33-6), No. 2 UWQ-Oshkosh (28-7) and No. 3 UW-Stevens Point (25-14). UW-La Crosse (19-18) is the fourth invitee to the annual heavyweight slugfest to be held May 9-10 in Wisconsin Rapids. The Big 3 are all in the region’s current top four, but the WIAC has not received three NCAA bids in the same season since 1998. History suggests that one of the perennial Big 3 may stay home this year, especially given Steven Point’s late-season struggles. If Whitewater or Oshkosh fail to make the finals, their postseason hopes could be in jeopardy despite high regional rankings. Stevens Point may fall from the regional rankings after losing four of its last six games and perhaps needs to make the finals for Pool C consideration. La Crosse must win it all.

The NCAA released its second set of Division III baseball regional rankings today. Please note, they are listed with overall record, followed by regional record. Teams in bold are already in the playoffs with a pool A bid.

Central Region
1 Illinois Wesleyan 26-6 25-2
2 Carthage 29-2 23-2
3 Augustana 26-9 19-7
4 Wartburg 19-12 17-9
5 Rockford 21-11 19-6
6 Concordia (Ill.) 27-10 23-9

Mid-Atlantic Region
1 TCNJ 28-8 26-8
2 Kean 30-9 24-7
3 Johns Hopkins 30-5 27-4
4 Rowan 28-10 24-8
5 Montclair State 22-14 20-9
6 Penn State-Behrend 28-8 26-5
7 Juniata 25-10 24-7
8 Alvernia 30-10 24-7
9 Elizabethtown 23-10 19-9

Mideast Region
1 Wooster 31-7 25-6
2 Heidelberg 29-7 23-7
3 Mount St. Joseph 20-15 16-6
4 Adrian 23-8 18-8
5 Rose-Hulman 26-9 21-7
6 Calvin 23-7 15-5
7 Thomas More 22-11 16-5

Midwest Region
1 UW-Oshkosh 23-6 23-6
2 UW-Whitewater 28-5 25-5
3 St. Thomas 21-7 13-5
4 UW-Stevens Point 23-10 20-6
5 St. Scholastica 25-4 17-3

New England Region
1 Trinity (Conn.) 32-0 23-0
2 Wheaton (Mass.) 31-7 28-5
3 Keene State 26-7 23-6
4 Eastern Connecticut State 24-11-1 20-8-1
5 Suffolk 25-10 22-9
6 Amherst 19-9-1 14-6-1
7 Roger Williams 29-10 26-7
8 Southern Maine 25-10 20-10
9 Western New England 27-11 24-11

New York Region
1 Cortland State 32-3 23-0
2 Ithaca 25-9 21-3
3 Rochester 27-9 26-9
4 RPI 27-8 21-7
5 Brockport State 21-15-1 17-8-1
6 St. John Fisher 21-9-1 17-8-1
6 St. Joseph’s (L.I.) 25-12-1 24-11-1

South Region
1 Salisbury 37-2 33-2
2 Piedmont 33-10 31-10
3 Lynchburg 30-11 24-8
4 Emory 25-11-1 23-9-1
5 Millsaps 29-18 27-14
6 Mary Washington 25-12 22-11

West Region
1 Chapman 32-3 25-3
2 George Fox 28-12 27-11
3 Texas-Tyler 35-7 32-7
4 Concordia-Austin 28-14 24-11
5 Pomona-Pitzer 27-10 18-9
6 Redlands 26-11 19-6

Updated: 5/1/2008

New England Regional, hosted by the ECAC will return to Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass. Likewise in New York as host Ithaca will likely be in attendance at another regional at Falcon Field/Auburn Double Days, Auburn, New York. The Mid-Atlantic regional will be at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark, New Jersey

Roger Williams and Curry are the favorites in the tournament that starts today. Roger Williams takes on Gordon in the first round and Curry gets Colby-Sawyer. A surprising team near the top of the standings is Wentworth who is enjoying their finest season. Roger Williams and Curry are both ranked in the regional rankings and need to win to keep their spots. The CCC might get two teams in the playoffs but the automatic bid being awarded this weekend is by far the easiest route.

In the GNAC tournament last weekend St Joseph (Maine) defeated Suffolk to take the automatic bid. Suffolk remains in the running for a Pool C bid with six more contest s to rack up in-region wins. Johnson and Wales is out of the playoffs.

Keene State leads Southern Maine and Eastern Connecticut by a game in the Little East standings followed by Rhode Island. When the conference tournament starts, any one of these teams will come out on top. Keene State and Eastern Connecticut are top four in the regional rankings and like for many teams the goal is in sight. Win, win, win is the theme to keep above the competition. Unless Keene State stumbles, they will make the playoffs and it is likely that another Little East team will be invited. The question will be decided in the next weeks.

In the MASCAC there is a log jam in the standings where five teams are within a game of each other. In the tournament starting tomorrow, Mass-Maritime was left out having lost the tie breakers. Westfield, the number one seed, plays Bridgewater State and Wocester State plays Salem State. The rules to advance are simple in the MASCAC. You must win this weekend’s tournament to advance to the playoffs.

The story in the NESCAC is Trinity’s undefeated run. They are a lock in the playoffs and have nothing to lose in the tournament. They continue to play each game one at a time as they try to be the first team to finish the season undefeated. Amherst and Williams are tied in the west division with the rest of the teams in the NESCAC .500 or lower. Amherst and Williams need the tournament win to get into the playoffs, although both have records that might get them a Pool C bid, especially Amherst who is raked in the regional rankings released last week.

Wheaton (Mass.) captured the automatic bid. Good news to those on the Pool C bubble since they probably would have received a Pool C bid if they did not earn the automatic bid. Babson, one of the best teams left out last year, might get that same treatment this year. The Beavers need for the favorites to capture their conference championships to allow a Pool C bid to be there for Babson on May 11.

Castleton is the only team without a losing record. Just like the MASCAC, win or go home as the only chance for a playoff bid is to capture the conference tournament and we expect Castleton to do just that.

Cortland State, undefeated in the SUNYAC, is the #1 seed in the SUNYAC tournament. They play Plattsburgh who has secured a fourth seed in the tournament. Second-seeded Oneonta will play third-seeded Brockport. Cortland is the favorite, but it is not a given that they will emerge with the title. For everyone but Cortland, it is win or go home as Cortland will end up in the playoffs by virtue of either a Poll A or C bid.

There is no Empire 8 tournament, and if there was it would be a large after-thought as Ithaca and its 15-1 conference record has run away from the field. The Bombers should have their bags packed for the playoffs as they have rebounded from a tough non-conference schedule to start the season and on May 11 is expected to be rewarded with a Pool B bid. Second place will be determined on the last weekend of conference play when St. John Fisher (regionally ranked in fifth place) visits RIT for a 4 game series. The Cardinals need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive as they are ninth in regional game winning percentage of the Pool B teams ranked regionally.

The site of the Liberty League tournament was determined last weekend when RPI visits Rochester won 3 of 4 from RPI. This conference tournament has been a real toss up in the last few years as the No. 1 seed has only won the title once in the last 4 years. It looks like RPI and Rochester will end up fighting it out for the title, but Skidmore and St. Lawrence will have something to say about it. Rochester and RPI might find themselves looking for a pool C bid that is not not there if either does not take the tournament championship and the automatic bid that comes with it.

Three of the teams for the Skyline tournament are set with St Joseph’s, Farmingdale and Mount St. Vincent’s having secured spots. That leaves Mount St. Mary and Old Westbury to battle for the final playoff spot. Once the field is set it looks like it will end up with St. Joseph’s playing against Farmingdale for the title. They split their two games during the regular season so it is a toss up as to who will win. To advance to the playoffs, any Skyline team needed the automatic bid. Only St Joseph’s has the outside chance of a pool C bid if they fail in the conference tournament.

The field is set for the CUNY AC tournament on 8-10 May with The College of Staten Island hosting Lehman, Mitchell and John Jay. With one more conference game on the schedule (Baruch at Mitchell) the field is set. With no automatic bid the conference championship is all there is left to play for.

In the AMCC tournament this weekend Penn St. Behrend has the edge. With just one conference loss, they are the favorites and with a No. 4 regional ranking, they might make the playoffs without winning the automatic bid but there will be a lot of competition from the NJAC for Pool C bids in this region. Frostburg State has surged into second place and might be getting hot at just the right time as they need the tournament win to advance to the playoffs.

Johns Hopkins, win or lose the CC tournament should be preparing for the playoffs. Ursinus was contending with Johns Hopkins earlier in the season and fell out of a tournament spot. If another CC team other than the Blue Jays expects to be playing after May 11th, they will need an upset win in the CC tournament this weekend.

In the sister conferences Mid-Atlantic Commonwealth and Freedom, the story is the same. The number one seeds in each, Elizabethtown and Manhattanville are at the bottom of the regional rankings. With four NJAC teams ahead of them, it means win or go home since it will be difficult to make up enough ground in the regional rankings to overcome three NJAC teams that are looking for Pool C bids.

Does the NJAC get four teams in the playoffs? Not out of the question but the teams on the bubble (Kean and Montclair State) have to hope for few tournament upsets. Richard Stockton or William Paterson need to win to advance but the top four in the conference (Kean, Rowan, New Jersey, and Montclair State) need to have a good showing to improve their chances. Expect at least two NJAC teams in the playoffs with a third possibly making the grade.

In the NEAC Cazenovia, Keystone, and Penn State-Berks will vie for the championship. PS-Berks has come on lately and will their late season surge get them a playoff berth? Probably not since Keystone and Cazenovia know they need to win the conference to advance to the playoffs. Keystone has the incentive after being shut out last year in their final year of provisional status. This year they can play in the playoffs and those players from last year’s team will want the chance. They will have to get past the conference leader Cazenovia who lost only one game in conference this year.

Alvernia is the only Penn AC team to have clinched a tournament spot this season and ifsthe favorite to take the tournament. They are ranked regionally but like Elizabethtown and Manhattanville, they have the NJAC teams blocking them from a possible Pool C bid. To advance, Alvernia must win the conference tournament.

So far this season two teams are still undefeated (Trinity Bantams and Carthage Redmen) and don’t forget Salisbury on a remarkable run with 29 wins in a row. Add in RPI, Calvin and Curry, all with just one loss, and New Jersey and Chapman both with two losses. These are your teams with a winning percentage over .900. The season is just about over for some teams as the USA South will start the tournament season in less than two weeks.

While these teams kept winning, I was in Seattle and caught up with former UW-Oshkosh Titan, Jarrod Washburn. Washburn, with a D-III and MLB World Series ring, is currently a starting pitcher with the Seattle Mariners. Washburn is still the highest draft pick since Billy Wagner was chosen by the Houston Astros with the number 12 overall selection.

Q. What did [UW-Oshkosh Head Coach] Tom Lechnir mean for your career?
A. He meant a ton. He saw the talent I had in me before anyone else did. My high school coach saw I could play at the next level and told coach Lechnir about it. He [Lechnir] saw me throwing catch with my brother on tape. I don’t know how much you can tell with that and he said he would like me to come to school. When I got there, he molded me into the guy I am today. I still talk to him quite a bit. When I have a problem, I call him up and he always has the answer. He meant a tone to my whole career.

Q. Have you talked to him since his 600th win?
A. It is good to hear [about the 600th win]. I talked to him just after the games at the Metrodome. I don’t think he is too concerned with that [600th win]. He is trying to get back to the level the program is known for.

Q. Do you get together with the 1994 Championship team?
A. Every year we get the National Championship team from 94 together, not all but at least half. They come over to my house for a weekend of ice fishing, talk about old times and what is going on.

Q. How did it feel to win the 1994 D-III Championship?
A. At the time, the best feeling in the world. When you start the season you set out with the goal of winning the championship no matter the level. You want to be the last team standing at the end. We were able to accomplish the goal and win it all that year. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

Q. What about the 1995 Championship?
A. That was a disappointment. I still think we were the best team but we got beat and ended third. There was one lefty [Methodist's Brian Ford] that beat us twice and he had our number. It was a tough loss.

Q. Tim Jorgensen was player of the year in 1994 and 95. Do you know why you he never made it to the show?
A. You would have to ask Tim as I never saw him play after we left college. He had a ton of talent and was a great teammate. There are just a lot of obstacles along the way.

Q. Contract your D-III championship with your World Series Win with the Los Angeles Angels?
A.It is right up there. It is that same feeling [as in 94], your the last team standing and you achieved the ultimate goal - what you set out to do at the beginning of the season. The World Series is just a bigger stage as more people know about it by the millions. At D-III, not many people pat attention but at the time I could not be any happier. It is the ultimate achievement at the level I was playing at the time.

The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) has named Norman and Terry Govoni Field, the home of Babson baseball, the top college division baseball field in America. The award, also sponsored by Turface Products, the country’s premier producer of field maintenance products, will be presented to Coach Matt Noone at the annual ABCA national convention, to be held in Philadelphia in January 2008. Joining Coach Noone in accepting the award will be the team most responsible for the supreme condition of the field, led by head groundskeeper Jimmy Lexander, co-worker Doug Pottle, and foreman Nick Butera.