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.
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
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.
INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 2, 2008) - The NCAA coordinator of new media communications Josh Centor has featured Plattsburgh State Athletics in the latest edition of Campus Connection The Double-A Zone (website is http://doubleazone.com/).
On today’s edition of Campus Connection, Plattsburgh State head baseball coach Kris Doorey shares an emotional story about one of his players, Brian Mehan. Brian is currently fighting a battle against cancer and is undergoing treatment in the Plattsburgh area. During our podcast, Coach Doorey discusses the impact Brian’s situation has had on him and on his players. He says it’s important to “put things in check” and offers advice for other coaches and student-athletes facing difficult life situations.
Click here to hear Centor’s interview with Coach Doorey.
As the article is published on D3baseball.com, I am putting the complete text here from Eric’s dispatch.
By Eric Smolin
I would like to thank all of the D-III Baseball supporters. The kind words and encouragement throughout the past 6 months have been extraordinary and have continued to motivate me as the upcoming season is approaching quickly. D-III ballplayers are going to start making waves throughout baseball; I hope you’re all there to continue with that support.
My baseball career went through several major obstacles. I was part of a Northeast-10 Championship team at U-Mass Lowell, as the starting left fielder and a dominant closer as a freshman. Unfortunately, I developed a stress fracture by the end of that season and my head coach was dismissed for unforeseen purposes and the assistants left soon after. The fall of my sophomore year, I was to be coached to by someone who I already had a very tumultuous relationship with. After the last day of fall practice, still not fully recovered from the stress fracture, the coach dropped the news that our baseball relationship was not on the same page and he cut me from the team I had already established myself at.
I decided that transferring would be my best option. Knowing that my arm might never recover to its full strength, it was time to find somewhere that provided me with a great academic framework, as well as a constantly competitive baseball team. Matt LaBranche, the Head Coach at Western New England College (WNEC), was absolutely the most pivotal figure in my decision to transfer. WNEC not only provided the Sport Management major in the School of Business, but it also had that “up and coming” team with new great facilities.
In the three seasons at WNEC, the team established new marks of wins in a season, captured two league titles, and participated in two NCAA Regionals. Several personal achievements I received included: League Tournament MVP, two time All-Conference Team honors, New England Region Pitcher of the Year, and 2nd Team All-American honors.
Fortunately enough, these team and personal honors attracted some scouts attention. The draft came and passed without my name being called. I can still remember the look on my parents faces when they thought my playing career was over. They contributed so much time and money to help me pursue every kids dream.
Six days later, I answer my phone to a number I’ve never seen before. What I heard on the other line I thought had to be some sick practical joke. Gene Schall, the Philadelphia Phillies Northeast Region Scout was that voice on the other line. Everything he said I just responded with “Yes” and “Absolutely”. He notified me that someone will be showing up to my house the next morning with a contract to play with the Phillies organization. He also told me that I should pack because my flight was hours after I signed the contract.
I found myself alone on a plane for the first time twenty-four hours after that phone call. I was going to Clearwater, Florida to play baseball for three months with newly drafted players and also newly signed free agents.
I got to my room at the Buena Vista Hotel, my new one star home for the next few months, and met my roommate. Travis d’Arnaud, the 37th Overall pick, and highly regarded high school catcher from Lakewood, California. I felt right at home with Travis. Having grown up in California, we shared similar interests and often had way too much fun doing nothing.
We arrived at the ballpark the next day and had to run through the standard physical and other medical work. We also had a meeting with the coaches about what was expected of us. We were informed that we had to wear collared shirts and khaki shorts or pants everyday to the complex. I soon realized that I needed to buy a few shirts, and a bicycle since the walk from the hotel was a little over a mile in the sweltering heat.
The next day, we met all of the players and coaches. This process is always interesting since everyone is trying to size themselves up. Travis and I immediately became friendly with Justin DeFratus, another California grown pitcher. Justin was known in the locker room for something called “The Face” which was somewhat monkey-like and might have been the ugliest face I’ve ever seen. I had the pleasure of seeing it everyday since his locker was next to mine.
We were all very similar, and loved the fact that we could delay the real world by at least a few years. We would go down to the pool, buy as many toys as possible and have a day of fun. Little kids knew we were ballplayers and were always trying to play catch with us. So we bought the toys to keep the kids occupied while their parents laughed and enjoyed that we were taking time to talk and play with them.
Over the next few weeks, more of the draftees were finally finishing up their contract negotiations. The group of guys got increasingly more ridiculous, as we were more comfortable with each other. The English speaking players began talking to the Spanish speaking players and helping them with their English. Obviously, we taught them how to hit on girls once we were secluded from the coaching staff.
Heiter Correa and Jesus Sanchez were the Spanish players I got closest to. Correa was Brazilian, trilingual and a horse of a 17 year-old. He was already consistently throwing low-90’s. Sanchez, a 19 year-old Venezuelan catcher, was part of the Bobby Abreu trade to the New York Yankees from the Phillies. Correa helped us teach the Spanish players common phrases and sayings to help them along in the upcoming seasons.
Travis, Justin and I were the few that stayed at the Buena Vista. We felt no need to find an apartment, plus the maid cleaning our beds and bathroom was an added plus. A few more players came in a couple weeks after we got there. Jacob Diekman and Jiwan “King” James were the two that meshed into the group.
Diekman, a southpaw from Nebraska, was the joker of our group. He was also the most successful being promoted to the Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters to finish the season. Jiwan was a pitcher-outfielder out of nearby Williston, Florida. He declined a scholarship to Florida to play football to join the Phillies.
Surprisingly enough, I found myself with four highly drafted guys, no older than 20, that got significant signing bonuses. My signing bonus was minimal and I was so pumped when I received that check that could allow me to buy food for the months I was at school finishing my degree. I couldn’t imagine receiving a check that allowed me to buy a new $50,000 car. The monthly pay for everyone is much to be desired, and often is the biggest misnomer people have when it comes to professional baseball. Not until you make the 40 man roster do you actually see an income that you could live on.
Playing baseball for a living is tougher than people think. The game mentally grinds your mind. The first two months of the season, my arm was sore and I felt like I didn’t belong there. The final month, my arm revitalized itself and I began throwing lights out. My velocity reached a consistent 93, whereas it has been at 88 the previous two months.
The experience from all of this will last me a lifetime. I will go into Spring Training in March and try to reestablish myself and prove that we D-III guys belong. The success of Jordan Zimmerman, Jimmy Dougher and others has shown that the very best of D-III can compare with those of DI and DII.
I recently participated in an e-mail interview with Chris Preston, who writes for ESPN.com, about our sites and the state of small-college sports information on the Web. His piece was recently published and I wanted to point it out as a good discussion of where the sites have been and where they are heading.
Though the column inexplicably starts with the younger site — D2Football.com, the various D3sports.com sites are discussed in some detail.
Just one note: I didn’t promise weekly columns in other sports, just suggested that they could be possible. Anyone interested, let me know.
Today was a really fun day. We woke up and toured around Florence. We saw and visited a couple of monuments. The one we visited that I like the most was the Dome. We went all the way to te top which was tiring because there was so many stairs we had to walk up. But once we got all the way up to the top it was worth it. The view was unbelieveable because we can see all of Florence. After our morning tour we ate lunch at a restaurant in Florence, and after a little more touring in Florence we got on the bus to Parma. We settled into our rooms for a little while then we had dinner as a team.
Today we left Rome and went straight to Florence. When we got to Florence we met the two gentlemen who were responsible for our trip here. We then got warmed up on the baseball field and had another children’s clinic and the clinic was great. After the clinic we took batting practice, then we started our game against the Florence Lions. It was a great game and we won once again to improve to 3-0 on the trip. I had a good game. I went 4-for-4 with four doubles, four runs batted in, and two runs scored. After the game we checked into the hotel then met for a team dinner. While at dinner we met Dr. Susan Larkin, who is the athletic director at John Jay College. She really impressed me with how much she knows about Italy. Overall it was a great day because I got to meet some great people and I had a chance to practice my Italian, since the bus ride from Rome to Florence was a few hours.
Today we had the morning off which was needed after playing our first game the night before, and all the walking we have been doing. At 12 p.m. we left the hotel to visit the Neuttono War Cemetery, which was a place where American soldiers burried their fallen brothers during World War II.
The cemetery was very touching, as I walked around I could not believe what so many young Americans sacrificed for this country. These men are real heroes to me. The complex was immaculate as these 7,235 fallen soldiers bodies deserve.
After the visit to the cemetery we did a clinic for some children. The clinic was great, but my only regret was I didn’t have more to give them. The game was interesting to say the least. We were losing 4-0 in the 6th inning and we got to see and we got to see some Italian baseball customs. They were a little bush league but in the end we pulled the victory out 7-4. We got a great pitching performance by William Marte. After the game the people of the town had us stay for dinner. The food tasted great, especially after the win.
