The Podcast About Division III Baseball: Recent Episodes
Cespedes Family BBQ
Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ present a semi-regular discussion on the latest in the wide world of Division III baseball. Because someone had to do it.
Welcome to Episode 126 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! WE'RE BACK! FINALLY! While our real life jobs made it difficult to find time to do our usual research ahead of the season, we didn't wanna just disappear. Our first episode of 2024 takes a closer look at the 25 teams in the latest Top 25 poll, and offers some bonus thoughts on several conferences and familiar contenders from the last few seasons. In order:
- Shenandoah
- Endicott
- Baldwin Wallace
- Salisbury
- East Texas Baptist
- Denison
- UW-La Crosse
- Aurora
- Johns Hopkins
- Rowan + NJAC thoughts
- Birmingham-Southern
- Trinity (Texas)
- Salve Regina
- La Verne
- Lynchburg
- Pomona-Pitzer
- Misericordia
- Christopher Newport
- Benedictine
- Mary Hardin-Baylor
- North Carolina Wesleyan
- Chapman + SCIAC thoughts
- Arcadia
- Kalamazoo
- UW-Whitewater
- Quick thoughts on Wheaton (MA), Cortland, Webster, Marietta, UW-Stevens Point, Eastern Connecticut, Ithaca
- go listen to the NWC pod
- BIAS BALL: WashU Bears are looking GOOD but in a very different way
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 125 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We did it, friends -- we made it to Cedar Rapids. Together. Okay, not really, we aren't in Iowa, but we are here in podcast form to preview what should be a very fun World Series. We preview the eight teams competing for a national title, in order:
- Johns Hopkins (at 3:20)
- Misericordia (at 7:15)
- Endicott (at 13:35)
- Baldwin Wallace (at 17:00)
- Salisbury (at 19:20)
- East Texas Baptist (at 23:35)
- Lynchburg (at 27:40)
- UW-La Crosse (at 31:15)
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=b6820eb311f847f1
Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 124 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We begin with our quick reactions to the regional weekend and which moments stood out the most. Then, we preview all eight super regionals. In order:
- Wheaton (MA) at Johns Hopkins (at 2:55)
- Ithaca at Endicott (at 8:50)
- Misericordia at Marietta (at 14:15)
- Baldwin Wallace at Aurora (at 17:45)
- UW-Stevens Point at UW-La Crosse (at 21:05)
- Shenandoah at Lynchburg (at 24:20)
- La Verne at East Texas Baptist (at 30:10)
- Rowan at Salisbury (at 35:10)
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=b6820eb311f847f1
Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 123 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We begin with our reaction to the field of 60 and how we felt about our projections, and the surprising exclusion of UW-Whitewater (but also why it made sense). Then, we discuss all 16 regionals, with each regional covering seeds 1, 4, 2, 3 in that order:
- Baltimore (11:38)
- Johns Hopkins, PSU-Altoona, Randolph-Macon, St. John Fisher
- New London (19:52)
- Wheaton (MA), Husson, Tufts, Mitchell
- Cortland (32:43)
- Cortland, St. Joseph's (L.I.), Ithaca, Eastern Connecticut
- Bridgewater (42:48)
- Endicott, Bridgewater State, Middlebury, Johnson and Wales
- Marietta (49:46)
- Marietta, Adrian, Mary Washington, Case Western
- Dallas (57:19)
- Salve Regina, Keystone, Misericordia, Washington and Jefferson
- Granville (1:06:28)
- Denison, Beloit, Baldwin Wallace, Spalding
- Aurora (1:13:55)
- Aurora, John Carroll
- La Crosse (1:18:58)
- UW-La Crosse, Bethany Lutheran, Buena Vista, Bethel
- Stevens Point (1:24:50)
- UW-Stevens Point, Augustana, Webster, Loras
- Winchester (1:32:16)
- Shenandoah, TCNJ, Christopher Newport, Immaculata
- Rocky Mount (1:39:52)
- Lynchburg, Lebanon Valley, North Carolina Wesleyan, Elizabethtown
- Birmingham (1:45:35)
- Birmingham-Southern, Lewis and Clark, La Verne, Franklin
- Marshall (1:51:56)
- East Texas Baptist, Cal Lutheran, Pacific, Trinity (TX)
- Glenside (1:59:00)
- Arcadia, Susquehanna, Rowan, Brockport
- Harrisburg (2:03:57)
- Salisbury, PSU-Harrisburg
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 122 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we do our best to project which teams will receive the 19 at-large bids to the 60-team 2023 NCAA tournament field. We perform a mock selection of all the teams just as the national committee will do ahead of the official selections at noon ET on Monday, May 15. This is never an easy task but we hope we at least made sense while making our selections! We look forward to seeing how wrong we are.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=b6820eb311f847f1
Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 121 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The third and final public regional rankings were released, giving us one final look at how the committee views the best teams in each region. Some regions deserve far more conversation than others, but we touch on all the teams we deem at-large relevant during our bubble talk at the end. In order:
- Region I - New England (at 1:20)
- Region II - New England (at 1:50)
- Region III - New York (at 2:25)
- Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 3:25)
- Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 4:50)
- Region VI - South (at 6:00)
- Region VII - Mideast (at 12:00)
- Region VIII - Central (at 13:40)
- Region IX - Midwest (at 15:35)
- Region X - West (at 18:15)
Finally and most importantly (at 25:15), we go through and present where we believe the bubble currently stands if we assume all the favorites win their conference tournaments and which teams are in best position to claim the 2 Pool B and 17 Pool C at-large bids.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 120 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The second regional rankings were released and this time they are actually in a real order instead of alphabetical! We provide some caveats about how we go about this exercise projecting the at-large picture at this stage before discussing all 10 regions and the teams ranked within. In order:
- Region I - New England (at 1:50)
- Region II - New England (at 3:40)
- Region III - New York (at 5:30)
- Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 8:30)
- Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 11:20)
- Region VI - South (at 14:00)
- Region VII - Mideast (at 20:35)
- Region VIII - Central (at 22:30)
- Region IX - Midwest (at 24:35)
- Region X - West (at 28:40)
At the end (32:45), we go through and present where we believe the bubble currently stands if we assume all the favorites win their conference tournaments. It's VERY early to attempt this but we did our best to paint a realistic picture of which teams are in best position to claim the 2 Pool B and 17 Pool C at-large bids.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 119 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first regional rankings were released and while they aren't in a particular order, the teams included are the ones we know are in best position to receive at-large bids should they not win the conference tournament. We set the stage for this year's postseason picture before discussing each of the 10 regions. In order:
- Region I - New England (at 9:10)
- Region II - New England (at 12:30)
- Region III - New York (at 17:00)
- Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 19:50)
- Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 24:15)
- Region VI - South (at 32:30)
- Region VII - Mideast (at 40:20)
- Region VIII - Central (at 46:40)
- Region IX - Midwest (at 53:40)
- Region X - West (at 1:00:35)
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 118 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This week, we take a look at the latest Top 25, sharing our thoughts on every team in the poll, how much we believe in each team long-term, and where we had them roughly ranked in our personal Top 25s. We then hit some of the other teams just outside the current Top 25 including UW-Stevens Point, Cortland, NC Wesleyan, Salve Regina, North Central (IL), Buena Vista, East Texas Baptist, and a few others. Finally, we discuss the frustrating challenges of evaluating teams in the Northwest Conference and why no one is really right or wrong in terms of the discourse surrounding those teams. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 117 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This week, we take our first look at the Top 25, sharing our thoughts on every team in the poll and where we had them roughly ranked in our personal Top 25s. We then discuss the hot starts of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Lewis & Clark and the challenges of judging West region teams early in the season. Finally, we shoutout the hitters off to the hottest starts in 2023: Alma's Avery Carnicom, Claremont's Julian Sanders, and Lewis & Clark's Jack Thomson. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 116 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time for the second of two New England preview pods, this one covering Region 2. Preview finale! In order:
- CCC (at 1:00)
- Endicott might be the most (re-)loaded team in the region if not the country and is primed for a World Series run
- Salve Regina looks more impressive on offense than on the mound for the first time in a while but they should still be balanced enough to challenge the Gulls
- Roger Williams may have missed their window with a ton of talent graduating but we still expect them to be good
- Suffolk has one of the more fascinating players in the entire region
- LEC (at 13:40)
- THE CHAMPS Eastern Connecticut are coming off one of the more remarkable D-III seasons ever and will have to perform the encore with a new head coach and practically entirely new pitching staff
- Rhode Island College has an impressive offense mostly intact but has some important innings to replace
- UMass-Boston is looking ready to return to the postseason for the first time in a weirdly long time for them (4 years lol)
- Southern Maine has the talent to bounce back from a rare season missing the regionals
- MASCAC (at 31:50)
- Bridgewater State came outta nowhere with one of the best starting rotations in D-III and the cool thing is all those arms are back
- Westfield State can always be counted on to be in the mix atop this conference
- NECC (at 37:30)
- Mitchell is good but it is very goofy that this 4-team conference still has an AQ sigh
- UAA (at 42:10)
- Brandeis has built their program up to respectability but has a lot of offense graduating
We conclude (at 43:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 115 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second Mid-Atlantic preview pod, as we dig into the teams in Region 4. In order:
- CUNYAC (at 2:00)
- This isn't a relevant conference as long as they don't have an AQ but they are still playing baseball and that's cool
- MAC Freedom (at 5:35)
- Arcadia had one of the more surprising dominant seasons in recent D-III history and look poised to be a regional contender once again
- Misericordia finally got knocked off their MACF throne but look ready to re-claim it
- Stevens might be able to ride their always-excellent pitching staff back to the postseason but have a lot of offense to replace
- NJAC (at 18:00)
- William Paterson finally won the NJAC with one of the nation's best offenses despite extremely poor run prevention; they should be tremendously entertaining again in 2023
- Rowan is as solid as it gets but may need to rely on some transfers on the mound to stay at the top of this loaded conference
- Montclair State can bang with the best of 'em but will need some pitching depth to step up to make noise in a regional
- Kean had a down year but still boasts some of the best pitching in a suddenly offense-friendly conference
- TCNJ leads the rest of the pack of several teams that could reasonably make noise in this annual gauntlet
- UEC (at 43:30)
- Penn State-Harrisburg has a loaded lineup coming back but a ridiculous amount of innings to replace that could make a title defense challenging
- Salute to Ryan McCarty but it's somewhat unclear what to expect from Abington moving forward
- UAA (at 53:55)
- NYU continues to baffle us but we can usually expect them to be solid even if the SOS is blah
We conclude (at 57:10) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=b6820eb311f847f1
Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 114 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. If you can make it in Region 3, you can make it anywhere. We do a random tangent on the Netflix series "Blown Away" and then we preview the four conferences in the New York region, in order:
- Empire 8 (at 4:00)
- St. John Fisher should continue to dominate this league with an elite offense that is mostly intact from 2022
- Liberty (at 10:26)
- Ithaca re-emerged as a legit regional contender and has an intriguing player returning to their roster in 2023
- Rochester was also a strong regional team last year and has a good chunk of that team returning as well
- Keep an eye on Skidmore as a program trending up that could challenge the Bombers and Yellow Jackets sooner rather than later
- Skyline (at 27:55)
- St. Joseph's (Long Island) looks like the team to beat in this conference but we've seen a bunch of different teams come out on top in recent years so who knows?
- SUNYAC (at 41:30)
- Cortland has a lot of familiar faces to replace but we know they have the talent to do just that and make the postseason for the bajillionth year in a row
- Oswego State is gonna need a whole new lineup but at least almost the entire pitching staff is back!
- Brockport finally broke through and returned to the postseason in 2022 and now has one of the oldest rosters in D3 gunning for a SUNYAC title
We conclude (at 55:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 113 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's way too cold to start playing baseball in the Midwest Region (Region 9) but that's not gonna stop us from previewing all the D-III baseball teams within it. In order:
- ARC (at 2:40)
- Loras was definitely good but not "16-0" to start the year good; how will they keep the momentum going after a breakout season?
- Buena Vista can mash but will need some arms to step up
- Coe are the defending champs despite a bizarre season and have a lot of experience to replace
- Luther leads the rest of the pack within a very balanced conference on the whole
- MIAC (at 15:30)
- Bethel dominated in 2022 and has basically everyone back ready to do it again -- watch out for this squad
- Gustavus Adolphus and Saint John's (MN) are the likeliest to push the Royals
- Remember the name Kiefer Lord!!! (even if he isn't pitching in the MIAC anymore)
- MWC (at 29:10)
- We've seen a few different teams challenge for this conference title and the latest team on top was the Lawrence Vikings, who return an excellent lineup led by one of 2022's national HR leaders
- basically everyone else in this conference is solid, we'll see if UChicago can finally get over the hump
- UMAC (at 37:30)
- Crown was one of the best stories of 2022 and now has plenty back to defend their UMAC title
- Don't forget about Northwestern (MN), though, even if they have a ton of impact talent lost to transfer/graduation
- WIAC (at 45:50)
- UW-Stevens Point loudly re-established themselves back atop the D-III baseball world and look like the favorite again
- UW-Whitewater will need a ton of inexperienced arms to fill in a lot lost to graduation but the offense should roll again
- UW-La Crosse was ultra-young a year ago and might be ready to jump back into contention
- UW-Oshkosh was disappointing in 2022 but still has a good amount of talent to get back in the mix atop this conference
- Don't sleep on Eau Claire; that's a program clearly on the rise
We conclude (at 1:01:10) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link
Welcome to Episode 112 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of two New England preview pods -- we begin with Region 1. In order:
- GNAC (at 1:55)
- St. Joseph's (ME) is usually a good bet to win 30 games but has a lot of offense to replace
- Anna Maria has some All-Region returning talent that could push the Monks for 1st place
- Johnson & Wales has won two conference tourneys in a row despite underwhelming records so we're done being surprised by their success
- NAC (at 11:24)
- Husson might be slowly building a legitimate regional contender up in Bangor
- NESCAC (at 20:20)
- Middlebury just had a monster season and has basically the whole squad back ready to do it again; will they steal 200 bags?
- Tufts has some high-end talent but lost a bunch of impact hitters so will need some younger players to step up
- Colby has forced their way into the conversation atop this conference and we love to see it
- Keep an eye on Hamilton to lead the rest of the pack if not climb even higher
- NEWMAC (at 33:35)
- Wheaton (MA) lost a RIDICULOUS amount of talent but we're not in the business of betting against the Lyons, we'll just have to see what it looks like
- Babson has its entire stellar pitching staff back and that could be a real strength as they try to return to the postseason
- There's usually a strong third team in this conference but we're not sure who it's gonna be yet
We conclude (at 43:05) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 111 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Central region AKA Region 7, previewing all the favorites in each conference. In order:
- CCIW (at 1:25)
- North Central (IL) looks to bounce back with another loaded squad after an injury-plagued 2022
- Augustana is going to Florida two different times?! and also looks pretty damn good, especially on the mound
- Millikin should be solid again, we trust this program
- HCAC (at 14:30)
- Earlham are the defending champs and also one of our new favorite teams for understandable reasons
- Franklin should be good again but have some elite talent to replace
- Rose-Hulman and Transylvania should be competing in a very balanced middle of this conference
- NACC (at 29:15)
- Aurora continues to mystify us in some ways but we think they'll be pretty awesome again
- Benedictine has some good pieces back, including a big HR threat
- MSOE looks to defend their title with some elite pitching
- SLIAC (at 42:30)
- Webster is as good a regional bet as any in all of D-III and now looks more offense-heavy than pitching for the first time in a while
- UAA (at 55:37)
- It was tough to follow the 2021 World Series team but we're hoping (and believing) the 2022 campaign was just a down year for the WashU Bears
We conclude (at 1:02:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 110 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Mideast Region, now known as Region 7 and home to some of the best teams in the nation. In order:
- AMCC (at 2:40)
- Mount Aloysius looks to defend their title with one of the best two-way players in the entire region
- Penn-State Behrend has a deep staff and a solid offense that should challenge the Mounties for the title again
- La Roche what happened?!?!?!
- MIAA (at 10:10)
- THE OLDEST CONFERENCE IN AMERICAN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS finally has some real competition at the top, with Hope and Kalamazoo now legitimately challenging Adrian who ran the show for over a decade
- NCAC (at 19:20)
- Denison has a ton to replace but still looks capable of being a legit regional contender
- Wooster also lost a lot to graduation but the offense should be elite once again
- Wittenberg continues to ascend and should be in the mix at the top of this conference sooner rather than later
- OAC (at 32:18)
- Marietta just had one of the most dominant seasons in D-III history and now has to replace almost the entire lineup; good thing the entire rotation is back!
- Baldwin Wallace is loaded again and may be primed for another World Series run
- The rest of this conference has seen some serious shuffling recently making it very difficult to know who the next batch of teams will be pushing for spots in the conference tournament
- PAC (at 46:20)
- Washington & Jefferson continues to be the class of this conference
- don't you dare sleep on Grove City, though!!!
- Allegheny comes in from the NCAC and should compete right away
- LET'S TALK ABOUT WAYNESBURG ALUM MASON MILLER
- UAA (at 58:50)
- Case Western has some extremely exciting young talent and has most of the offense back; they should challenge for another UAA title and have a great chance to get back to the postseason
We conclude (at 1:03:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 109 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Before we go conference-by-conference (at 2:00), we address the newest team in Region 5 -- just a little program called SALISBURY -- and why we think they were moved into this region from the South and what it means for the region moving forward. Then we proceed with the rest of the region, in order:
- AEC (at 4:50)
- Cabrini won 31 games last year but will need to replace their best player
- Immaculata has a ton of talent back and is looking like the favorite
- Marymount can be counted on to contend atop this conference
- Marywood leads the rest of the pack
- Centennial (at 11:10)
- Can we just have A NORMAL SEASON IN THIS CONFERENCE ALREADY?!
- Franklin & Marshall has the most talent back of last year's contenders and will obviously be motivated
- Johns Hopkins will have a lot of new faces but we know they can be really good
- Swarthmore is still very talented despite losing half their team to Villanova (slight exaggeration)
- We could see a lot of moving and shaking up and down the rest of this conference with some coaching changes and intriguing talent on every other team
- CSAC (at 27:45)
- Well, well, well, look at Wilson winning 31 games, we love to see it
- Keystone is always something of a mystery but it's cool that now they have real competition in this conference
- Landmark (at 34:20)
- What does the encore look like for Catholic after the best year in program history?
- Scranton, Moravian and Elizabethtown all have some legit top-end talent but will need a lot more depth to step up to challenge the Cardinals
- MACC (at 43:15)
- Lebanon Valley has climbed to the top of this conference in a hurry and has a ton of exciting talent back, even with their top two arms from the '22 team gone
- York (PA) is always good but have a ton of offense to replace
We conclude (at 53:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 108 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second of ten 2023 regional preview pods as we head to the South, home to some of the strongest teams in D-III. We review them all, in the following order:
- C2C (at 5:30)
- An enormous percentage of the Salisbury team that has made back-to-back championship series is back in 2023 as the Sea Gulls look like a juggernaut once again
- IMPORTANT NOTE: We were informed after recording this episode that Salisbury is actually now in Region 5, one of the two Mid-Atlantic regions. We will discuss the ramifications of that move on the Region 5 preview pod but it doesn't change much about how we feel about the actual team so we left the Sea Gulls convo in the pod as is.
- Christopher Newport's pitching staff can rack up the strikeouts but they'll need more offensive firepower to really elevate into the elite tier of teams this season
- An enormous percentage of the Salisbury team that has made back-to-back championship series is back in 2023 as the Sea Gulls look like a juggernaut once again
- ODAC (at 21:00)
- Lynchburg lost some key pieces but still has multiple All-Region-types on the roster that could carry them for another deep postseason run
- Shenandoah's lineup was already going to be loaded and now they get one of the best players in America back from injury
- Roanoke is a balanced squad that is extra motivated after being snubbed from the postseason in 2022
- Randolph-Macon's young team in 2022 was better than expected -- can they compete with the older rosters atop this loaded conference?
- SAA (at 37:30)
- Birmingham-Southern should have an elite offense again but will need some arms to step up big time
- Count on Rhodes, Hendrix and Berry to challenge the Panthers atop this conference
- USA South (at 45:50)
- NC Wesleyan is now in great position as the favorite of this shrunken conference
- Methodist, Pfeiffer and William Peace are all solid and could benefit from extremely old rosters
- Collegiate Conference of the South (at 50:15)
- Few teams as many total bases to replace as LaGrange but they still have one of the best hitters in the country back and a good amount of top-end pitching, making them the favorite
- Belhaven might just step right in from the SCAC and become LaGrange's biggest challenger, but keep there are a lot of solid programs in this newly formed conference: Huntingdon, Maryville (TN), Piedmont, Brevard, Covenant
- UAA (at 59:35)
- Emory has been solid recently but still looking to rediscover its incredible peak from a decade ago
We conclude (at 1:02:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 107 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's the sixth season we're doing this and we're busier than ever but as excited as ever to get to do this ridiculous exercise all over again. We give our usual caveats about how we plan to preview each region before previewing the West. In order:
- ASC (at 3:33)
- It may finally be East Texas Baptist's time to shine -- they look loaded
- UT-Dallas has a lot to replace on offense but we still trust this program to be good
- Mary Hardin-Baylor has impressive pitching depth but will need some bats to step up
- Adios, Belhaven -- keep an eye on Hardin-Simmons
- SCAC (at 17:05)
- Trinity (TX) has some huge bats to replace but should still rake while the pitching remains a question mark
- Texas Lutheran has a strong offensive core returning even if their best player from 2022 is gone
- Centenary (LA) has an excellent top of the rotation but will need to find some more thump on offense
- Shoutout Southwestern (TX) and St. Thomas (who came to D-III instead of leaving it like the MN school smh smh)
- SCIAC (at 28:37)
- Chapman's pitching should be elite again and have some ultra-exciting young hitters
- Pomona-Pitzer is trending up in a huge way and could have one of the best offenses in the country
- Cal Lutheran has a solid returning lineup but some questions on the mound
- We can always count on La Verne to compete
- NWC (at 42:00)
- Pacific (OR) has most of their main dudes back for what looks like another potential postseason run
- If Pacific Lutheran had posted their roster by the time we recorded this we'd feel a lot better about how good they were going to be
- Every other team in this conference could realistically make some noise; look for Lewis & Clark to keep trending up and Whitman to bounce back
We conclude (at 49:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 106 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! Another season in the books. The Eastern Connecticut State Warriors are your 2022 D-III national champions. We give hearty salute to all of the eight teams who competed in Cedar Rapids last week, with broad thoughts on their seasons before celebrating the incredible season that Eastern Connecticut was able to complete in spectacular fashion. We discussed the teams in this order:
- Catholic
- Marietta
- UW-Stevens Point
- Baldwin Wallace
- Trinity (TX)
- LaGrange
- Salisbury
- Eastern Connecticut
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Welcome to Episode 105 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We did it, friends. It's World Series time. Only 8 teams remain, and we're gonna talk about 'em:
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- Marietta (at 5:10)
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- Catholic (at 10:50)
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- Salisbury (at 16:40)
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- UW-Stevens Point (at 24:25)
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- Eastern Connecticut (at 28:40)
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- Baldwin Wallace (at 36:10)
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- LaGrange (at 42:10)
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- Trinity (TX) (at 51:10)
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Welcome to Episode 104 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! After a wild weekend of regional action, only 16 teams remain. We preview all 8 super-regional match-ups and make our picks for who we think will advance to the World Series in Cedar Rapids. In order (hosts in bold):
- Oswego State vs. Marietta (at 2:30)
- UW-Stevens Point vs. UW-Whitewater (at 7:49)
- Catholic vs. Ithaca (at 16:00)
- Trinity (TX) vs. Birmingham-Southern (at 22:15)
- Baldwin Wallace vs. Endicott (at 29:10)
- Wooster vs. Salisbury (at 34:20)
- Rowan vs. Eastern Connecticut (at 41:20)
- Chapman vs. LaGrange (at 45:40)
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Welcome to Episode 103 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we talk for three hours about all 60 teams in the 2022 D-III baseball tournament. You know, as people do. First we offer our general takeaways from the bracket reveal and our biggest surprises and disappointments with the selections and the process. Then, we discuss all 16 regionals in the following order, with each regional covering seeds 1, 4, 2, 3 in that order:
- Arcadia (at 8:00)
- Arcadia, Husson, Oswego State, Elizabethtown
- Marietta (at 20:50)
- Marietta, Kalamazoo, Christopher Newport, Mount Aloysius
- Whitewater (at 33:55)
- UW-Whitewater, MSOE, Aurora, Augustana
- Stevens Point (at 43:00)
- UW-Stevens Point, Lawrence, North Central (IL), Coe
- Immaculata (at 55:30)
- Immaculata, Keystone, Montclair State, Ithaca
- Shenandoah (at 1:04:10)
- Shenandoah, St. Joseph's (L.I.), Catholic, Stevens
- Lynchburg (at 1:13:50)
- Birmingham-Southern, Earlham, Lynchburg, Salve Regina
- UT-Dallas (at 1:31:30)
- Trinity (TX), UT-Dallas
- Cortland (at 1:37:10)
- Cortland, Bridgewater State, Endicott, St. John Fisher
- Brockport (at 1:46:20)
- Wheaton (MA), Johnson and Wales, Baldwin Wallace, Brockport
- Denison (at 1:57:50)
- Denison, Penn-State Harrisburg, Salisbury, William Paterson
- Webster (at 2:08:50)
- Webster, Crown, Wooster, Bethel
- Rochester (at 2:23:00)
- Eastern Connecticut, Swarthmore, Rochester, Middlebury
- Lebanon Valley (at 2:33:20)
- Rowan, Mitchell, Washington & Jefferson, Lebanon Valley
- Chapman (at 2:43:00)
- Chapman, Pacific, Pomona-Pitzer, Cal Lutheran
- LaGrange (at 2:52:20)
- LaGrange, Centenary (LA)
We conclude (at 3:00:30) with our rapid-fire picks for all 16 regionals which will surely be incorrect!
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Welcome to Episode 102 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we do our best to project which teams will receive the 19 at-large bids (really just 18 Pool C bids since Salisbury is definitely getting the Pool B) to the 60-team tournament field. We perform a mock selection of all the teams just as the national committee will do ahead of the official selections at noon ET on Monday, May 16. This was extremely difficult but we did our best! Good luck, everyone!!! Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com Subscribe/follow + rate/review on Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=3ed6cccd25d44c2a
Welcome to Episode 101 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! Before we dive into the bracketology based on the latest regional rankings, we had to address two things. First (at 2:20), the end of Ryan McCarty's season, one of the greatest D-III seasons of all time and why it's ridiculous that people are hating on it. Next (at 6:40), we address the complete debacle that was the Centennial Conference tournament cancellation and why nobody wins whatsoever, including Swarthmore. Then (at 12:30) we move onto the fun stuff, which is a breakdown of the at-large picture as we record on Thursday afternoon with just 10 of the AQs clinched, discussing which teams are in best shape to snag one of the 18 Pool C at-large bids come selection day on May 16. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 100 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball!!! 100 podcast episodes about D-III baseball!!! They said it couldn't be done!!!!!!!
Jake is back and the second regional rankings were released and this time they are actual rankings and not just alphabetical! We discuss how we go about analyzing these rankings and what they can tell us about the likelihood of teams being selected at-large. We begin with a quick Pool B discussion (at 5:55) before going rapid-fire through all 10 regions (at 7:10) in order with some general thoughts on which conferences have the best chance to receive multiple bids. Then, we present THE BUBBLE as it currently stands (at 18:30), discussing which teams are in best shape to snag one of the 18 Pool C at-large bids come selection day on May 16. Then we say goodbye.
(minor correction: I said 40 automatic qualifiers at the end of the episode but that was a mistake, it's 41)
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Welcome to Episode 99.5 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake had jury duty (no, seriously) which meant that I had to take this one solo! The first regional rankings were released and they...aren't actually rankings! Still, there is a decent amount to be gleaned from the teams included. I provide some caveats for discussing the rankings at this point, and then I went region-by-region and discussed how I think the teams are currently lined up and which teams are in best shape to get in at-large. In order:
- Region I - New England (at 4:40)
- Region II - New England (at 7:25)
- Region III - New York (at 10:30)
- Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 12:50)
- Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 16:50)
- Region VI - South (at 19:35)
- Region VII - Mideast (at 22:15)
- Region VIII - Central (at 26:20)
- Region IX - Midwest (at 28:40)
- Region X - West (at 31:40)
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Welcome to Episode 99 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time once again to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. For the first time in 2022, we start to turn our attention to the postseason picture and which teams in the Top 25 are in best position to receive an at-large bid should they not win the conference based on the current SOS rankings. Discussions include:
- Cortland is in good shape to make its 473rd postseason appearance in a row even if they don't win the SUNYAC tourney
- We're already worried about North Central (IL) again but it's been good to see them winning lately
- UW-Whitewater's resume could be lighter than normal
- Salisbury vs. CNU vs. the top of the UAA will be a fascinating Pool B race
- Could the NJAC get 3 teams in? 4?
- UT-Dallas will probably need to win the ASC
- Arcadia's resume is going to be nearly impossible to deny
- Tufts is legit but how good is the NESCAC? We don't know yet
- The SCIAC always deserves 2 bids talent-wise but the SOS might not allow for it this season
- UW-Stevens Point's resume doesn't look as good as we would've expected when we looked at the schedule before the season
- Trinity (TX) should have a much more convincing at-large case than last year...but keep an eye on TLU, too
- and more!
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Welcome to Episode 98 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time once again to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 1:40) in order including discussions on:
- What did LaGrange do with their weekend off?
- Baldwin Wallace establishing themselves as the 2nd elite OAC team
- North Central (IL) with a much-needed series sweep
- Kean's pitching is amazing
- Arcadia continues to prove to be legit
- CNU should be getting way more respect
- UW-Stevens Point could definitely challenge UW-Whitewater
- La Verne looks like the best team in the SCIAC but we're still not sure
- Is Oswego State better than Cortland? We'll find out soon!
- Other teams outside the Top 25 we are watching closely: Roger Williams, Denison, Brockport!!!, UMass-Boston, Texas Lutheran, Catholic
Then (at 33:30) we take a look at the statistical leaderboards to project who some possible All-Americans, including another insane Ryan McCarty update and a Misericordia HBP update. Finally, we shoutout an exciting return for a hitter on Jake's WashU Bears.
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Welcome to Episode 97 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First, we apologize for our missing a week due to our real job covering MLB. Then it's time to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 1:30) in order including discussions on:
- LaGrange should be closer to #1 than #4
- North Central (IL) is still good but their future will depend on the return of Rob Marinec
- Baldwin Wallace is super legit and deserves respect
- We're not worried about Salisbury but they probably can't lose too many more games if they are Pool B
- Super disappointing and weird weekend for UT-Dallas
- Kean confuses us
- Tufts' offense is elite, if the pitching is also good they could be super dangerous
- The SCIAC might be super loaded but we still can't quite figure it out
- Stevens Point is back in the mix
- Other teams outside the Top 25 we are watching closely: Wheaton (MA), CNU, Hendrix, La Verne, UMass-Boston, Babson, NYU
Lastly (at ), we have a brief discussion about the utility of MasseyRatings and Boyd's World rankings to assess the best teams in D-III baseball.
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Welcome to Episode 96 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First, we announce our new D-I baseball podcast that we promise will not interfere with our D-III baseball podcast. The bulk of this pod is spent running through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 3:00) in order including:
- Marietta being clearly #1
- Our minor concerns about North Central (IL)
- Confusion over LaGrange being so low
- Respect for Baldwin Wallace's hot start
- Shenandoah's offense is still amazing
- Who is the best team in the SCIAC?
- Loras' incredible undefeated start
- Why isn't Oswego State ranked?
- and more!
Then (at 41:20), we bounce around a few other topics including:
- Ryan McCarty Double Watch
- The national team HBP race between the mighty favorites Misericordia and the other early strong contenders
- Stockton's 7-inning perfecto
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 95 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first half of this pod is spent running through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 2:30) in order but the discussion includes:
- Why we still have North Central (IL) at #1
- Thoughts on Salisbury, Southern Maine, and Johns Hopkins after seeing them in person
- Lynchburg is the real deal + Grayson Thurman WOW
- Takeaways from the UW-Whitewater/Trinity (TX) series
- Wheaton (MA) is still underrated
- Why we like Shenandoah but didn't rank them
- The NJAC pecking order and why Willy P deserves more respect
- The teams that have piled up wins but aren't climbing the rankings just yet -- East Texas Baptist, Hendrix, Marymount, Arcadia
- and more!
Next (at 42:00), we do some shoutouts for some other standout series and performances over the last week, including:
- An offensive explosion for Kalamazoo in their first series (Blake Bean omg)
- Ryan Dominick at Wisconsin Lutheran
- The Lancianese twins at Earlham
- Ryan McCarty DOUBLE WATCH
- Jake Stank at Anderson
- CJ Willis at Western New England
- FINLANDIA WON THREE GAMES IN A ROW, let's talk about the Lions and their incredibly challenging circumstances
Finally (at 50:28), we are joined by Brett Loftis, the voice of the Piedmont Lions, who tells us about his journey as a broadcaster, why he's so passionate about what he does, and what makes Carter Ballstadt the best D-III player in the country.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 94 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of a hopefully weekly series of podcasts reviewing all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll as well as discussing any other things that have caught our attention in the D-III baseball world. We give some broad thoughts on the poll and our own personal votes before running through (at 4:10) all 25 teams in order from the latest poll. Then (at 32:20) we talk about some of the D-III action we've seen in person over the last few weeks, including our stop at Johns Hopkins and (at 38:00) the insane game between Montclair State and Catholic that Jordan witnessed. Next (at 44:50) we do some shoutouts to some of the early statistical leaders across the country before wrapping up with a look ahead to the weekend slate.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 93 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 1:45) with our thoughts on the upcoming Johns Hopkins opening weekend pod (which we hope to be at), before getting into the second of two New England preview pods, this one covering Region 2. Preview finale! In order:
- CCC (at 3:50)
- Salve Regina has one of the best pitching staffs in the region and could really make some noise if some bats emerge
- Conversely, Endicott has multiple All-Region bats returning but will need some pitching to step up for them to contend
- Roger Williams is a clear #3 in this conference and have some very experienced players on both sides of the ball returning
-
LEC (at 14:09)
- Southern Maine is playing a completely outrageous schedule (which we love) and will need some hitters to step up so that Cam Seymour doesn't get walked 150 times (they'll still be awesome, though)
- Eastern Connecticut is the favorite and will look to bounce back after a relatively tough end to their 2021 season; they have more than enough talent to do so
- UMass-Boston will surely be eager to be back playing a normal full schedule and have some serious dudes returning, especially on the mound
- Why you should keep an eye on Keene State in the coming years
- MASCAC (at 34:18)
- Westfield State looks like the favorite once again...
- ...even though Salem State is the defending champs
- NECC (at 39:10)
- Mitchell is very good but the rest of this conference is barely still around; do they even still have an AQ?
- UAA (at 46:00)
- Brandeis has a bunch of Year 5 guys back so maybe we shouldn't be sleeping on them so hard
- NYU FINALLY HAS STUFF ON THEIR WEBSITE so we talk about them briefly
We conclude (at 51:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 92 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of two New England preview pods -- we begin with Region 1. In order:
- GNAC (at 1:55)
- Johnson & Wales won the GNAC last year but were under .500 overall and are losing a good amount to graduation
- Anna Maria seems primed to take a step forward as the clear favorite with multiple All-Region candidates
- St. Joseph's (ME) shouldn't be counted out, especially since they used to run this conference for a long time
-
NAC (at 11:15)
- Husson is legit
- NESCAC (at 15:06)
- Tufts had a bizarre 2021 but are returning a ton and could be one of the more talented teams in the entire region
- Amherst is technically the defending champs and have some key pieces returning
- It's hard to tell who else will be in the mix here considering everyone else played so few games
- NEWMAC (at 29:00)
- Wheaton (MA) is a clear top-10 team in the country for us and we're not sure why they didn't get more pre-season poll love
- Babson might be moving on to a new generation of Beavers but they'll definitely still be good
- MIT was pretty awesome the last time they played but that was quite a while ago
We conclude (at 37:54) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 91 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 1:10) with a brief note about the strange career of Lakeland's Nathan Hemmerling before getting into the suddenly loaded Midwest Region. In order:
- ARC (at 3:00)
- Coe won a ton of games last year but lost in the conference tourney and were left out at-large; good thing they've still got two of the best two-way players in D-III
- Luther are the defending champs and have most of the squad coming back
-
MIAC (at 11:54)
- Gustavus Adolphus had an excellent resume last year but were left out of the field; now they've got some key pieces to replace
- Saint John's has two super studs coming back and the best SOS in the conference
- Saint Mary's won the conference last year but are losing a huge chunk of their offense so we're not sure what to expect
- St. Scholastica comes in from the UMAC looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017
- Bethel was solid in 2021 but could take a real step forward this year and make some noise atop this conference
- MWC (at 27:30)
- Illinois College has some big boppers but will need to prove it against better competition
- Beloit won a bunch of games last year and has several All-Region candidates returning
- WIAC (at 33:40)
- Whitewater is loaded once again on offense but has a ton of innings to replace
- La Crosse might be a legit contender but we don't know for sure because THEY DON'T HAVE A ROSTER UP (to be fair none of these WIAC teams do but it's most crucial for the Eagles)
- Stevens Point has slowly been building back up to a postseason contender and might be ready to compete if their pitching improves
- Oshkosh is Jordan's huge pick to click with the essentially the entire squad returning and some legit All-American candidates
- UMAC (at 50:35)
- Northwestern (MN) was one of the best stories of 2021 and have enough pieces back to go on another run this year
- CROWN STORM DARK HORSE ALERT
We conclude (at 1:00:25) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 90 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 3:10) with some unfortunate news about one of the top players in the country. Next (at 4:05), some thoughts on the last weekend of action, including our actual in-person visit to see Catholic vs. Cabrini, the Birmingham jamboree featuring Birmingham-Southern, Trinity (TX), WashU, and Lynchburg, plus a couple other notes. Then we preview the New York region. In order:
- Empire 8 (at 7:05)
- St. John Fisher is the heavy favorite again but they will have to replace a ton, including POY Adam Zebrowski
- This conference has had a ton of turnover -- will they keep the AQ moving forward?
-
Liberty (at 15:30)
- Rochester has risen to the top and has a bona fide All-American candidate in the outfield
- Union, Ithaca, RPI are probably the ones to watch in terms of challenging the Yellowjackets
- Skyline (at 24:10)
- Merchant Marine was one of our favorite stories of 2021; can they keep the magic going in 2022?
- Old Westbury, St. Joseph's (L.I.) have also regularly been in the mix atop this conference
- Yeshiva has a J. Mintz, we're amped about that
- SUNYAC (at 33:35)
- Cortland looks to keep its historic postseason streak alive and is already off to a great start
- Oswego State should have one of the more experienced lineups in the country; will that be enough to dethrone the Red Dragons?
- BROCKPORT?!?!?! Could this be the year they finally make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2011??? We hope so!!!
We conclude (at 44:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 89 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second Mid-Atlantic pod, as we dig into the teams in Region 4. In order:
- CUNYAC (at 1:45)
- We really aren't sure what to make of this conference at this point but it seems like they will still be playing baseball in 2022, so that's good
-
MACF (at 5:30)
- Misericordia will look to continue their epic streak atop this conference with their super clean style of baseball and HBP superpower
- DeSales and Stevens will look to finally dethrone the Cougars
- NJAC (at 16:35)
- Rowan is losing a good amount of offense from last year's World Series team but might have the best pitching staff in the region
- William Paterson really jumped up into the upper echelon of this conference and are in good shape to stay there
- Kean was definitely disappointing in 2021 but have been too good recently to stay down for long
- Montclair State is a 3x national champion but hasn't been this good in a while
- TCNJ and Ramapo should all be much better than last year
- UEC (at 35:10)
- Penn State-Harrisburg lost an absolute legend in Bret Williams but still is loaded and ready to defend their conference title
- Ryan McCarty is chasing some D-III records for Penn State-Abington
- UAA (at 46:14)
- NYU...has nothing on their website so we don't know much other than they will be playing baseball and are in the UAA which means we will be paying close attention to them
We conclude (at 49:05) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 88 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the traditionally loaded Mideast Region, now known as Region 7, which is still basically the same minus the HCAC. In order:
- AMCC (at 2:20)
- We finally got a new champ in this conference as Penn State-Behrend won it last year and are the favorite again 2022
- La Roche should still be contenders but a lot of new faces are gonna have to step up
- MIAA (at 12:10)
- Adrian is way more loaded on offense than on the mound, which is a little different than usual for the Bulldogs
- Kalamazoo, Hope, and Calvin should definitely challenge Adrian in THE OLDEST CONFERENCE IN AMERICAN SPORTS
-
NCAC (at 23:30)
- Denison looks to defend its conference title with one of the best pitching staffs in the region but have a lot of offense to replace
- Conversely, Wooster should have one of the best offenses in the country (again) but will need a lot of arms to step up
- Allegheny and Wittenberg should be solid as well
- OAC (at 37:20)
- Marietta is fully back to juggernaut status with an outrageously deep lineup and two of the best pitchers in the region
- Mount Union has their entire squad back after a breakout '21 and could challenge the Pioneers
- Baldwin Wallace looks the strongest among the rest of the conference, but keep an eye on Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, and John Carroll
- PAC (at 48:10)
- Washington & Jefferson look excellent once again and we're eager to see them compete out of conference again
- UAA (at 55:50)
- Case Western looks as balanced as they've been in a while and might be playing THE toughest schedule in the country
We conclude (at 1:03:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 87 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Mid-Atlantic -- well, half of what we've been used to being the Mid-Atlantic. We discuss (at 1:17) the changes to the region from last season before previewing all the favorites by conference. In order:
- AEC (at 3:57)
- Marymount won the first ever AEC title and look primed to defend their title
-
Centennial (at 11:05)
- Johns Hopkins is loaded again but will be tested even more with a full schedule and traditionally ridiculous SOS
- Swarthmore is back and we're excited to see if they can challenge Hopkins immediately after a full year off
- F&M, Haverford, and Washington College can all be expected to be in the mix
- CSAC (at 32:17)
- Keystone runs this conference and probably always will...
- ...but could Wilson actually make a run at the Giants? We'd love to see it!
- Huge shoutout to Alexia Jorge at St. Elizabeth
- Shoutout to brand new program Rosemont
- Landmark (at 40:30)
- Scranton won it all last year and has some exciting young talent returning
- Catholic seems primed to take a huge step forward with some bona fide All-Region talent
- MACC (at 47:30)
- York (PA) is gonna be FASCINATING with two All-American sluggers that might combine for 40 HR but a TON else to replace
- Lebanon Valley could definitely challenge the Spartans, though
We conclude (at 56:48) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 86 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First (at 1:00) we shoutout Pacific Lutheran as the standouts of the opening weekend. Next (at 2:15) we make a very important announcement -- er, clarification -- about our "D-III College Gameday" idea that we tweeted about. Then (at 5:00) it's time to talk about the Central and the changes to the region from last season before previewing all the favorites by conference. In order:
- CCIW (at 7:00)
- North Central (IL) got screwed last year being left out of the postseason and are now super duper loaded and ready to come back better than ever
- Augustana had maybe the quietest 35-win season in D-III history and should be very good again
- Millikin actually won this conference last year and have a good amount back to defend their title
-
HCAC (at 23:20)
- Transylvania has an elite two-way player in Trent Youngblood but has a ton of other offense to replace
- Franklin used to hit a bajillion homers a year but those guys are gone now
- Rose-Hulman is gonna be trending back up soon with new head coach Adam Rosen
- NACC (at 32:00)
- Let's talk about Aurora for 10 minutes because we have A LOT OF THOUGHTS
- Benedictine could definitely challenge the Spartans, though
- We'd love to see Concordia-Chicago get back in the mix
- SLIAC (at 45:55)
- Webster looks strong as always but will have to replace the legendary Matt Mulhearn on the bump; their SOS is completely ridiculous, mad respect
- UAA (at 58:18)
- Jake's WashU Bears are definitely going to be good again but most of the World Series team is gone so there are going to be a ton of new faces
We conclude (at 1:06:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 85 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We head to the South, home to some of the strongest teams in D-III, including the defending champs. We have a quick discussion about what Pool B is (at 3:50), why the C2C teams are now in it, and how that impacts the postseason field before previewing all the favorites in the South (Region 6). In order:
- C2C (at 8:45)
- Salisbury seems as good a bet as any in recent memory to repeat as national champs, but that's much easier said than done
- Christopher Newport is playing a loaded schedule, as they'll need to in Pool B, but will need some younger guys to step up to win enough games against all that top-tier competition
-
ODAC (at 22:50)
- Lynchburg is being super underrated by the pre-season polls and has the talent to make a legit World Series run
- Shenandoah has a ton of experience coming back and is always good
- Roanoke has almost their entire pitching staff back and enough offense to compete
- We always trust Randolph-Macon to be good but they lost a huge chunk of their team to graduation so a lot more question marks this year
- Other teams like Hampden-Sydney, Bridgewater, and Washington & Lee should compete for spots in the conference tourney
- SAA (at 44:45)
- Birmingham-Southern is one of the best programs left in D-III without a title; could this be the year?
- Rhodes should always be taken seriously
- Berry was so good in 2021 but have a lot to replace this season
- USA South (at 54:15)
- NC Wesleyan ascended in a big way in 2021 and look primed for another huge season
- LaGrange is still trying to get over the regional hump and certainly has the talent to finally do it in 2022
- This conference is enormous so there are a ton of other teams that could be in the mix
- UAA (at 1:03:55)
- Emory has been trying to get back to contender status for a while now; maybe this is the year1
We conclude (at 1:06:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 84 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We are extremely excited to be back for another season and the games are just around the corner. We begin with some general info about how this year will be back to relatively normal, the 60-team postseason field, the return of super regionals, the restructured regions (mostly just NE and Mid-Atlantic) and a few other minor notes (at 2:30). Then we give our usual caveats about how we plan to preview each region before previewing the West. In order:
- ASC (at 5:16)
- The UT-Dallas Comets could have one of the best offenses in the country
- The East Texas Baptist Tigers are always near the top of this league; can they finally reach the postseason this year?
- The Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders might be ready to compete even sooner than we thought
- Other teams like Concordia (TX) should also be in the mix
-
SCAC (at 17:40)
- The Trinity (TX) Tigers should rake as always; how will their pitching staff shake out?
- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs have graduated a bunch but still have some All-Region talent that should keep them in contention
- The Centenary (LA) Gents are basically always good, and have one of the best two-way players in the region
- Look for Southwestern (TX) to also contend
- SCIAC (at 32:45)
- The Chapman Panthers had a semi-real season in 2021 and are always great but are losing some key contributors
- The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen have more starters returning than Chapman but less experience overall
- The La Verne Leopards broke out in a big way in 2019; can they contend again in 2022?
- Redlands also played but seem a tick below the top 3; none of the other teams played in 2021 so who knows what they'll be?
- NWC (at 41:20)
- The Pacific Boxers have a ton of talent returning and are looking to bounce back after a tough exit in last year's regionals
- The Pacific Lutheran Lutes have two All-American Candidates and some strong depth behind them
- The Willamette Bearcats HIT DINGERS SO MANY DINGERS but can they do the other things necessary to win baseball games? We think so!
We conclude (at 53:10) with some other notable players to watch, our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 83 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake is driving home from Cedar Rapids, but we wanted to check in before the championship series and give our thoughts about St. Thomas and Salisbury, as well as give a final farewell to the Bears after a remarkable season.
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Welcome to Episode 82 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake is actually in Cedar Rapids, so he gave us a general World Series vibe check before we break down all the action from Day 1 in reverse-chronological order:
- Cortland vs. Salisbury (at 4:40)
- Wheaton (MA) vs. Rowan (at 10:20)
- St. Thomas vs. Adrian (at 15:47)
- Johns Hopkins vs. WashU (at 22:30)
Then, we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 81 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We made it to the World Series. Wow. What a time to be alive. In this pod, we do a recap (at 3:00) of all the crazy regional action (in order: High Point, Marietta, Decatur, Auburn, Hartford, Whitewater, Collegeville, St. Paul) and give each regional a letter grade based on how entertaining it was. Then we preview our 8 World Series contenders:
- WashU Bears (at 26:10)
- Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (at 35:30)
- Adrian Bulldogs (at 42:35)
- St. Thomas Tommies (at 48:05)
- Rowan Profs (at 52:27)
- Wheaton (MA) Lyons (at 56:30)
- Salisbury Sea Gulls (at 1:00:28)
- Cortland Red Dragons (at 1:03:55)
- We make our official World Series picks (at 1:08:00)
Then, we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 80 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Regionals are here. This is a big one -- here's the agenda with timestamps so you can jump around and listen to the regional of your choice. Each regional is discussed in order of match-ups, so we talk about the teams in this order of seeding: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4. Enjoy!
- We begin with a discussion of the at-large selections and our frustration with the process and one of the selections (first 10 minutes)
- Hartford (at 10:00)
- Marietta (at 23:05)
- Auburn (at 35:00)
- St. Paul (at 50:15)
- Decatur (at 1:05:10)
- High Point (at 1:24:30)
- Whitewater (at 1:36:00)
- Collegeville (at 1:51:30)
- Our picks for who is gonna win each regional (at 2:04:00)
Then, we say goodbye.
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Welcome to Episode 79 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The bracket will be announced soon, so we hopped on to give our projected at-large bids. Here's the agenda:
- Explaining the 4-5 teams we believe to be locks (WashU, Eastern Connecticut, St. Thomas (MN), North Central (IL), Oswego State)
- A look at the bubble and the various ways it could shake out between Trinity (Texas), Gustavus Adolphus, Augustana, Shenandoah, NC Wesleyan, Berry and Babson.
- Note: sorry the audio got cut off at the end but the main takeaway is that Jake thinks Gustavus Adolphus will get the last spot and Jordan thinks Trinity (Texas) will get the last spot but it's really close, we'll see!!!!
Then, we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 78 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The third regional rankings were released on Wednesday afternoon so we wanted to hop on and talk about those before the last weekend of the regular season. Here's the agenda:
- an overview of what the postseason is going to look like AS FAR AS WE KNOW (because there is still somehow no championship manual)
- 48 teams, 42 AQs, it doesn't look like there will be any Mid-Atlantic or West teams hosting regionals so there could be some wacky movement in terms of where teams get shipped
- breaking down where the at-large bubble stands right now heading into the last weekend of conference tournaments and 23 auto-bids still up for grabs
- why we're 100% confident about WashU and the LEC loser, 60% confident about the MIAC & CCIW loser, and way less confident about basically everyone after that: Trinity (TX), NC Wesleyan, Berry, Babson, Cortland
- which conference tournament favorites we feel best about getting in if they don't win this weekend (Adrian, Rowan, Salisbury, UW-Whitewater, Webster, Oswego State, Shenandoah, Marietta)
- and a few other scattered thoughts!
- we're doing our best please don't be mad at us!!!!
Then, we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 77 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We have our first regional rankings of the 2021 season and my goodness, this is a gonna be a wacky postseason. We discuss what we learned, what we know, what we're still wondering, and then go region-by-region with our general thoughts on each ranking. Topics include (but are not limited to):
- Central
- Webster a bit lower than expected but the resumes explain a lot, nothing too shocking
- Mid-Atlantic
- Penn State-Abington is the big surprise but you can see how they ended up there
- Why there's no Centennial team
- No 2nd NJAC team is unusual but understandable
- Mideast
- No surprises here, some underperforming teams have brought the overall strength of this region down
- Midwest
- Whitewater is awesome, shouts out the Pointers for having 2 big leaguers on the Brewers; cool to see a new UMAC team
- New England
- This region is almost guaranteed to get one at-large bid, but could they get 2 with the LEC/NEWMAC?
- New York
- Oswego State has been excellent and look like the only team in solid at-large position if they don't win the SUNYAC
- St. John Fisher is great but needs to win the conference
- South
- How are we feeling about Berry's chances?
- West
- No SCIAC teams at all is no surprise because of their abbreviated schedule, but who else could actually get an at-large here?
Then, we say goodbye.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 76 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We run through the latest Top 25 poll, with topics including:
- WashU finally lost a game but it is also finally #1
- SCIAC finally starting play
- Marietta cracking the top 5 and why we believe in them but also want to see how they do against better OAC competition
- W&J being the last undefeated team (that has played a real number of games)
- Rowan looking like the premier NJAC team but will take on scorching hot William Paterson this weekend
- St. Thomas (MN)'s amazing pitching staff
- and more!
Then, we update the Bret Williams all-time HR chase and then have a brief discussion on what we are expecting to be the biggest challenges with projecting the at-large bids this postseason with a significantly smaller field.
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Welcome to Episode 75 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our first normal-ish podcast of the 2021 D-III season! We mainly discuss our thoughts on the latest Top 25 poll, touching at least briefly on nearly everyone in the rankings, as well as some of the schools who just missed the list. Topics include:
- Undefeated WashU and their #1 case compared to Trinity (TX)
- How we think about Chapman/Cal Lutheran compared to all the other teams that have played way more
- The breakouts of N.C. Wesleyan and Berry
- Undefeated W&J taking care of business in the PAC
- How the NJAC has shaken out thus far
- Some surprise teams in the West region (Centenary (LA), Louisiana College)
- What the hell to do with Johns Hopkins
- and more!
Finally, we take a scroll thru some of the statistical leaders in the D-III season thus far, including a Bret Williams HR chase update and the best part about Caleb Durbin's season so far.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 74 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our eighth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the New York region and its four conferences. Before we begin, we do a brief check-in (at 1:30) on our respective alma maters and discuss why WashU's pitching staff is always so incredible and Wooster's 3-1 start to open the season. Also (at 11:30) another note about Bret Williams' chase for the all-time D-III HR record. Then, it's NY time:
-
SUNYAC (at 14:30)
- Cortland is Cortland, so obviously they're gonna win a lot of games and have some exciting #Year5 guys returning
- Oswego State is still the Lakers, so we made more Lakers jokes but they have some key guys back as well
- and as always, watch out for Brockport!
-
Liberty (at 23:35)
-
Rochester impressed us a lot at the regional in 2019, and now look like the clear favorite in this conference with two strong starters
- Ithaca joined from the Empire 8 and are traditionally strong but there aren't many familiar faces on the roster so tough to know what to expect
- Other teams like Union, Clarkson, RIT are usually relevant in this conference race
-
Empire 8 (or uh, the Empire 5? 6?) (at 34:00)
-
St. John Fisher looks loaded, is already off to a hot start, and now they're in a barren wasteland of a conference...should be interesting!
- Skyline (at 37:40)
- Farmingdale State is always a rock solid bet to lead the Skyline pack but we've seen teams like like Manhattanville, St. Joseph's (Long Island) and Old Westbury in the mix
- CUNYAC doesn't appear to be playing but maybe we're wrong? No auto-bid, though.
- UAA (at 43:40)
- NYU doesn't seem likely to be playing this spring but let us know if that's not true!
We concluded (at 45:30) with our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 73 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our seventh of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Midwest region and its four conferences. But first (at 1:30), we wanted to bounce around the nation and react to the relative full slate of D-III action from the weekend. Topics include:
- Bret Williams IS BACK and is already off to great start for PSU-Harrisburg
- Franklin & Marshall & Kalamazoo makin' us look real dumb for hyping up Johns Hopkins & Adrian (but also let's relax a little bit)
- Checking in on the West region, updating the SCIAC status
- Teams that are looking extremely good so far: Southern Maine, Marietta, NC Wesleyan, Centenary (LA), and of course, the 20-4 (!!!) Berry Vikings
- Salisbury looked great when we saw them live, hopefully their star Justin Meekins won't be out too long
- A quick correct on a New England College/Eastern Nazarene note from the last pod
- Mo Hanley pitched in front of A LOT of scouts
Then, we preview the Midwest, one chilly conference at a time:
- MIAC (at 20:15)
- Saint John's (Minn.) is off to a strong start, including one surprising name on a crazy home run tear
- St. Thomas has one more season in D-III (we think???) and have a great 1-2 punch atop their rotation that could help them go out in style
- Gustavus Adolphus has been trending up and will certainly be in the mix
- St. Olaf (at 13:15) got a first place vote too!
- NACC (at 30:25)
- Aurora has become a consistent regional contender and now look like the clear favorite in this conference
- Concordia-Chicago seems be having some pitching struggles in the early going, but should still be able to score enough runs to stay competitive
- Benedictine is also solid and will likely compete
- UMAC (at 36:00)
- Bethany Lutheran has suddenly become the consensus favorite
- St. Scholastica is leaving the conference after this year; can they capture one more UMAC crown?
- WIAC (at 39:15)
- Wisconsin-Whitewater is loaded as normal, with an inexplicable transfer hitter and an excellent pitching staff as usual
- Wisconsin-La Crosse is very young but could be building back up to be a regional threat again soon
- Other WIAC contenders like Stevens Point and Oshkosh are a tier below but have some intriguing talent
We concluded (at 47:30) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 72 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our sixth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the New England region and its seven conferences. Topics include:
- CCC (at 1:40)
- Salve Regina (at 2:00) is the class of this conference and boasts two of the best strikeout pitchers in the region atop their rotation
- Teams (at 4:50) like Endicott, Roger Williams, Western New England, and Nichols will need to have a lot go right to compete with the Seahawks
- GNAC (at 7:10)
- The last 12 titles have gone to either St. Joseph's (Maine) or Suffolk...maybe this is the year a team like Johnson & Wales could break the streak?
- LEC (at 10:20)
- Southern Maine might be returning the most loaded #Year5 squad in the entire country and make have opened up an unusually large gap on their conference competition
- UMass-Boston has been a perennial regional team but with a late start and a lot of new faces in the lineup, there's more questions than normal entering their season. We still love the Beacons, though.
- Rhode Island has emerged as a strong sleeper but lost some key pieces from their pitching staff
- UMass-Dartmouth, Eastern Connecticut, and Castleton will probably hang around this conversation as well
- MASCAC (at 19:15)
- Westfield State will probably continue to run the show but their legendary 1-2 punch is gone so maybe there's room for a team like Fitchburg State, Worcester State, or Salem State to contend
- NECC (at 21:28)
- Mitchell has been putting up big win totals vs. bad competition in recent years but now are starting to look more like a legitimately fearsome regional contender
- New England College had one hell of a run in the 2019 postseason but now their coach and some of their best players departed for conference rival Eastern Nazarene, ooooo spicy spicy!!!
- NESCAC (at 28:20)
- It seems that only four teams will be participating in this conference in this pandemic season, with Tufts and Trinity (CT) likely the ones fighting for the title
- NEWMAC (at 34:30)
- Babson is losing some key contributors and won't have the traditionally insane SOS to boost their resume. Beavers are always good, though.
- Wheaton (Mass.) is now more than just a Really Good Fundamental Baseball Team -- they've got super high-end talent that makes them a legitimate World Series contender
- MIT isn't playing, which is a bummer
- UAA
- Brandeis (at 40:15) are gonna have a tough time scheduling with all the conference-only restrictions but their roster actually looks pretty solid!
We concluded (at 41:30) with our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 71 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our fifth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Mideast region and its five conferences. Before we begin, we quickly discuss the weekend that was in D3, the status of the SCIAC, and shoutout North Central (IL) for their no-no. Then we get down to business:
-
AMCC (at 7:00)
- La Roche has their longtime head coach back and plenty of talent as always, but will need some young pitching to step up if they want to dominate this conference as usual
-
HCAC (at 11:25)
-
Franklin has proved capable of competing against better teams and appear primed to win this conference again
- The HCAC is probably a bit underrated, with Anderson, Transylvania, Rose-Hulman, and Earlham all capable of having strong seasons
-
MIAA (at 17:00)
-
Adrian has almost all of their seniors back for #Year5 and two of the best pitchers in the entire country; is this the year they finally go on a super deep run?
- There is Hope...for the Dutchmen to make some noise in this conference as well
- NCAC (at 26:00)
- Wooster still has plenty of top-tier talent but enters the season with far more inexperience than normal
- Denison has some key players back for #Year5 and a fearsome lineup, but will need some of the younger pitching to step up
- DePauw and Wittenberg could definitely make some noise as well
- OAC (at 40:30)
- Heidelberg has some of their 2019 World Series contributors back for #Year5, which should help them continue to contend
- Baldwin Wallace looks to have a pretty loaded lineup but a very young pitching staff
- Otterbein, John Carroll, Mount Union, Ohio Northern will surely all be in the mix as well
- Uh oh...is Marietta back?
- PAC (at 59:10)
- Washington & Jefferson shouldn't have any trouble in this conference -- we'll see if they can make another World Series run
- UAA (at 1:04:05)
- Case Western won't be able to play their usual insanely tough schedule but are still making the most of the difficult and unique situation
We concluded (at 1:08:00) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 70 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our fourth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Mid-Atlantic region and its eight conferences. First, we give some thoughts on the past weekend in D-III, WashU opening their season 3-0, and the new Top 25 poll. Then, we put on our swim trunks and head into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...or something like that.
-
AEC (at 7:30)
- Cabrini seemed like the team to beat but now it appears Marymount is the team that can make some real noise. Most importantly, we think they have an AQ.
- Centennial (at 9:50)
- Conference-only is understandable...but conference-only with only 14 games??? Uh........this could get weird
- Johns Hopkins won the D-III offseason with several high-profile transfers and some big-time returners. On paper, they should dominate.
- We are extremely bummed that Swarthmore will not be competing
- Other teams such as Franklin & Marshall and Washington (MD) will need a lot of things to go right to contend for the conference title
- Landmark (at 21:40)
- Susquehanna showed well in the 2019 postseason last year, and will look to defend its Landmark title but Catholic will likely be in the conversation as well
-
MAC Freedom (at 25:40)
-
Misericordia is going for its 10th straight conference title and is always an extremely good D-III baseball team
- Our thoughts are with DeSales after a recent tragedy within their program
- MAC Commonwealth (at 30:30)
- Alvernia has been the gold standard in this conference in recent years but Hood may finally be ready to challenge them
-
NEAC (at 33:00)
-
We are still salty about how this conference ended Toby Welk's career but now all we care about is whether Bret Williams is back and how many homers he's gonna hit for PSU-Harrisburg
-
NJAC (at 36:55) -- once again, before talking about the teams, we bask in the glory of this reality show conference
-
TCNJ is always reliably Very Good but do not have nearly as much talent returning as some of their biggest conference foes
- Kean, on the other hand, does have some big 5th year guys coming back and look like they might be the best team heading into the season
- Rowan essentially graduated a D-III All-Star team in 2019 so they don't quite have the same elite depth but still have some big time returners
- Ramapo is always good but they still haven't posted a roster so how are we supposed to talk about them? SMH.
- William Paterson has elevated into the top tier of NJAC competition but
-
CSAC (at 47:00)
-
Keystone is obviously gonna be good but will be harder to gauge this year with less non-conference competition on the schedule
We concluded (at 49:00) with a few other notable player shout outs , our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 69 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our third of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Central region and its four conferences, and of course, Jake's beloved WashU Bears. Before, we get into the Central, we discuss how the D3 landscape looks a few weeks in and shoutout (at 3:00) the incredible 14-inning game between Piedmont and Adrian. Topics include:
- CCIW (at 10:00)
- North Central might have the best battery in the country in Rob Marinec/Charlie Klemm
- Illinois Wesleyan has an ace in Quinn Gudaitis and could challenge for this conference if a few things break right
- We'll see if anyone else like Wheaton (Ill.) or Augustana can make some noise
- SLIAC (at 17:00)
- Webster was already loaded and brought back almost all of their seniors; the Gorloks are legit contenders
- Spalding has a lot of talent but will have to prove it against the best competition
- ARC (at 29:50)
- Coe has clearly established themselves as the team to beat but will have to replace some high-end talent
- Buena Vista will need some younger players to step up if they want to defend their title
- Wartburg used to run this conference but have been trending down -- but perhaps they are back?
-
MWC (at 39:14)
- This conference is fairly wide open so we touched on all the possible favorites: Chicago, Monmouth, Cornell, Ripon
- UAA
- WashU (at 45:00) doesn't have any seniors returning for #Year5 but they still have a ton of talent on the roster including potential regional Player of the Year Caleb Durbin
We concluded our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 68 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our second of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the South region and its four conferences. Topics include:
-
CAC -- oh just kidding it's the COAST 2 COAST NOW (at 4:00)
- Salisbury is loaded as usual but most importantly we just want another Justin Meekins roster photo
- Christopher Newport has a lot of dudes to replace but we're still pretty sure they'll hit a bunch of dingers
- ODAC (at 12:50)
- Randolph-Macon has most of their seniors back and you probably already know we think they are really good
- Shenandoah is gonna mash as usual but the pitching is questionable
- Other contenders like Virginia Wesleyan, Lynchburg, and Hampden-Sydney are a notch below
-
USA South (at 20:00)
-
LaGrange will try to prove that they are the best Panthers in the region
- Methodist has some big time senior hitters to replace but should still contend
- We still love Piedmont, Huntingdon should be good...but oh baby, watch out for Pfeiffer
- SAA (at 28:30)
- Birmingham-Southern has all their best pitchers returning as well as some All-Region-caliber hitters
- Hendrix is super duper young but still has some intriguing guys
- Berry usually gets off to hot starts but there is more reason to believe in them this year
- Only Built 4 Rhodes Lynx...Pt. 4: Paul Giacomazzi Goes for Gold Glove #3 (and also this team should be legit)
- UAA (at 37:00)
- Emory (and all the UAA teams) are hopefully going to be able to find enough games nearby to play since their conference is not feasible during a pandemic
We concluded (at 41:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 67 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The coronavirus pandemic cancelled the 2020 championship season and will make the 2021 season the craziest and most unpredictable D-III season we've ever seen (and hopefully will ever seen). We begin with some broad caveats about how we will be covering this season and why it will be as challenging as ever. Then we preview the West.
- ASC (at 11:00)
- Concordia (Texas) brings back all of their main dudes and even added an arm from a regional rival -- they could be one of the best teams in the country
-
SCAC (at 16:30)
- Trinity (Texas) is primed to be excellent again, hopefully lead by #SeniorYearRafe #5thYearRafe
- Texas Lutheran has more than enough coming back to compete with the Tigers
- Southwestern lost two of their biggest arms but may have the bats to stay around at the top of the conference
- SCIAC (at 25:00)
- The conference that might be one of the least likely to play based on state restrictions/regulations...is looking now like they may be able to play some baseball this spring, so we'll see
- if they play, Chapman is obviously still the favorite -- defending champs!
- NWC (at 30:20)
- We never know what to make of this conference but are encouraged that they've got schedules for this spring and we could see it being a wide-open race
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 66 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The coronavirus pandemic has officially ended the 2020 championship season, but the show must go on. This week's episode features two special guests:
- Justin Meekins, senior OF at Salisbury on:
- finding out the season was cancelled during the 7th inning of a game
- hitting a dinger in his final game and pimping it
- whether he will try to come back for a 5th year
- playing for head coach Troy Brohawn, former big leaguer, who apparently dominated Barry Bonds?!?!?!
- favorite moments from his D3 career (two epic regional pitching performances)
- of course, the monocle, and everything that came with it: the inspiration for the hair and mustache, where he got the monocle, taking the photo with the women's tennis team, pissing off the photographer, being on ESPN.com, becoming accidentally famous on campus, and so much more
- Ben Owen, junior C at Wesleyan (at 34:25) on:
- rescheduling the spring trip last minute once stuff started getting crazy
- being on a plane when finding out their biggest rival's season was cancelled
- being in denial about the season actually
- having a teammate that might be coming back for a SIXTH YEAR
- and more!
Thanks to Justin and Ben for joining us and sharing their D-III stories.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 65 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The coronavirus pandemic has cut the 2020 championship season short. We delve all the madness of how we got to this point, what we'll miss about this season, and more. Topics include:
- An obvious preamble about how you should all wash your hands and stay home, if possible, and how there are far more important things being affected than D-III baseball
- A general timeline of how this went from a few Spring Break trips being cancelled to the entire season being done in about a week
- The four D-III teams that never even got to play a game: Tufts, Wesleyan, Ripon, Western Connecticut
- Which storylines are we sad we won't be able to see with the season ending now?
- What does this mean for seniors and eligibility? How is it different for D-III players vs. D-I players? What kind of players could we expect to see back in 2021?
- Shout out to the D-III hoops players who had the tournament cancelled right before the Sweet 16
- Presenting the Small Sample 1st Team All-Americans (mostly West and South players, and we obviously left out a ton)
- Who are our hypothetical World Series picks?
- We are joined by our friend and senior LHP at WashU, Jack Besser, to give us an active player's perspective of watching the season crumble in a matter of hours
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 64 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our first podcast of the regular season and features mostly discussion of the latest Top 25 poll, plus a couple other individual shout outs.
- Top 25 chat (at 3:25), including but not limited to:
- Quick hits on all 25 teams (sorry for no timestamps -- we go in order from 1-25) in the latest poll
- Whoa, Jake's WashU Bears are no. 1, that's cool!
- How to judge teams against each other when some teams have played 10+ games (SCIAC teams) and some have played zero (Southern Maine)
- The super hot fire Babson/Trinity (Texas) series
- Slow start for some Mideast powerhouse teams
- The teams outside the Top 25 that we like the most (at 32:50) AKA show Concordia (Texas) some respect SHEESH (plus some NWC chat)
- A discussion (at 39:45) of how 2020 Golden Spikes Award watch list finalist Luke Summers (RHP, Fontbonne) could win the Golden Spikes Award over all the obvious D-I contenders. What does he need to do? How many perfect games does he need to throw? Does he need to go viral? Does it even matter how many games Fontbonne wins? What other D-III players could win the Golden Spikes in this absurd scenario?
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 63 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our eighth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Mideast region and its four conferences. Topics include:
-
AMCC
- La Roche (at 2:00) returns their entire pitching staff as they try to win a 7th consecutive conference title
-
HCAC
-
Franklin (at 5:15) proved capable of competing with the big boys in the regional last year, but have a ton of arms to replace
- The HCAC always has a competitive middle of the pack, including (at 9:15) Rose-Hulman, Anderson, Transylvania, and Earlham
-
MIAA
-
Adrian (at 10:45) is super mega-loaded, perhaps as much as ever, but will still need to prove it come regional season
- Hope (at 15:15) had a gaudy win total last year thanks to a poor SOS, but there's real talent present
- NCAC
- Wooster (at 19:55) will continue to be known for their elite offense featuring two All-Americans, but their success will depend on the development of their young pitchers
- Denison (at 25:05) returns almost every starter in an excellent lineup, but will need to replace some key arms
- OAC
- Heidelberg (at 29:15) returns a healthy portion of their World Series team from a year ago
- Baldwin Wallace (at 34:15) gets a potential All-American back in their lineup, but the offense may need more than that to score enough to compete
- Obviously this conference could go in any direction, as teams like (at 38:15) Otterbein, John Carroll, Ohio Northern, Mount Union, and even Marietta are capable of reaching the conference tourney and making some noise
- PAC
- Washington & Jefferson (at 43:35) is fresh off their second World Series appearance in three years -- probably time to stop doubting them
- UAA
- Case Western (at 45:00) is playing another crazy schedule, so don't be surprised if they get in again at-large with 22 wins!
We concluded (at 50:30) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 62 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our seventh of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the New York region and its four conferences. Topics include:
- SUNYAC
- Cortland (at 1:15) is Cortland, so obviously they're gonna win a lot of games and play a ludicrous schedule
- Oswego State (at 6:05) is still the Lakers, so we made more Lakers jokes (but also they are legit and we should stop sleeping on them)
- Liberty
- Rochester (at 9:35) impressed us a lot at the regional last year, and now look like the favorite to repeat
- Ithaca (at 14:30) is joining this conference from the Empire 8 but have a ton to replace after a huge graduating class
- Other teams (at 17:25) like Union, Clarkson, RIT are usually relevant in this conference race
- Empire 8 (or uh, the Empire 4?)
- St. John Fisher (at 20:00) might have the most all-region talent returning of any team in the country, but now they're in a barren wasteland of a conference...should be interesting!
- Skyline
- Farmingdale State (at 23:00) is always a rock solid bet to lead the Skyline pack
- Other teams (at 27:00) like Manhattanville, St. Joseph's (Long Island) and Old Westbury could be in the mix
- CUNYAC (at 29:40) doesn't have its own auto-bid but maybe they'll win the weird split one with the NAC again!
- UAA
- NYU (at 30:40) is finally playing a more respectable schedule, but will it be enough to put them in the Pool B conversation?
We concluded (at 33:20) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 61 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our sixth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Midwest region and its four conferences. Topics include:
- MIAC
- Saint John's (Minn.) (at 2:15) has some elite talent at the top of their roster but have a lot of pitching to replace
- St. Thomas (at 7:30) is trying to get back to prominence before being unceremoniously booted from the conference
- Gustavus Adolphus (at 10:15) will certainly be in the mix
- St. Olaf (at 13:15) got a first place vote too!
- NACC
- Concordia-Chicago (at 14:40) might have the best pitching staff in the region
- Aurora (at 19:45) has come on very strong lately
- Benedictine (at 22:30) has a sneaky strong SOS and will compete
- UMAC
- Bethany Lutheran (at 24:55) made the tournament with a team ERA over 7.00...now what? More dingers, hopefully.
- St. Scholastica (at 27:25) will look to regain control of a conference that used to be entirely theirs
- WIAC
- Wisconsin-Whitewater (at 29:25) has reloaded as per usual, with a couple truly elite bats returning
- Wisconsin-La Crosse (at 36:20) boasts two of the best arms in the region
- Other WIAC contenders (at 39:00) like Platteville, Stevens Point, and Oshkosh may struggle to keep up
We concluded (at 43:35) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 60 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our fifth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the New England region and its seven conferences. Topics include:
- CCC
- Salve Regina (at 2:00) is the class of this conference and boasts two of the best strikeout pitchers in the region atop their rotation
- Teams (at 4:50) like Endicott, Roger Williams, Western New England, and Nichols will need to have a lot go right to compete with the Seahawks
- GNAC (at 5:50)
- The last 12 titles have gone to either St. Joseph's (Maine) or Suffolk...maybe this is the year a team like Johnson & Wales could break the streak?
- LEC
- Southern Maine (at 9:15) lost a ton of All-Region talent and still is star-studded as ever; such is life as the Huskies
- UMass-Boston (at 15:00) has a whole lot of offense to replace but a deep pitching staff could still take them far
- Rhode Island (at 20:05) has emerged as a legit sleeper in this powerhouse conference
- UMass-Dartmouth (at 22:30) has some studs and Eastern Connecticut will certainly hang around
- MASCAC
- Westfield State (at 23:10) will probably continue to run the show but there is some room for a team like Fitchburg State, Worcester State, or Salem State to contend
- NECC
- Mitchell (at 25:25) returns most of their best players and are primed to regain control of this conference
- New England College (at 28:25) will need to replace a huge chunk of the squad that went on the amazing run to the super regional in 2019
- NESCAC
- Tufts (at 32:30) has enough to defend their title, but a weak schedule means they'll have to win it again to get in
- Trinity (Conn.) (at 34:05) made us believers last year and might have one of the best players in the country
- Middlebury (at 37:30) and Williams should be solid
- NEWMAC
- Babson (at 39:10) is losing some key contributors but should remain an excellent team playing an impressively insane schedule
- Wheaton (Mass.) (at 42:45) continues to be a Damn Good Baseball Team™ and has some exciting young talent on both sides of the ball
- MIT (at 47:10) cannot be slept on as the defending champs, and they have similarly elite talent to matchup with their NEWMAC rivals
We concluded (at 50:30) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 59 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our fourth of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Mid-Atlantic region and its eight conferences. Topics include:
- AEC
- Cabrini (at 2:20) is still a very young program but has put themselves at the top of this fresh new conference
- Centennial
- Johns Hopkins (at 4:40) will have to replace their top four pitchers but might also keep hitting enough home runs for it not to matter
- Swarthmore (at 9:30) still has several key pieces in place from its 2018 World Series run, and may be the favorite again
- Other teams (at 14:30) such as Franklin & Marshall, Haverford, Washington (MD), and Ursinus will all need a lot of things to go right to contend for the conference title
- Landmark
- Susquehanna (at 17:10) showed well in the postseason last year, and will look to defend its Landmark title
- Catholic (at 19:20) should be right up there as always
- MAC Freedom
- Misericordia (at 21:30) is going for its 10th straight conference title, and we should all respect how good they are a lot more
- MAC Commonwealth
- Alvernia (at 25:40) has an exciting arm returning but will need to replace some big-time hitters
- Hood (at 27:30) might not have the track record, but is right up there in this conference in terms of talent
- NEAC
- Penn State-Harrisburg (at 29:30) found a new home and is about to put up some absolutely obscene numbers
- Other contenders (at 32:15) will be Keuka, Penn State-Abington, and Penn State-Berks (despite graduating Toby Welk #WelkWatch)
- NJAC (at 33:20) -- before we get into the teams, we explain why the reality show-level drama in this conference makes us love it so much
- Kean (at 35:30) was already returning a lot of talent but has brought in some elite reinforcements as well
- TCNJ (at 39:05) is always reliably Very Good, and could totally win this conference again after its 2019 title
- Rowan (at 41:30) essentially graduated a D-III All-Star team but it's not like they don't have more good baseball players
- Ramapo (at 45:10) lost some key players to NJAC rivals but you can never count out the Roadrunners
- William Paterson (at 48:40) is a sneaky selection to crash the NJAC party with a lot of exciting offensive talent
- CSAC
- Keystone (at 51:30) is always fascinating to watch, and might be an intriguing new addition to the Pool B race
We concluded (at 53:45) with a few other notable player shout outs , our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 58 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our third of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Central region and its four conferences, plus, of course, DA BEARS. Topics include:
- CCIW
- North Central (at 3:05) boasts one of the best catchers in the country, and a more experienced pitching staff than usual
- Illinois Wesleyan (at 7:40) might have an elite 1-2 punch with Nick Figus and Quinn Gudaitis, with more depth beyond them than usual
- Other contenders (at 11:55) like Augustana and Millikin usually compete
- SLIAC
- Webster (at 15:15) is crazy loaded and primed for another World Series run
- Spalding (at 23:15) has made us believers that they are a certified Good™ program
- Other contenders (at 27:10) like Greenville and Fontbonne could stay in the mix
- ARC
- Coe's (at 28:15) postseason run last year was impressive but now they won't be surprising anyone anymore -- these Kohawks are no joke
- Buena Vista (at 33:10) should still have a chance to defend their title
- Wartburg (at 35:45) used to run this conference but have been trending down
- MWC (at 36:40)
- This conference is fairly wide open so we touched on all the possible favorites: Chicago, Monmouth, Cornell, Ripon
- UAA
- WashU (at 41:00) graduated the National Pitcher of the Year and still might have the best pitching staff in the country -- is that good? That seems good.
We concluded (at 49:50) with a few other notable player shout outs , our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 57 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our second of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the South region and its four conferences. Topics include:
- CAC
- Salisbury (at 2:40) is looking mighty dangerous, like one-of-the-best-teams-in-America dangerous
- Christopher Newport (at 7:15) will have to replace a big chunk of what was a truly historic D-III offense
- ODAC
- Randolph-Macon (at 12:20) has been chillin' near the top of the ODAC for a while; we expect nothing different
- Shenandoah (at 17:05) is graduating some legit talent but should have enough to defend their conference title
- Roanoke (at 20:35) is always around, doing things, winning baseball games
- SURPRISE CALL FROM JOMBOY, INTERNET SENSATION (at 21:05) ???????????
- Other contenders (at 23:30) like Virginia Wesleyan, Lynchburg, and Hampden-Sydney are a notch below
- USA South
- LaGrange (at 26:05) is always really good and has most of their group back for another postseason push
- Methodist (at 31:15) will look to ride their superstar trio of senior hitters to a USA South title
- Piedmont (at 34:30) is our favorite baseball team but we're worried how they're gonna replace The Killer B's
- Other contenders (at 37:35)
- SAA
- Birmingham-Southern (at 38:05) made it to the national championship series last year but will need to replace some key contributors
- Hendrix (at 43:40) Warriors will definitely be better than the Golden State Warriors, at least in terms of winning percentage
- Berry (at 46:50) graduated some bats and lost a junior to the Draft, but still has some talented pieces in place
- Only Built 4 Rhodes (at 48:10) Lynx...Pt. 3: Paul Giacomazzi Goes for Gold Glove #3 (and also this team should be legit)
- UAA
- Emory (at 53:00) -- we can't not mention the Eagles because they will be relevant in the Pool B discussion
We concluded with a few other notable player shout outs (at 56:00), our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region (at 56:40), and our teams to beat (at 57:40). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 56 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The 2020 season has hilariously already begun, despite most D-III schools being in places where it is way too cold to play baseball right now. Thanks, Texas! This is our first of eight regional preview pods, and we are indeed beginning out West. After the usual caveats (0:00-5:45), we cover the four conferences in the West region. Topics include:
- ASC
- Concordia (Texas) (at 5:45) is loaded with an incredible 1-2 punch in the rotation and some experienced talent in the lineup
- East Texas Baptist (at 10:30) is never boring but will have to replace some big bats
- Other contenders (at 12:45) -- Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne...the Mary Hardin-Baylor Fightin' Stawskis???
- SCAC
- Trinity (Texas) (at 14:15) is primed to be excellent again, hopefully lead by #SeniorYearRafe
- Texas Lutheran (at 17:15) can always be trusted to contend, but will need some arms to step up
- Southwestern (at 19:40) has some really exciting talent...are these Pirates gonna be better than the Pittsburgh Pirates?
- Centenary (at 23:40) is usually pretty good too -- go Gents!
- SCIAC
- Chapman (at 25:25) graduated over 300 innings, but they just won the National Championship and may have the best pitcher in the country so they'll probably still be pretty damn good!
- La Verne (at 32:15) -- why the Leopards might be ready to be the next breakout SCIAC team
- Occidental (at 34:50) has an elite arm in Nolan McCarthy and a formidable lineup
- Other contenders (at 37:30) -- Cal Lutheran, Pomona-Pitzer, and Redlands maybe?
- NWC (at 38:50)
- This conference is probably underrated but also a mess so we talked about basically all the teams while also explaining why we think Whitman is the favorite
We concluded with a few other notable player shout outs (at 43:30), our teams to beat (at 44:20), and our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region (at 45:50). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 55 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The MLB season ended, which means we needed to revert to D-III baseball coverage as soon as possible, which means we are back with a very special podcast. This episode features an interview with Tim Jorgensen, who played at Wisconsin-Oshkosh from 1992-1995 and holds the all-time record for most home runs in a single-season with 39 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in 44 games in his senior year with the Titans. Tim was kind enough to join us and tell us about how he ended up at Oshkosh after getting heavily recruited by D-I schools, his legendary senior season, his adjustment to playing pro ball, being inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame alongside LITERALLY LOU BROCK, and more. It was a pleasure and we hope you enjoy our conversation.
Note: no idea when we will next do another D-III pod but you can expect we'll be back and better than ever in 2020 at the very least.
Welcome to Episode 54 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The season ended and then the Draft happened, so there is a lot to talk about. We also have a special guest on because how could we not get Toby Welk on the podcast after winning Player of the Year and then getting drafted? Here's the agenda:
- World Series review (at 0:30)
- The Chapman Panthers are your 2019 National Champions
- 4 in a row for the West region!
- Babson played three insane games
- Replay at the World Series was weird and messy and hilarious
- Draft review
- The silliness of Day 3 of the Draft and why we love it so much (at 8:30)
- Breaking down the 9 players selected
- Baldwin-Wallace RHP Danny Cody -- Astros, 17th round (at 13:00)
- Penn State-Berks 3B Toby Welk -- Orioles, 21st round (at 16:40)
- Randolph-Macon RHP Nick Roth -- Orioles, 26th round (at 18:52)
- East Texas Baptist C Casey Combs -- Marlins, 27th round (at 21:35)
- Chapman RHP Tyler Peck -- Cardinals, 28th round (at 24:28)
- Rowan OF Matt Woods -- Angels, 29th round (at 26:21)
- Rowan RHP Danny Serreino -- Reds, 32nd round (at 28:57)
- Berry RHP Dylan Beasley -- Nationals, 32nd round (at 32:45)
- Shenandoah LHP Robert Klinchock -- Tigers, 35th round (at 36:13)
- Why some players may or may have been selected (at 38:10)
- The players we were most surprised weren't drafted (at 40:18)
- Special guest/Player of the Year/Orioles 21st round pick Toby Welk joins the show (at 46:08)
- What he was doing when the Orioles drafted him
- How he went from being 5-foot-6 when he got his license to being Player of the Year and getting drafted
- Recounting all 6 of his strikeouts this season
- How he became obsessed with the art of hitting
- ...and more!
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Production note: Sorry for the mild echo and below-average audio quality -- we were in two different places. Blame Skype!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 53 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The World Series is chillin' in Cedar Rapids for the first time, and we are here to preview it. We cover the eight teams lucky enough to still be playing baseball in the order of the bracket, from top to bottom:
- Chapman (at 3:22)
- Can the Panthers and their spectacular pitching staff make it four-straight D-III titles for the West region?
- Washington & Jefferson (at 8:00)
- Are they this year's Cinderella or are they just a normal really good baseball team?
- Webster (at 11:34)
- The Gorloks have rode their pitching and defense to their 4th World Series appearance
- UMass-Boston (at 15:30)
- This team has been hot for over a month now, and will look to have a better showing than their relatively early exit in the 2017 World Series
- Babson (at 20:20)
- It's the first ever World Series appearance for the Beavers, but they also might be the best overall team in the field
- Johns Hopkins (at 24:18)
- How well will the Blue Jays Dinger Machine travel away from cozy Babb Field?
- Birmingham-Southern (at 32:40)
- The Panthers will be on the road for the first time since mid-April, but have a loaded squad ready to make a run
- Heidelberg (at 36:40)
- One of the deepest lineups heading to Cedar Rapids will try to stay hot in their 2nd World Series appearance in program history
- We predict the winners (at 40:39) in each pool and then who will win the 2019 World Series...as if we have any idea at all
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 52 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first podcast in the history of the universe to preview the super regional round of the D-III baseball tournament. We are here to make history, folks. All eight super regionals are discussed, in the following order:
- UMass-Boston Super Regional
- UMass-Boston (at 1:57)
- The Beacons rolled through their own regional; can they do the same in the supers to get to the World Series?
- New England College (at 5:02)
- The only 4-seed in the supers, the Pilgrims will look to stay hot against another LEC foe
- UMass-Boston (at 1:57)
- Babson Super Regional
- Babson (at 7:58)
- This Beavers team is really damn good at baseball and now they'll get to host with a trip to Cedar Rapids on the line
- Cortland (at 10:48)
- Will the Red Dragons' 27th consecutive postseason appearance ultimately feature a 15th appearance in the World Series?
- Babson (at 7:58)
- Chapman Super Regional
- Chapman (at 14:48)
- They had a bit of a scare in the regionals (huuuuuuuuuuuuuge shoutout to Whitman) but the Panthers will now try to ride their pitching staff to its first World Series appearance since 2011
- Concordia (Texas) (at 19:42)
- The two-headed behemoth atop this pitching rotation might be all the Tornados need to get to the World Series
- Chapman (at 14:48)
- Birmingham-Southern Super Regional
- Birmingham-Southern (at 23:18)
- As good as this program has been, they've yet to make a World Series appearance -- now they'll host at Striplin Field with an excellent opportunity to change that
- Coe (at 26:10)
- We try to imagine what this Kohawks team would be like in the hypothetical fantasy world where they beat WashU with a go-ahead home run in the 9th inning of the final game #ItWasAllADream #ButActuallyThisTeamIsReallyGood
- Birmingham-Southern (at 23:18)
- Concordia-Chicago Super Regional
- Concordia-Chicago (at 34:29)
- The Cardiac Cougars will try to make things a little less dramatic in the super regional round than they did in the regionals in their roller coaster ride against Baldwin Wallace
- Webster (at 38:05)
- The Gorloks are looking very strong after handling the Whitewater regional without too many speedbumps -- how far can their pitching and defense take them?
- Concordia-Chicago (at 34:29)
- Heidelberg Super Regional
- Heidelberg (at 42:20)
- The Student Princes swept what may have been the toughest regional and will now get to host their regional rival instead of heading back out on the road
- Wooster (at 45:20)
- The Fighting Scots battled back after dropping their first regional game and are now starting to fire on all cylinders at the right time
- Heidelberg (at 42:20)
- Johns Hopkins Super Regional
- Johns Hopkins (at 48:56)
- No team is as comfortable at home as this Blue Jays squad, who haven't been to the World Series since 2010
- Shenandoah (at 52:37)
- The Hornets have been super hot in the second half, winning the ODAC tourney and then winning four straight to win the Kean regional -- can the lineup keep up with the Hopkins Home Run Machine?
- Johns Hopkins (at 48:56)
- Misericordia Super Regional
- Misericordia (at 55:19)
- Fresh off a dynamite sweep of Christopher Newport in the regional round, the Cougars appear more than eager to return to the World Series for the second year in a row...
- Washington & Jefferson (at 58:08)
- ...but the Presidents are no strangers to the World Series either, and just swept what looked like one of the tougher regionals without much trouble. Don't sleep on these guys.
- Misericordia (at 55:19)
- OUR PICKS FOR ALL EIGHT SUPER REGIONALS which are sure to be extremely wrong because predicting this insane level of baseball is stupid and impossible but we did it anyway (at 1:01:00)
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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We loved the first day of the new regional format so much that we decided to record our thoughts on EVERY SINGLE GAME FROM DAY 1 (with some more lengthy thoughts on some games more than others) in order from the top of the bracket (Southern Maine) to the bottom (Christopher Newport). Our favorite performances, biggest surprises, biggest disappointments, and more. You can find the order we discussed the regionals in here:
https://www.d3baseball.com/playoffs/2019/2019-playoff-field
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 50 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the eighty of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Salisbury and Christopher Newport regionals. Topics include:
- Salisbury regional
-
- Rowan (at 1:43)
- The Profs have got some serious dudes in the lineup and on the mound -- now they have to play up to their elite talent
-
- Penn State-Abington (at 5:52)
- The NEAC champions will need their two-way star to carry them if they want to upset mighty Rowan
-
- Salisbury (at 9:00)
- The Seagulls are hosting as a 2-seed and will look to heat back up after a disappointing loss in the CAC tournament
-
- Washington & Jefferson (at 11:10)
- The Presidents fittingly dominated the Presidents' Athletic Conference and could make some noise in this loaded regional
-
- Christopher Newport regional (best-of-5)
-
- Christopher Newport (at 13:30)
- This team literally scored 500+ runs this year. How far can the best offense in modern D-III history go?
-
- Misericordia (at 19:22)
- The Cougars won't be afraid of anyone and will try to upset the Captains and get back to the World Series for the second year in a row
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 49 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the seventh of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Kean and Johns Hopkins regionals. Topics include:
- Kean regional
-
- Ithaca (at 1:10)
- The top-ranked New York region team, the Bombers have one of the deepest rosters in the tournament, including a pair of twins in the lineup
-
- Westfield State (at 7:19)
- The MASCAC champs boast one of the best 1-2 punches in D-III, but will it be enough?
-
- Kean (at 10:35)
- The Cougars are hosting as a 2-seed, and will try to perform better on their home field than they did during the NJAC tournament -- and might have their own Pat Venditte?!??!?!?!
-
- Shenandoah (at 14:55)
- The Hornets' offense has finally started to look like the elite unit we expected it to be
-
- johns Hopkins regional
-
- TCNJ (at 18:30)
- Winning the NJAC is no small feat -- now the Lions will look to make a deep run in the postseason
-
- Susquehanna (at 22:19)
- The Landmark champs won't blow you away but could still be a frisky 4-seed on the right day
-
- Johns Hopkins (at 25:38)
- SO MANY DINGERS! The Blue Jays and their ruthless long ball machine of an offense will try to defend their beautiful home turf as the 2-seed
-
- Farmingdale State (at 30:40)
- The Rams won the Skyline Conference and posted some pretty crazy numbers all year long -- how will it translate against better competition?
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 47 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fifth of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the UW-Whitewater and Concordia-Chicago regionals. Topics include:
- UW-Whitewater regional
-
- Webster (at 1:01)
- The Gorloks won't be hosting unlike the last few years, but a strong defense and excellent pitching staff earned them the 1-seed
-
- Bethany Lutheran (at 6:20)
- This squad has the highest team ERA of any team in the postseason -- luckily, they absolutely mash too
-
- UW-Whitewater (at 9:57)
- Another supremely talented Warhawks team will look to have a better regional showing than the disappointing performance in 2018
-
- North Central (Ill.) (at 15:11)
- The CCIW champs are one of the more experienced 3-seeds in the whole tournament
-
- Concordia-Chicago regional
-
- Concordia-Chicago (at 18:10)
- The Cougars have stars up and down the lineup, but one of them might just the National Player of the Year
-
- Buena Vista (at 23:10)
- Fresh off an ARC title, the Beavers will look to upset the powerhouse hosts CUC
-
- Baldwin Wallace (at 26:00)
- Possibly the last team in at-large, the Yellow Jackets and their strong pitching staff will be heading out of region to try and make a postseason run
-
- St. John's (at 29:20)
- The Johnnies took care of business in the MIAC this year and bring a balanced attack to the CUC regional
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 48 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the sixth of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Wooster and Adrian regionals. Topics include:
- Wooster regional
-
- Wooster (at 0:50)
- The Fighting Scots are looking to send head coach Tim Pettorini out with another strong postseason run
-
- Rochester (at 5:10)
- The Liberty League champs have tested themselves this season with some strong out-of-conference competition; now they'll go out of region and try to surprise their Mideast opponents
-
- Case Western (at 7:47)
- The Spartans will hardly be afraid of the 1-seed Wooster, and are sure to compete well despite a historically-low win total in the regular season
-
- Otterbein (at 11:30)
- The OAC champs got hot at the right time and will try to carry that momentum into the regional
-
- Adrian regional
-
- Denison (at 14:37)
- The Big Red won their first-ever NCAC title but are far from a Cinderella story -- these guys are really good
-
- La Roche (at 17:30)
- Pretty clearly the best 4-seed in the tournament, the Redhawks are no stranger to performing on the postseason stage
-
- Heidelberg (at 21:00)
- The Student Princes are back in the postseason and boast one of the deeper lineups in the country
-
- Adrian (at 23:39)
- The lowest-seeded host in the tournament, the Bulldogs are still one of the most talented teams in the region
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 46 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fourth of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the WashU and Birmingham-Southern regionals. Topics include:
- WashU regional
-
- WashU (at 2:25)
- The Bears have the best pitching staff in the country -- that seems like that could be helpful
-
- Cornell (at 9:00)
- An incredible run in the MWC tournament has the Rams in the postseason for the first time ever
-
- Coe (at 12:51)
- The record is impressive, but just how good are the Kohawks really?
-
- Aurora (at 16:31)
- This team won't be afraid of anyone after another remarkable run in the NACC tourney -- and they've got one heck of a 1-2 punch in the lineup
-
- Birmingham-Southern regional (best-of-5)
-
- Birmingham-Southern (at 21:00)
- We knew this team would rebound after a seriously disappointing 2018 -- but we didn't think they'd be this good, damn
-
- LaGrange (at 24:43)
- These Panthers will try to beat the other Panthers, which they did to start the season!
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 45 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the third of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Chapman and Texas Lutheran regionals. Topics include:
- Chapman regional (best-of-5)
-
- Chapman (at 0:50)
- The offense is mildly underwhelming -- fortunately, the pitching staff is ridiculously amazing
-
- Whitman (at 5:31)
- The Blues won the NWC for the first time in decades -- now they'll take on one of the best teams in the country
-
- Texas Lutheran regional
-
- Trinity (Texas) (at 9:00)
- The Tigers are back in the postseason where they belong -- now it's time to perform like the elite team they are
-
- Franklin (at 11:57)
- Flying down to Texas is a tough assignment for the Grizzlies, but they might just have the offense to compete with anyone
-
- Texas Lutheran (at 14:21)
- The 2018 national runner-ups will be hosting, and will surely be eager to perform well -- especially with their conference rival Trinity coming to town
-
- Concordia (Texas) (at 17:22)
- The Tornados have two aces and a stellar offense, and just might have the recipe to win this regional as a three-seed
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 44 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the second of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Trinity (CT) and Cortland regionals. Topics include:
- Trinity (CT) regional
-
- Babson (at 0:44)
- The Beavers are a damn good baseball team and you've got to be on your super-duper A-game to beat them
-
- Keystone (at 4:45)
- This is not your father's four-seed...the Giants have some DUDES
-
- Trinity (CT) (at 9:00)
- Despite missing the NESCAC conference tournament, their remarkable resume earned them a two-seed and the right to host -- but how did they beat all those good teams?
-
- Salve Regina (at 11:50)
- Few teams have three excellent starters like the Seahawks do, not to mention a legit All-American candidate in the outfield
-
- Cortland regional
-
- Cortland (at 15:15)
- It's the 27th-straight (!!!!!!!!!!) regional appearance for the Red Dragons. Need we say more?
-
- Alvernia (at 20:35)
- They've got an All-American candidate, but will need the pitching to step up
-
- Penn State-Harrisburg (at 23:20)
- Dingers, y'all. These guys are fun.
-
- Tufts (at 27:43)
- The NESCAC champs boast impressive numbers against weaker competition -- now they'll test themselves against some stronger teams
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 43 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of eight regional preview podcasts in which we break down two regionals paired up for a super regional. This episode focuses on the Southern Maine and UMass-Boston regionals. Topics include:
- Southern Maine regional
-
- Southern Maine (at 2:29)
- What makes the Huskies one of the top teams in the entire country
-
- New England College (at 5:45)
- This squad has a lot more raw talent than the average 4-seed and will now get to test themselves against the best
-
- Oswego State (at 8:15)
- The Lakers are looking to make it back to the World Series for the third straight year and we should probably stop doubting them
-
- MIT (at 10:45)
- don't be fooled by the relatively low winning percentage -- this team is really good and won't be afraid of anyone
-
- UMass-Boston regional
-
- UMass-Boston (at 14:00)
- Fresh off a third-straight LEC title, the Beacons are getting very hot at the right time
-
- Baruch (at 18:00)
- How will the first-ever CUNYAC tournament team fare in the regional?
-
- Wheaton (Mass.) (at 21:30)
- It's been an up and down year for the Lyons but the talent is still there to make a deep run
-
- Saint Joseph's (Maine) (at 25:35)
- The Monks might just go and run themselves into a super regional
-
- Our picks to win the two regionals
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 42 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We made it, folks. Monumental Monday is upon us. May Madness is here. We present our projections for the 18 at-large bids to the 2019 D-III baseball tournament and explain our methodology behind our picks. We will post our final projected field on Twitter on Sunday evening. This episode includes:
- Explaining how the committee picks at-large teams and why we choose to follow that methodology
- Our two Pool B picks and why they were pretty easy
- The no-brainer Pool C picks (about 8-10 teams)
- Projecting a few shifts in the final regional rankings
- Where the bubble sits and why this is the most difficult field we've ever tried to project
- The final two teams -- one in, one out, and why this is all such a mess
...then we wish everyone good luck and say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Hey everyone,
For some reason the last podcast got cut off at the end just before we were able to run through a list of teams we saw as just below the bubble. Here's the last 8 minutes of that pod.
The conversation begins just after when we talk about Spalding and where they fit in.
Teams mentioned: Hendrix, UW LAX, La Verne, Occidental, Piedmont, St. John Fisher, Concordia Texas (but they've since won an auto bid), Ramapo, Mitchell, NYU.
SORRY ABOUT THIS FOLKS
NOTE: Sorry the episode cuts off in the middle. Had some technical difficulties recording in separate places. We will have a full bubble podcast on Sunday before Selection Monday!
Welcome to Episode 41 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. As we record on the afternoon of the final Thursday of the regular season, 12 automatic bids have been claimed and a ton of conference tournaments are under way. We review the teams that have already punched their tickets to the postseason and then take an in-depth look at where the at-large race stands as we head into the final weekend, breaking down which teams we believe are the safest bets to grab Pool C bids, which teams are right on the edge, and which teams need A LOT to go right to find their way into the tournament. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 40 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. With the second edition of the regional rankings released, we take our first in-depth look at the potential 2019 postseason picture. First, we discuss the important terms to know when discussing postseason resumes of each team, as well as the new format which features SUPER-REGIONALS OMG THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN. Then, we go region-by-region and speculate which teams are in the best position to get at-large bids should they not win their conference tournaments. We go alphabetically, hitting a variety of topics in each region, including:
- Central (at 9:05)
- WashU is basically a lock
- How do we judge Coe?
- Webster vs. Spalding
- Mid-Atlantic (at 13:24)
- NJAC looking like a three-bid conference again
- Johns Hopkins looks pretty safe
- Penn State-Harrisburg is a fun but weird bubble team
- Mideast (at 21:00)
- Why this region is the most challenging to figure out and will likely come down who performs in their conference tournament
- Midwest (at 28:57)
- Concordia-Chicago is a lock
- Whitewater and La Crosse fighting for the second Pool B bid -- Warhawks still have the edge
- New England (at 32:45)
- This is the most loaded region and that is why there are a billion teams ranked
- Trinity (CT) vs. Babson is a fun comparison
- We have no idea why Babson dropped from #1 to #4 but the Beavers should still be fine
- Which teams in the middle of the rankings have a best chance at-large? Will the CCC be a two-bid league?
- New York (at 38:40)
- It ain't pretty, but Cortland should still be pretty comfortably in at-large (if necessary)
- Ithaca is good but low SOS will make at-large tough
- South (at 41:12)
- CNU is a juggernaut but has a weird resume
- Does Rhodes have a shot?
- Disappointing conference tournament showings from Hendrix and Piedmont will make it difficult for them at-large
- West (at 45:30)
- Chapman and Trinity (Texas) looking goooooooooood
- SCIAC tournament will make things very interesting
- Texas Lutheran might be in trouble if they need an at-large bid
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 39 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's almost May, which means IT IS ABOUT TO GET REAL. Here's what this episode includes:
- Top 25 rundown (at 3:20)
- Giving our brief thoughts on every team in the latest Top 25 and how the rankings have shifted over the last few weeks. Including:
- A lacrosse team ended Concordia-Chicago's win streak, yikes
- Jordan saw Rowan and TCNJ in person and they are both very good
- The good and the bad of the Denison Big Red
- Is 28-2 Coe for real?
- Whitewater should be higher, come on people
- So many Panthers (Chapman, LaGrange, Birmingham-Southern)
- Swathmore drops out, big week coming up against Johns Hopkins
- ...and more!
- Giving our brief thoughts on every team in the latest Top 25 and how the rankings have shifted over the last few weeks. Including:
- Predicting the top teams (at 16:44) in each region for the first regional rankings (to be released here on Wednesday afternoon). Topics include:
- Who will be #2 in the Central?
- Trying to clear up the top of the loaded South and New England regions
- The relatively disappointing Mideast Region
- Why Cortland is still clearly #1 in New York despite a frustrating season thus far
- Why is the West so down compared to last year?
- ...and more!
- Biasball (at 26:40)
- WashU staying hot with a sweep of Emory and a UAA title and the 500th career win for head coach Pat Bloom
- Wooster has been up (16-0 win + no-hitter) and down (allowing 21 runs at home to a regional rival) lately but have some big games to redeem themselves soon
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 38 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The regular season is in full swing, and there's a whole lot juicy D-III action to talk about. Here's what this episode includes:
- Top 25 spotlight (3:00)
- checking in on each of the top 10 teams in the latest Top 25 poll plus a couple bonus teams from 10-25 (Piedmont, Denison, Wheaton (Ma.), Salisbury)
- Midseason awards -- this is a silly conversation since some teams have played 30 games and some have played 15 but we do it anyway because there are no rules on this podcast
- Player of the Year candidates (at 17:35)
- Toby Welk (Penn State-Berks) and Davis Mikell (Castleton) are on a different planet
- Jake Martin (Trinity)
- Cole Beeker (Swarthmore)
- the Killer B's at Piedmont (Andrew Burden and Brady Ballstadt)
- Noah Payne (Howard Payne but no relation somehow lol)
- The East Texas Baptist dinger machine (Casey Combs and Seth Mikeska)
- Pitcher of the Year candidates (especially dumb because it is so innings-based but we did our best) (at 22:23)
- Expected contenders: Tyler Peck (Chapman), Danny Cody (Baldwin Wallace), Danny Serreino (Rowan)
- Surprising contenders: Casey Brown (Pacific), Tyler McDonald (Monmouth),
- Jake Dickmeyer and John Howard are awesome again
- Rookie of the Year candidates (at 26:43)
- It's Caleb Durbin's (WashU) to lose
- Player of the Year candidates (at 17:35)
- Shouts out to all the D-III alumni on full-season rosters (at 29:05)
- We list them all, but some of our favorites include Tommy Parsons, Josh Fleming, Tanner Nishioka, Jake Fishman, J.P. Feyereisen, and OH YEAH THAT JORDAN ZIMMERMANN GUY
- Bias ball -- now we get to talk about OUR SCHOOLS (at 34:30)
- 11 wins in a row for WashU as the Bears are scorching hot and Jake is feelin' damn good about that Pool B spot
- Wooster's offense is mostly back to its normal rampant run-producing ways -- will they mercy-rule every conference game? (probably not but Jordan hopes so anyway)
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 37 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. After completing our eight regional previews, this is our first podcast of the 2019 regular season, as 90% of D-III teams have started their seasons and we finally have some results to discuss! Our show this week is broken into a few segments, as follows:
- Top 25 chat (at 1:30)
- Checking in on the dropouts: Misericordia, Babson, Oswego State
- Welcoming the newcomers: Methodist, Birmingham-Southern, Wheaton (Mass.)
- Piedmont is extremely fun and also really good (at 6:30)
- Rapid fire DO YOU BELIEVE IN THEM? with a few teams off to hot starts (at 10:00)
- Concordia (Texas)
- Huntingdon
- Johns Hopkins
- Washington College
- Kean
- Concordia-Chicago
- Notable individual performers so far (at 23:12)
- Matt Steindorf and Connor Bailey at Willamette
- We Are Just Excited To Get Outside (24:50)
- Discussing the extremely understandable but also hilarious nature of being excited to play baseball outside
- Wooster + WashU update (they're our schools which means we get to talk about them more, sorry!)
- The Scots are only a few games in but Jordan is still optimistic and excited about the rest of Wooster's Florida trip (at 30:40)
- Jake is hyped about DA BEARS after their hot start despite their hideous 7-2-1 record (ties are just so ugly) and freshman shortstop Caleb Durbin looks like the real deal (at 32:18)
...then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 36 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the final regional preview podcast -- this episode focuses on the loaded New England region. We start with the CCC (at 2:10) where the Western New England Golden Bears will look to repeat as champions with Salve Regina closely behind them. Next, it's GNAC time (at 8:55), as the Suffolk Rams will be going for their fifth straight conference title. Then it's time (at 12:25) for the not-so-little Little East Conference, home to two of the most talented teams in the country in UMass-Boston and Southern Maine. Next (at 19:51), we discuss the MASCAC, where the Westfield State Owls will likely handle business yet again. It's then time (at 22:08) to talk about the NECC, where the newcomer New England College Pilgrims will look to challenge Mitchell, the perennial favorites and defending champs. Then (at 25:00) we wade through the mess that is the NESCAC, where all the players will probably be MLB general managers someday but we have no clue who is actually gonna win the conference. Finally (at 31:05), we dive into the NEWMAC, where we love the Babson Beavers but they will be contested mightily by Jake's favorite baseball team of all time, the Wheaton (Mass.) Lyons. We conclude (at 41:30) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 35 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the seventh of eight regional preview podcasts -- this episode focuses on the Midwest region. But before getting into the frigid tundra of the Midwest, we discuss the latest Top 25 poll (at 0:30) and which teams have surprised and disappointed so far. Then we put on our parkas and head north to the MIAC (at 5:03), where the historic rivalry between St. John's and St. Thomas has been interrupted by Bethel Royals and their comically good pitching staff. Next (at 13:50), it's time for the NACC, where Concordia-Chicago will have to reload after graduating a horde of talented seniors and fend off the Aurora Spartans for the title. We then head back farther north to the UMAC (at 20:10), where the Bethany Lutheran Vikings are fresh off ending St. Scholastica's two-decade reign of dominance and look ready to start a title streak of their own. Finally, we look to the powerhouse, but bidless conference of the Midwest, the WIAC (at 26:30), where Whitewater, La Crosse, and Oshkosh will duke it out once again for the precious Pool B bids. We conclude (at 40:52) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 34 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the sixth of eight regional preview podcasts -- this episode focuses on the Mideast region. But before getting into the beasts of the Mideast, we have a brief discussion (at 0:45) about the first Top 25 poll of the season and why we should probably all just relax for a few weeks. We then begin our regional preview (at 4:00) with the AMCC, where La Roche is sure to reign supreme again with literally the entire lineup returning (!!!) and some elite pitching as well. Next (at 7:20), we head to the HCAC where we ponder just how repeatable the offensive juggernaut known as the Franklin Grizzlies could be in 2019, and why Earlham might be best suited to challenge them. Then (at 13:40) we head to the NCAC where Jordan does his best to suppress his Wooster bias while also objectively assessing a team that should definitely be one of the best teams in the country once again. Also, how will Wabash follow up their magical 2018 run? And can Denison stay in the mix for a postseason spot? After that, we dive into the outstanding OAC (at 26:00), where Baldwin Wallace and Otterbein look like a cut above talent-wise, but we are certainly done making the mistake of counting out Marietta (also Heidelberg and Ohio Northern are no joke). We then head (at 36:55) slightly north to the MIAA, where the Adrian Bulldogs will likely continue to dominate, despite losing D-III legend/friend of the podcast Tommy Parsons to graduation/pro ball. Our final conference spotlight (at 40:45) touches on the PAC, where Washington & Jefferson will likely return to the top of the standings after a relatively disappointing 2018. Finally, we touch on the two independent teams in the region. First (at 42:40), we discuss Case Western and their frustrating snub last season, the development of Rocco Maue, and why we still expect a lot from the Spartans in 2019. Then (at 48:12), we briefly touch on the newly independent Thomas More Saints, who are giving it one last ride in D-III before becoming an NAIA school. We conclude (at 50:00) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
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Welcome to Episode 33 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fifth of eight regional preview podcasts -- this episode focuses on the New York Region. We begin (at 1:30) with the New York-iest New York region conference, the SUNYAC, where the Cortland Red Dragons appear to be primed for another run of dominance, but we should probably stop doubting the team that has been to the World Series two years in a row (Oswego State). Next (at 12:15), we move the Empire 8, which features three impressive programs -- Ithaca, St. John Fisher, and Stevens -- with varying strengths and weaknesses, making it difficult to confidently identify a clear favorite. We then head to the Liberty League (at 24:15), where the Union Dutchmen may boast one of the most loaded lineups in the region, while Rochester will hope that their stellar schedule will help its résumé come regional season. Then it's time for the Skyline (at 32:55), as St. Joseph's (Long Island) is probably the favorite again, but Merchant Marine's insane 1-2 duo atop its rotation could make some noise. We then (at 37:25) briefly touch on the totally bizarre new reality for the CUNYAC before previewing the UAA member in this region (at 40:20), NYU. We conclude (at 47:05) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
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Welcome to Episode 31 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the third of our eight season preview podcasts highlighting each region -- this episode focuses on the four conferences in the Central region, and of course, Jake's beloved WashU Bears. We begin (at 2:45) with the newly-minted American Rivers Conference, where Dubuque and Luther seem to have overtaken Wartburg as the favorites, with Coe not too far behind. We then move (at 15:32) to the CCIW, where the North Central Cardinals have represented the region quite well over the last few years and appear ready to continue their conference reign, with respect to Carthage, Illinois Wesleyan, and Wheaton (Ill.). Next (at 22:52), we head to the MWC, where the Monmouth Scots will look to defend their crown against an intriguing new addition to the conference, the UChicago Maroons. We move to the SLIAC (at 30:16) where Webster looks clearly like the strongest team in the entire region, but an up-and-coming Spalding team will look to challenge the Gorloks. Finally (at 40:01), we discuss the UAA reps, Washington University in St. Louis, and why we're excited and optimistic about the Bears, who feature a tremendously talented pitching staff and an offense that is only graduating one everyday player. We conclude (at 46:00) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 32 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This episode focuses on the super-duper loaded Mid-Atlantic region, and covers the numerous teams that we see as legitimate contenders in each conference. We begin (at 2:10) with the newly-formed Atlantic East Conference, which is a new collection of teams, most of which have left the CSAC. We suggest Gwynedd Mercy as the slight favorites but it really could be any team's conference to win. We then move to the Centennial Conference (at 4:43), which featured one of the stories of the 2018 season in the Swarthmore Garnet, who return a huge portion of their supremely talented World Series team and have officially overtaken Johns Hopkins as the class of the conference, though the Blue Jays should still be very much in the mix. Next (at 11:29), we briefly touch on the Landmark Conference and why the Catholic Cardinals still seem like the team to beat. We then head (at 13:40) to one of our two MAC conferences, the MAC Freedom conference, where Misericordia returns a shocking amount of their 2018 World Series team, and we explain why we love watching the Cougars so much. Then (at 18:34) we discuss the ever-confusing two-horse race between Arcadia and Alvernia in the MAC Commonwealth, and why the Knights may have one of the best lineups in the region. We move forward with the NEAC (at 23:20), where Toby Welk will probably continue to do Toby Welk things #WelkWatch. Then (at 27:10), it's NJAC time, headed by the spectacularly loaded Rowan Profs, who look so absurdly good that they somehow overshadow three teams that would look like easy favorites in almost any other conference (Rutgers-Camden, TCNJ and Ramapo). Finally (at 41:30), we touch on the Keystone Giants, who appear to be new members of Pool B, but still look every bit as loaded as usual. We conclude (at 46:17) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat.
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
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Welcome to Episode 30 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first official weekend of the 2019 season is here. This is our second of eight regional preview podcasts, and focuses on the four conferences in the South region, where many teams will be starting their seasons over the next week or so. We begin with the CAC (at 2:05), where Christopher Newport and Salisbury remain the clear favorites, but how seriously should we take Penn State-Harrisburg? Next (at 11:35), we move to the ODAC, aka the SEC of D-III, where the powerhouse Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets and Shenandoah Hornets will surely be right back in the mix at the top, with Roanoke not far behind. We then head farther south, fittingly, to the SAA (at 19:48), which features an up-and-coming team in Berry, the defending champs in Rhodes, and a possible sleeping giant in Birmingham-Southern. We then head to USA South (at 30:40), where LaGrange has held steady at the top over the last few years but Methodist and Piedmont appear primed to challenge the Panthers. Finally (at 38:50), we touch on the Emory Eagles of the UAA, and why their Pool B status should not be ignored after a down year. We conclude (at 42:33) by shouting out some other notable players and then picking our players and pitchers of the year, and our teams to beat. Then we bring up the Greenville University basketball team because wow, what a thing. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 29 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The 2019 season is upon us, which means it's about time we get back to podcasting. Before we dive into our first regional preview, we give our quick reactions (at 4:10) to the Preseason Top 25 poll and why you probably shouldn't care all that much about preseason polls. Then we begin our comprehensive look at the West region, starting with the ASC (at 8:20). We quickly discuss defending champion Texas-Tyler and their transition outta D-III, before deciding which of UT-Dallas and Concordia-Texas are the new favorites in the conference. We then move to the SCAC (at 19:05), home of the 2018 national runner-up Texas Lutheran Bulldogs. and one of the most talented teams in the country, the Trinity Tigers. Who has the edge? Next, we head out to the actual west part of the West region and discuss the favorites in the SCIAC (at 30:54). Will Redlands and Chapman duke it out for a title again, or will Cal Lutheran get back in the mix? AND WHAT ABOUT LA VERNE?! Finally, we head to the beautiful pacific northwest and preview the NWC (at 40:35), where the Willamette Bearcats look like a notch ahead of the rest of the pack but it could be wide open beyond them. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Click here to see our 2019 Preseason All-American teams.
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 28 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We took six months off but we're back in the middle of December because this is exactly when everyone is talking about D-III baseball. Okay, not really, but our real reason for returning is that we wanted to talk to two of the best players in the country during the 2018 season and hear about how they got to where they are now.
First (at 2:42), we talk to the d3baseball.com 2018 National Player of the Year, Daytona Bryden. Daytona graduated this spring after an exceptional career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and recently announced that he has signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association for the 2019 season. Topics include:
- giving Jake credit for predicting him winning Player of the Year before the season started (on Episode 9)
- how he ended up signing with the Explorers after not getting drafted
- when he realized he was pretty good at this whole baseball thing
- how he developed at Whitewater
- the epic extra-inning regional game between Whitewater and WashU in 2016 (click here for the box score)
- whether his dad records every single at-bat or just most of them (YouTube link)
- his professional life outside of baseball
- the pros and cons of growing up with the name "Daytona Speed Bryden"
- how good he thinks Whitewater will be in 2019
- and more!
Next (at 25:49), we bring on Tommy Parsons, one of the most successful pitchers in D-III history and current member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Topics include:
- how a kid in Ohio ended up at a school in Michigan
- when he realized he was pretty good at this whole baseball thing
- how is velocity progressed during his time at Adrian
- why it was helpful to have another college teammate go into pro ball
- the end of his career at Adrian featuring our story of screaming "WHERE'S PARSONS??!?!?!?" in a car in Pennsylvania
- the insane five day adventure of becoming a professional baseball player after not getting drafted
- what his pro debut was like
- and more!
Thanks to Daytona and Tommy for coming on the show!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 27 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This episode covers the twelve D-III players selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, and goes over what these guys did to earn the rare achievement of being drafted out of a D-III school. Before we dive into the draft, our podcast immediately goes off the rails when Jake finds a weeks-old piece of dried okra in his rug (at 2:40). Then we begin! We discussed each of the 12 draftees, in order of their selections:
- Junior RHP Hugh Smith, Whitworth -- 6th round, Tigers (at 4:20)
- Junior RHP Christian Cosby, Chapman -- 14th round, Royals (at 6:31)
- Junior RHP Colin Selby, Randolph-Macon -- 16th round, Pirates (at 8:46)
- Junior SS Michael Wielansky, Wooster -- 18th round, Astros (at 10:28)
- Junior 3B Michael Mateja, North Central (Ill.) -- 25th round, Braves (at 13:55)
- Senior RHP Colin Morse, Shenandoah -- 26th round, Nationals (at 17:07)
- Senior RHP Heath Renz, UW-Whitewater -- 27th round, Rays (at 18:18)
- Senior RHP Joel Condreay, Whitworth -- 21st round, Rockies (at 20:14)
- Senior C Rainier Aguilar, Redlands -- 33rd round, Padres (at 22:06)
- Junior RHP Charlie Ruegger, Stevens -- 33rd round, Yankees (at 24:29)
- Junior RHP Cory Heitler, Ramapo -- 34th round, Reds (at 26:10)
- Senior LHP Victor Cavalieri, Houghton -- 36th round, Braves (at 28:11)
Then we have a quick discussion about the guys we were most surprised were not drafted (at 30:29). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
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Welcome to Episode 26 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The season has come to an end, and it's time to review what we learned during the 2018 season and take a moment to appreciate the incredible run of the Texas-Tyler Patriots. Here's what we've got in this episode:
- World Series review (at 1:32)
- How the Patriots won it all
- They proved rather loudly that they deserved the at-large bid they received
- Notable performers: Blake Maddox, Alex Bishop, Simon Sedillo, Alexander Masotto
- Why many of these players are used to winning national championships
- Texas Lutheran coming up just short (at 6:30)
- The Bulldogs were our Team of Destiny, and they almost pulled it off
- General takeaways from watching the games in Appleton (at 8:00)
- How the Patriots won it all
- Season in review (at 9:15)
- What did we learn from doing a podcast about D-III baseball this season?
- Draft Preview (at 11:30)
- A small number of D-III players will be selected in next week's MLB Draft -- who are some of the guys that have a shot to get picked?
- The four we are most closely watching (link to Cut4 article)
- Junior RHP Hugh Smith -- Whitworth
- Senior RHP Tommy Parsons -- Adrian
- Junior SS Michael Wielansky -- Wooster
- Senior OF Daytona Bryden -- UW-Whitewater
- Some other guys we think could get picked on Day 3 (at 17:20)
- The four we are most closely watching (link to Cut4 article)
- Discussing the four categories of D-III draftees (at 20:10)
- A small number of D-III players will be selected in next week's MLB Draft -- who are some of the guys that have a shot to get picked?
Then we abruptly say goodbye. Actually we don't even say goodbye. But thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 24.5 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is a mini-episode featuring a brief interview with Concordia-Chicago right-hander Mike Formella, who came up absolutely huge for the Cougars in the Midwest Regional, throwing a complete game vs. UW-Oshkosh to send them to Appleton in his first start of the year. We talked to Mike about the concept of #PitchingForYourChildhood, the Cougars' incredible run to this point, what they learned in Appleton last year, and more.
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Welcome to Episode 25 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our World Series preview pod, in which we prepare ourselves mentally, emotionally, and statistically for the final eight teams remaining in the 2018 D-III baseball season to battle it out in Appleton. Before we dive into World Series talk, we offer some brief thoughts on last weekend (at 1:33) and some of the most notable story lines from the eight regionals. We also offer another round of important disclaimers (at 7:35) regarding how we talk about the World Series field. Then, we break down each of the eight teams. In order:
- Oswego State (at 8:41)
- The Lakers made winning the New England regional look far easier that it should have been. Now back in Appleton for the second straight year, can this squad have more success than their 2-and-Q showing in 2017?
- Texas-Tyler (at 13:18)
- The Patriots pulled off the improbable, winning 5 in a row to capture the Central Regional title. They are clearly clicking at the right time; can they ride this hot streak to a national championship?
- Randolph-Macon (at 18:22)
- The team we've been touting all year as elite looked appropriately awesome in the regional. Now in the World Series for the very first time, can the Yellow Jackets put it all together and make a serious run?
- Misericordia (at 23:23)
- The Cougars stormed back in the Mid-Atlantic Regional to earn their ticket to Appleton, and look to ride that momentum to a strong World Series showing.
- Concordia-Chicago (at 27:47)
- The Cardiac Cougars have had their fair share of miracle victories this season, but that shouldn't overshadow how good they can be. A strong coaching staff will look to lead Concordia to a better showing than their 2017 Appleton appearance.
- Swarthmore (at 32:40)
- The Garnet loudly proved that their historic regular season was no fluke by knocking off three of the best teams in the country in the blink of an eye. Will they make their next tough task look just as easy?
- Wooster (at 37:23)
- Now finally in a tournament that doesn't involve Wabash, the Fighting Scots will look to ride the nation's best offense and an increasingly impressive pitching staff to its first national title.
- Texas Lutheran (at 41:15)
- Our official Team of Destiny, the Bulldogs have two of the best starting pitchers in the country and the offense to support them.
Then we mention the players we are most excited to watch in Appleton before begrudgingly making our picks for who will be the last team standing (at 47:10).
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 24 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the eighth of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 8-team Mid-Atlantic Regional which will take place in York, PA. We break down each of the eight teams. In order:
-
1 Rowan (at 2:43)
- We know the NJAC teams can pitch, but this one can hit too; this is an elite team that should be taken very seriously
-
8 Castleton (at 6:23)
- The Spartans rolled through the NAC again; can Davis Mikell single-handedly take down Rowan? It ain't gonna be easy.
-
2 Babson (at 8:00)
- Few teams have been as consistent as the NEWMAC champion Beavers; can their balanced attack find success in the regional?
-
7 Catholic (at 9:47)
- Brennan Cotter and Jon Mierzwa are the high-end talent, but this is an all-around team with a real chance to compete
-
3 Arcadia (at 12:43)
- The Knights showcased one of the more explosive offenses in all of D-III over the last few weeks; can they score enough to make their shaky pitching irrelevant?
-
6 Union (at 14:58)
- The Dutchmen can also score with the best of them; they could be in for a slugfest with the Knights
-
4 Virginia Wesleyan (at 16:38)
- One of the most surprising teams of the season, the Marlins look ready to make some noise in the regional. Having one of the best two-way players in the country will certainly help.
-
5 Misericordia (at 18:08)
- The Cougars are back after another MACF title. Can a deep pitching staff fuel a deep regional run?
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 19:35). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 23 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the seventh of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 8-team New York Regional which will take place in Auburn, NY. We break down each of the eight teams. (Almost) in order:
-
1 Cortland (at 2:36)
- The Red Dragons flopped in the SUNYAC tournament, but come on, it's Cortland -- they're gonna turn it on
-
8 Westfield State (at 5:59)
- The Owls have a DUDE in the lineup (Anthony Crowley) and a DUDE on the mound (John Gegetskas) -- is that enough to pull off the upset?
-
3 Southern Maine (at 8:43)
- The Huskies have had quite the hot and cold season, but the talent still looks ready to shine in a regional
-
7 St. Joseph's (L.I.) (at 12:12)
- The Skyline champs will look to prove themselves against a Salisbury team that will look very different than anyone else they've played this year
-
2 Salisbury (at 14:50)
- The Sea Gulls have a deep lineup and some extremely impressive frontline arms; but do they have enough pitching depth to run through an 8-team regional?
-
6 Amherst (at 18:45)
- The Mammoths will look to pull off a mammoth upset of sorts against the Huskies
-
4 Baldwin Wallace (at 21:06)
- No one finished hotter than the Yellow Jackets who scored a billion runs in the OAC tourney and looked unstoppable. Will the momentum carry over?
-
5 Swarthmore (at 23:19)
- A remarkable season for the Garnet earned them a #5 seed and a date with the Baldwin Wallace steamroller; can their magical season continue on through this challenging regional?
(Sorry for the weird order -- it was late and Jake got confused.)
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 24:40). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 22 (ignore the fact that we said 25) of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the sixth of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 8-team Mideast Regional which will take place in Adrian, MI. We break down each of the eight teams. In order:
-
1 Wooster (at 2:20)
- The Fighting Scots are as balanced as they've been in years, and look eager to show why they're the #1 seed in arguably the strongest regional in the country
-
8 Wabash (at 6:17)
- The Little Giants aim to knock off their NCAC rival for a third time in a row, and continue their magical run in Adrian
-
2 Otterbein (at 8:12)
- A disappointing showing at home in the OAC tournament should not distract from the fact that this team is really good
-
7 Adrian (at 10:14)
-
7 seed on their own turf? Good chance the Bulldogs will take that personally, and Tommy Parsons is ready to show everyone why he's the best pitcher in the country.
-
-
3 La Roche (at 13:30)
- The Redhawks are more pitching-oriented than in recent years, but the offense ain't too shabby either
-
6 Ithaca (at 15:34)
- Shipped in from New York, the Bombers are fresh off an impressive Empire 8 title run, and they've got the Little twins to prove it
-
4 Marietta (at 17:53)
- The Pioneers' insane schedule should prepare them for what will be an insane regional
-
5 Shenandoah (at 19:46)
- No one believed in the Hornets all year long and then they just went and won the ODAC in a blink. How far can this team go?
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 22:38). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 20 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fourth of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 8-team New England Regional which will take place in Harwich, MA. We break down each of the eight teams. In order:
-
1 UMass-Boston (at 1:44)
- The Beacons have been rolling all season long; can anyone slow them down in Harwich?
-
8 Penn State-Berks (at 4:05)
- Toby Welk might be able to win the regional on his own (with a little help from Tyler Comport)
-
2 Oswego State (at 7:17)
- Fresh off an incredible run to a SUNYAC title, the Lakers are ready to live up to their #2 seed label in a strong regional
-
7 Suffolk (at 9:09)
- The Rams had no trouble winning the GNAC, but their non-conference schedule is really what prepared them for stronger regional competition
-
3 Keystone (at 10:58)
- This Giants team seemingly has more impact talent than recent Keystone contenders; can they make it back to Appleton?
-
6 Mitchell (at 12:50)
- Another strong campaign in the NECC for the Mariners, but have they got what it takes against stronger competition?
-
4 Western New England (at 14:38)
- The Golden Bears take more walks than almost any other team in the nation; can they OBP their way to Appleton?
-
5 Ramapo (at 16:50)
- A strong year in the NJAC should prepare the Roadrunners for a deep regional run
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 18:43). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 21 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fifth of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 6-team South Regional which will take place in Holly Springs, NC. We break down each of the six teams. In order:
-
1 Randolph-Macon (at 1:19)
- The Yellow Jackets roll into the regional coming off a disappointing ODAC tourney showing; can the Macon Machine get hot again quickly?
-
6 LaGrange (at 4:58)
- The USA South champs will look to their pitching staff to keep them competitive in this loaded regional
-
2 TCNJ (at 7:57)
- The Lions boast one of the best rotations in all of D-III baseball; can they score enough runs to make a run at Appleton?
-
5 Alvernia (at 10:54)
- An impressive resume earned the Golden Wolves an at-large bid; how will they perform after a cold stretch to end their regular season?
-
3 Denison (at 13:18)
- The first regional appearance in Big Red history will be a tough one, but they've certainly got the talent to compete
-
4 Christopher Newport (at 16:05)
- One of the most underseeded teams in the tournament can knock dingers with the best of 'em, and strike out more batters than you can believe. Don't mess with the Captains.
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 19:35). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 19 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the third of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 6-team West Regional which will take place in Spokane, WA. We break down each of the six teams. In order:
-
1 Chapman (at 1:44)
- After an enormous statement in the SCIAC championship game, can the Panthers live up to the #1 seed and make it to Appleton?
-
6 Willamette (at 4:12)
- The Bearcats have had a lot of time off since winning the NWC title; how far can Connor Bailey and Matt Steindorf take them?
-
2 Redlands (at 6:14)
- Perhaps the most balanced all-around team in the West, the Bulldogs will look to avenge their disappointing conference tournament with a strong regional showing
-
5 Texas-Dallas (at 9:20)
- The Comets got hot at the right time, and are ready to try and outscore any and all opponents
-
3 Concordia-Texas (at 11:42)
- The numbers don't jump off the page, but there are many reasons to fear the Tornados in a regional setting
-
4 Texas Lutheran (at 15:14)
- The Bulldogs have felt like a team of destiny all year long; Riley Schaefer/Tyler Cauley + Dylan Drgac/Nathan Malinovsky = goooooooood baseball team.
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 19:40). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 18 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the second of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 6-team Midwest Regional which will take place in Duluth, MN. We break down each of the six teams. In order:
-
1 Concordia-Chicago (at 1:45)
- After almost pulling off a miracle comeback in the NACC tournament, the Cougars are looking to make it back to Appleton
-
6 Bethany Lutheran (at 6:58)
- They already pulled off the impossible winning the UMAC; is their any magic left for the Vikings?
-
2 North Central (IL) (at 9:26)
- Mateja and Wisz have carried the offense all year long; will it be enough to get the Cardinals back to the World Series?
-
5 Dubuque (at 12:30)
- Fresh off a surprising IIAC title run, the Spartans are ready for the regional and they will not walk your hitters. Ever.
-
3 UW-Oshkosh (at 15:35)
- The Titans earned a Pool B bid with a huge regular season; now it's time to see how legit they really are
-
4 Bethel (at 18:27)
- One of the best pitching staffs in recent D-III history will look to shut down some better competition in Duluth
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 23:25). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 17 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We finally made it, folks: the regionals are here. This is the first of our eight postseason regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the 8-team Central Regional which will take place in Sauget, Illinois. Before we dive into the eight Central competitors, we took some time to give some brief thoughts on the broader regional field and how we thought the committee did with the at-large bids (at 2:13). Then, we break down each of the eight teams. In order:
-
1 Webster (at 6:20)
- Can the Gorloks defend their home turf after recapturing the SLIAC title?
-
8 Thomas More (at 9:09)
- Fresh off taking down the 2017 national runner-ups, the Saints aren't an #8 seed to be taken lightly
-
2 UW-Whitewater (at 12:20)
- Daytona Bryden is almost definitely the National Player of the Year -- oh and they also have a bunch of other exceptionally awesome players. Good luck, Warhawk opponents.
-
7 Monmouth (at 16:13)
- The Fighting Scots and the McDonald twins will look to pull off the huge upset
-
3 Texas-Tyler (at 18:15)
- The Patriots will try and have a better showing after last year's letdown
-
6 Aurora (at 20:19)
- Knocking off Concordia-Chicago is no small feat; can they ride the momentum into the regional?
-
4 Rhodes (at 22:43)
- The SAA champs haven't played for a few weeks -- can they get rolling again?
-
5 Franklin (at 25:11)
- This preposterously ridiculous offense (62 dingers!!!!!!!!) hasn't faced much competition all year long. Is their lineup actually this amazing or are they in for a reality check?
We conclude with our top players and pitchers to watch, and our pick to punch their ticket to Appleton (at 32:40). Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 16 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. As we record on the morning of Selection Sunday, 33 of the 40 automatic bids have been clinched. This episode features a comprehensive look at the at-large field, and how Pool B and Pool C will likely shake out based on a variety of scenarios involving the results of Sunday's games. Here's how the at-large field looks:
- 2 Pool B bids
- The 3 teams we feel clearly have the best shot at these two spots
- Why all three teams would have strong cases for Pool C regardless
- 16 Pool C bids
- The 10 teams we feel are the safest
- The 6 teams we feel are on the bubble, but we project to be in
- The 5 teams we feel are on bubble and have the best shot if a few things go their way on Sunday
- 11 other worthy bubble teams that are in the discussion but we think fall just short
It's incredibly tough, but we do our best to discuss it all and cover as many scenarios as possible. We know we won't be totally accurate but we're doing our best to give you the best information and projections that we have. Thank you for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 15 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. 16 of the 40 automatic bids have been clinched, and the regional field will be set in less than a week. Before we head into the last week of the regular season, we wanted to take a snapshot of the postseason picture and give an initial look at oh-so-terrifying at-large bubble. This episode has two primary parts:
- Rapid fire reviewing the conference tournament results thus far (at 2:24)
- We scroll down the Playoff Central page (so we go alphabetically) and run through all the conference tournament results thus far, with a few quick thoughts on some of the more entertaining tourneys, and the some of the more surprising results. 16 teams have clinched automatic bids.
- Our first look at the at-large bubble
- First, we offer our usual disclaimers about what this conversation is, and what we are aiming to do with our bubble preview (at 12:40)
- Presenting THE BUBBLE as it currently stands (on the evening of Monday, May 7th)
- Pool B favorites and possibilities (at 16:00)
- UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh, Case Western
- Pool C tiers
- The teams that we feel are fairly safe (at 17:30)
- TCNJ, CNU, Ramapo, Redlands, Cortland, Trinity (TX)
- Other conference runner-ups that could be in good position to get an at-large (NCAC, OAC, LEC, ODAC)
- The teams that are in good position but not quite locks (at 25:50)
- Heidelberg, Berry, Case Western
- The teams that have strong resumes but will need a good amount of help (at 33:20)
- Alvernia, La Verne, Texas-Tyler, Rutgers-Camden
- Empire 8 runner-up?
- The teams that will need a lot of help (at 38:30)
- Wash U, Piedmont, Methodist, Johns Hopkins, MIT, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point
- CCIW runner-up
- The teams that we feel are fairly safe (at 17:30)
- Pool B favorites and possibilities (at 16:00)
- Then we wish you all the best of luck and say goodbye.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 14 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Three automatic bids have been clinched, and more conference tournaments are on the way. With the first regional rankings finally being released, we wanted to take an early look at the postseason picture. Here's what we've got:
- New Top 25 quick hits (at 1:42)
- Wooster #1 lol what a world
- UW-Stevens Point OUT; Webster IN
- Adrian and Southern Maine jumping up a bit more
- Franklin still climbing
- North Central and Otterbein: on the edge but still out
- A quick disclaimer (at 3:00) before reviewing the first regional rankings
- Central (at 4:47)
- Parsing why Carthage was ranked over Webster
- Mid-Atlantic (at 7:37)
- How many bids could the NJAC rack up?
- Why Johns Hopkins is the real wild card in this region
- Mideast (at 10:08)
- Why Case Western was ranked over Wooster, and why we assume it will change very quickly
- The OAC is loaded like old times -- could they get 3 teams in the tournament?
- La Roche and W&J really need to win their conference tournaments
- Midwest (at 14:32)
- Concordia-Chicago has the huge edge in SOS -- that’s why they are #1
- How the WIAC could shake out with so many cancelled games, and how it will affect the Pool B race
- New England (at 18:02)
- Why we felt best about this ranking
- No big surprises, but a clear top 3
- Why Southern Maine could be sleeping giant
- New York (at 21:35)
- St. John Fisher over Cortland shouldn't actually surprise us all that much
- South (at 23:07)
- Three elite teams and then somewhat of a mess
- The ODAC will probably get at least two bids; we know Randolph-Macon will be one, but who is the favorite for the other one? Could they still get three in?
- Shenandoah...? thinking emoji
- No LaGrange even after winning the USA South tournament
- West (at 26:16)
- Discussing why Concordia (TX) was ranked over Texas Lutheran
- Is there a scenario where the SCIAC gets 3 bids?
- Central (at 4:47)
- Quick shoutouts to the two latest automatic bids (at 29:45)
- Willamette's impressive NWC tournament run
- Connor Bailey: D-III HR leader
- Matt Steindorf is legit
- Rhodes making noise again -- back-to-back SAA titles
- Willamette's impressive NWC tournament run
- Wooster and WashU update (at 31:00)
- Wooster
-
1 for the first time in over a decade
- Arguably the worst they’ve played all year but still grinding out some big wins; testament to how good they actually are
-
- WashU
- SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE
- Wooster
Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 13 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first regional rankings are rapidly approaching and we've already got one automatic bid clinched, so we check in on some of the teams finding their stride at the right time as the postseason nears. Featured in this week's episode:
- Top 25 deep dives:
-
11 Shenandoah (at 2:26):
- We thought they'd have some of the best starting pitching in D-III; instead, the pitching has been solid and the offense has been elite
-
19 Salisbury (at 5:02):
- We knew how talented this team was coming into the season; now they are really showing it and getting hot at the right time
- Several All-American candidates in Jack Barry, Connor Reeves, and Austin Heenan
-
22 Franklin (at 7:19):
- This team boasts a loaded lineup and the best record in the country, but a poor SOS makes us concerned based on recent at-large precedents (in case they don't win the HCAC tournament, which they obviously could)
-
23 Southern Maine (at 12:56):
- One of our Appleton favorites heading into the season, the Huskies are finally starting to put some big wins together
-
- Our first automatic bid winner, LaGrange (at 15:33):
- 1 team is in; only 57 to go!
- How the Panthers defended their USA South title and who has performed during their impressive second half
- Now they just have a month off...???
- Shouting out some players at the top of the leaderboards -- early Player and Pitcher of the Year candidates (at 18:41)
- Wooster update (at 21:53):
- They probably have the best offense in the country (11+ runs per game, lol), but the pitching depth has been the most impressive part of the season so far
- Strong chunk of their schedule coming up soon
- WashU Update (at 23:02):
- With a top-notch SOS, what will it take for the Bears to sneak into the tournament?
Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 12 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We have now reached April which means the season has actually started and we can start taking things seriously. Lots to cover this week...here's what we've got:
New Top 25 quick hits (at 2:10):
- Roanoke keeps winning; the ODAC is gonna be wild in late April
- UMass-Boston slipping a little bit but hey they're probably fine
- Methodist dropping a mid-week test to Randolph-Macon
- Baldwin Wallace hanging on to the #25 spot despite being swept by Mount Union
- Other teams making a push for the Top 25
Top 25 deep dives:
- Christopher Newport (at 5:45): One of the most balanced teams in the country has impact talent on both sides of the ball; can they make a run at the CAC title?
- Wisconsin-Oshkosh (at 10:00): Should the WIAC even be allowed to have another team this good?
- Redlands (at 13:00): The best from the west get the respect they deserve
Recapping the dope Trinity (Texas)/Texas Lutheran series (at 16:30)
A brief discussion on the new D-III RPI -- link below (at 21:01)
Following up on our confusion about the WIAC (they do not have an automatic bid) and discussing the seemingly completely ignored fact that this year's tournament will feature 58 teams instead of 56 -- link to pre-championship manual below (at 23:30)
Our D-III hypothetical of the week at (27:45): what would a Division III baseball program do with unlimited funds? This was an extremely hilarious and enjoyable conversation.
Wooster Update (at 35:51): they won and it snowed AKA the story of every start to a Wooster season
WashU Update (at 36:16): We saw the Bears IN PERSON vs. NYU; our takeaways and Jake's emotional status after watching his old team compete without him
Then we say goodbye.
Thanks for listening!
Nick Herfordt's D-III RPI: http://www.eephuspit.ch/ncaa-d-iii-rpi-rankings/
2018 Pre-Championship Manual: http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2018DIIIMBA_PreChampsManual_20180302.pdf
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 11 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The 2018 season is well under way, and we have TAKES, folks (but mostly we are just excited to have real things to talk about instead of speculating wildly). We covered a lot in this episode, including...
General Top 25 quick hits (at 1:30):
- Methodist & Maryville: racking up the dubs
- Christopher Newport/Case Western/Redlands/Catholic: all impressing early
- Spalding: surprising in the SLIAC; anything is possible with Jimi Keating
- Johns Hopkins/Southern Maine/Salisbury/St. Thomas: talented teams off to slow starts
Some deeper dives into a few Top 25:
- Rowan (at 7:01): They've got arguably the best resume in the country, and a few standouts on both sides of the ball
- Wisconsin-Whitewater (at 9:54): OMG THEY FINALLY STARTED THEIR SEASON oh and also they are very good again, surprise surprise
- Concordia-Chicago (at 11:28): One of our preseason contenders is looking strong in the early going
- Texas Lutheran (at 13:00): Behind two aces and the dude with the most hits in the country, this team is on fire
A look at a possible return to glory for the OAC (at 16:29):
- Mount Union and Otterbein looked like the favorites heading into the season, and they've been solid...but the usual suspects (Marietta, Baldwin Wallace, and Heidelberg) are also back in business.
Two fantastic e-mails (at 21:04):
- Yet another story about a regional team consuming insects for rally purposes; this time from Rhodes
- The incredible story of what was almost the greatest comeback of all time in a 2011 DePauw/Emory game (links below)
Our traditionally biased updates on our respective schools:
- WashU update (at 29:10): An impressive Florida trip, John Howard is DEALIN' and Ryan Loutos is the truth
- Wooster update (at 32:38): The pitching has been great; Dan Harwood is still slugging over .900 lol
Then we say goodbye.
Thanks for listening!
DePauw/Emory game story: http://depauwtigers.com/sports/bsb/2010-11/releases/depauws-11-run-ninth-not-enough-in-loss.html
DePauw/Emory box score: http://depauwtigers.com/sports/bsb/2010-11/boxscores/20110322_w0b7.xml
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 10 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. After spending eight podcasts previewing each of the eight regions of the D-III baseball universe, it's time to settle into the regular season and take stock in what we've seen so far. This episode includes...
- 0:55 -- A discussion on the qualities of a good D-III baseball livestream, and why UMass-Boston is the gold standard
- 3:12 -- Reviewing the Cortland/Johns Hopkins déjà vu walk-off dinger, and our thoughts on those two powerhouse teams thus far. What's wrong with Cortland? What makes Josh Hejka so incredible?
- 6:25 -- Is Trinity (Texas) BACK? Is that a dumb question? Probably.
- 8:35 -- Checking in on the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets, who had a hot start before getting swept at home by Rowan. Then we fall down a Rowan Profs rabbit hole. What is a Prof?
- 11:41 -- A couple teams that we liked heading into the season who have disappointed thus far
- 13:00 -- An appreciation of Frostburg State senior right-hander Greg Schneider's outrageous start to the 2018 season
- 14:32 -- Wooster update: they beat Mount Union and Dan Harwood went crazy! Hooray!
- 15:35 -- WashU update: The upcoming Florida schedule is insane
- 17:11 -- Our D-III hypothetical this week is: Which former D-III player currently in pro ball would make their alma mater a definitive World Series contender if they returned to the team today?
- 23:45 -- A hat tip to the teams who have yet to begin their season, and then we say goodbye.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 9 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the eighth and final regional preview podcast -- this one focuses on the Midwest Region. We discuss the best teams from each of the four Midwest conferences.
- WIAC (at 0:34): extremely Seinfeld voice What's the deal with the WIAC? (No, seriously, does anyone know what's going on here? Do they have an automatic bid this year or not? Please let us know.) Anyway, we offer the not-so-hot take that Whitewater is going to be ridiculously good again, and why La Crosse and Oshkosh could be the Warhawks' biggest competition.
- NACC (at 9:09): Concordia-Chicago looks primed for a huge year with an even more loaded roster than the one that went to the World Series in 2017
- MIAC (at 12:19): St. Thomas and their outrageously talented pitching staff will look to avenge their surprise conference tourney loss last year, with Bethel, St. John's and Macalester all in the running as well
- UMAC (at 18:17): St. Scholastica has won this conference every single season since 1998. Need we say more?
We conclude (at 21:13) by shouting out some other notable players to watch in the Midwest Region, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders. Finally, we give some final thoughts on completing the regional preview podcasts and prepare for the real season to get under way.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 8 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the seventh of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the Mideast Region. We discuss the best teams from each of the six Mideast conferences, featuring a few of the best teams in the country heading into the 2018 season.
- NCAC (at 0:58): Jordan offers his totally not-at-all biased preview of the Wooster Fighting Scots, and which teams could challenge them for the conference title
- OAC (at 10:24): What used to be a powerhouse conference is now somewhat of a mess, with Mount Union and Otterbein now at the top
- PAC (at 16:50): Why Washington & Jefferson should still be feared even after losing a lot of hitters
- AMCC (at 20:12): Don't mess with La Roche -- they'll probably win
- MIAA (at 22:54): Adrian is hosting the Mideast Regional; are they the favorite to win it?
- HCAC (at 27:17): Earlham took the crown last year, but can another team emerge in a crowded conference race?
- UAA (at 29:30): Case Western's case for a Pool B bid
We conclude (at 33:54) by shouting out some other notable players to watch in the Mideast Region, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 7 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the sixth of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the New York Region. We discuss the best teams from each of the five New York conferences, four of which have an automatic bid.
- SUNYAC (at 0:53): Cortland gonna Cortland...and how will the Oswego State Lakers perform in their final season before LeBron arrives?
- Empire 8 (at 9:53): St. John Fisher and Ithaca up top
- Liberty League (at 14:12): How far can RIT's tremendous pitching staff take them?
- Skyline (at 16:46): Can anyone challenge SUNY-Maritime?
- CUNYAC (at 17:37): Why are they called the Staten Island Dolphins?
- UAA (at 18:26): NYU has a baseball team, and it's pretty good
We conclude (at 22:48) by shouting out some other notable players to watch in the New York region, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 6 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fifth of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the New England Region. We discuss the best teams from each of the eight (!) New England conferences.
- LEC (at 0:43): Are UMass-Boston and Southern Maine the two best teams in the whole region?
- NEWMAC (at 7:14): The magic of Wheaton (Mass.)...and don't sleep on Babson
- CCC (at 13:20): Salve Regina's got arms on arms on arms
- NESCAC (at 16:02): Jumbos Jumbos Jumbos
- GNAC (at 18:36): St. Joseph's (Me.) or Suffolk, you tell us
- NAC (at 23:30): Castleton is really good, and Davis Mikell is even better than really good
- NECC (at 26:28): Lesley and Mitchell will square off after their epic conference tourney ending last year
- MASCAC (at 27:37): Westfield State should rebound after losing the conference tourney last year (also we didn't mention Salem State but they should also be considered)
We conclude (at 28:36) by shouting out some other notable players to watch in the New England region, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 5 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the fourth of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the Central Region. We run through the best teams from each of the four Central conferences, as well as two other teams in the region competing for a regional spot (one of which is kind of a big deal).
- CCIW (at 1:19): How will North Central (Ill.) follow up its incredible 2017 season? Which other teams could compete with the Fightin' Matejas?
- MWC (at 8:34): It's St. Norbert's world, we're all just living in it
- SLIAC (at 10:54): Will Webster reload after losing some premium talent? Can Greenville repeat as surprise conference champions?
- IIAC (at 19:10): Is Wartburg actually the best team in the entire region? Also we explain why Nathan Schneiderman is so important.
- UChicago (at 25:36): Assessing the talent in their final year as an independent school
- WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS BEARS (at 29:21): Jake offers his preview for his alma mater for the first season of the Post-Jake Mintz Era.
We conclude (at 34:45) by running through some other notable players to watch in the Central region (mainly Jimi Keating), before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
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Welcome to Episode 4 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the third of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the Mid-Atlantic region. We run through the best teams from each of the seven Mid-Atlantic conferences.
- NJAC (at 2:25): It's TCNJ, Ramapo, and Rowan at the top. Who will emerge as the favorite?
- Centennial (at 8:20): How good is Hopkins? Can anyone challenge them? (plus a Haverford mascot tangent)
- CSAC (at 14:48): Keystone Against the World
- Landmark (at 16:36): We have no idea who the favorite should be...Susquehanna, Drew, Catholic, and Elizabethtown all in the mix
- MACF (at 18:50): Misericordia looking good again
- NEAC (at 20:22): The favorites are all Penn ___________
- MACC (at 21:19): Alvernia or Arcadia? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We conclude (at 24:57) by running through some other notable players to keep an eye on in the Mid-Atlantic region, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 3 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the second of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the South region. We run through the best teams in the four South conferences -- the USA South, the SAA, the ODAC, and the CAC -- before giving some love to the UAA southern representative as well.
We begin (at 1:43) with the USA South and the reigning conference champs, the LaGrange Panthers, and whether they can remain on top after losing much of their pitching staff and a few big bats. Next (at 5:10), we discuss the SAA and the perennial power known as the Birmingham-Southern...Panthers...and why we think these are the Panthers that could truly contend come regional time. We then move (at 10:14) to the all-powerful ODAC, which features perhaps the two strongest teams in the region in Shenandoah and Randolph-Macon, as well as one of the stories of the 2017 season in Roanoke. We then turn to the CAC (at 18:34) and discuss how good Salisbury could be even after losing Player of the Year Pete Grasso. Finally (at 22:18), we discuss the Emory Eagles, and how they stack up in a UAA conference that lost a lot of talent to graduation.
We conclude (at 28:00) by running through some other notable players to watch down South, before giving our official TEAMS TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year contenders
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 2 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of our eight regional preview podcasts -- this one focuses on the West region, AKA the region that has weather nice enough to start their seasons in early February. First, we lay out the obvious disclaimers and caveats about whatever flaming hot takes we present about teams in the West -- mainly that we haven't seen any of these teams, so we're giving the most educated and researched insight we can give based on the information we've got. We discuss the strongest regional contenders from each of the four West conferences -- the ASC, the NWC, the SCAC, and the SCIAC.
First (at 4:14), we talk about the favorites in the ASC, and why we love Texas-Dallas this year (despite their inconveniently timed 0-2 start!). Next (at 11:03), we discuss the teams of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, AKA the NWC, and whether any other teams have what it takes to take on Linfield. Next (at 16:36), we discuss the SCAC and Centenary's chances to dominate the region (especially after their hot start). We then head to California (at 22:54) to discuss the favorites way out west, including that purple and gold team that may or may not have won the national championship last year. Finally (at 31:10), we run through some other notable players to watch in the West, before giving our official TEAM TO BEAT and our Player and Pitcher of the Year.
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759
Welcome to Episode 1 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It may be hard to believe that this is something we are actually doing, but here it is, in real life, free to be consumed by the public. We wanted to spent the first episode of setting some very clear expectations about what we want this show to be for us, the lunatics who are deciding to host it, and you, the listener, the fellow D-III baseball enthusiast.
Our first official segment (at 10:20) is a discussion about a particularly preposterous hypothetical: what would a D-III player have to do to get invited to the MLB Draft? Next (at 20:06), we read a couple e-mails, one about the remarkable story of the Lesley University baseball team, and another about an outrageous (and surely unhealthy) in-game ritual performed by the Linfield College pitching staff.
We concluded the inaugural podcast (at 26:30) with the ultimate cop-out for the inevitable complaints from people that "we don't talk about their team." (Sorry it took so long. It was a long list. Usually the podcast will stay under 30 minutes).
Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod and @CespedesBBQ.
Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759