The Podcast About Division-III Baseball

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.

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 [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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 [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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 [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759

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.

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected]

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759