The Podcast About Division-III Baseball

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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