2013 Summit League Review–How did UNO stack up in their first year?

UNO, in just their 2nd year of D1 transition and first year playing in a conference had what has to be considered a fantastic season. UNO got solid, if not fantastic starts from their soccer teams and ended the year watching the baseball team win the school’s first Summit League title. Here’s a breakdown of how the school’s teams did throughout the year in comparison to other schools.

Fall Season

Type of Results	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Average Finish
School	Men’s Soccer	Women’s Soccer	Volleyball	Men’s Cross Country	Women’s Cross Country
Oakland	1st	1st	T-3rd	4th	4th	2.6
South Dakota State	N/A	5th	T-5th	1st	3rd	3.5
North Dakota State	N/A	T-3rd	T-5th	T-6th	1st	3.75
Fort Wayne	T-4th	2nd	2nd	8th	6th	4.4
South Dakota	N/A	9th	T-5th	2nd	2nd	4.5
IUPUI	6th	8th	1st	3rd	7th	5
Kansas City	2nd	6th	T-3rd	T-6th	9th	5.2
Western Illinois	3rd	T-3rd	8th	5th	8th	5.4
Omaha	T-4th	7th	9th	N/A	5th	6.25

Winter Season

Type of Results	Regular Season	Regular Season	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Average Finish
School	Men’s Basketball	Women’s Basketball	Men’s Swimming and Diving	Women’s Swimming and Diving	Men’s Indoor Track and Field	Women’s Indoor Track and Field
South Dakota State	T-1st	1st	2nd	4th	4th	5th	2.8
North Dakota State	3rd	7th	N/A	N/A	2nd	1st	3.25
IUPUI	9th	2nd	3rd	2nd	N/A	N/A	4
Omaha	6th	T-5th	N/A	3rd	N/A	2nd	4
South Dakota	T-7th	3rd	6th	5th	1st	3rd	4.2
Oakland	4th	9th	1st	1st	6th	6th	4.5
Western Illinois	T-1st	T-5th	5th	7th	5th	7th	5
Kansas City	T-7th	8th	N/A	N/A	3rd	4th	5.5
Fort Wayne	5th	4th	N/A	N/A	N/A	8th	5.7

Spring Season

Type of Results	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Championship Standings	Average Finish
School	Baseball	Softball	Men’s Tennis	Women’s Tennis	Men’s Golf	Women’s Golf	Men’s Outdoor T&F	Women’s Outdoor T&F
NDSU	4th	1st	N/A	N/A	5th	1st	1st	1st	2.2
Kansas City	N/A	5th	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	4th	5th	2.9
South Dakota	N/A	4th	N/A	4th	2nd	9th	2nd	2nd	3.8
SDSU	2nd	8th	2nd	3rd	3rd	7th	3rd	4th	4
Omaha	1st	2nd	6th	6th	8th	4th	N/A	3rd	4.3
Fort Wayne	6th	3rd	3rd	1st	9th	8th	N/A	8th	5.4
Western Illinois	5th	6th	4th	8th	4th	5th	5th	7th	5.5
Oakland	3rd	9th	N/A	5th	6th	6th	6th	6th	5.9
IUPUI	N/A	7th	5th	7th	7th	3rd	7th	9th	6.4

Overall Averages

School	Fall  Average	Fall Sports	Winter Average	Winter Sports	Spring Average	Spring Sports	Total Sports	Average Finish
NDSU	3.75	4	3.25	4	2.2	6	14	2.93
SDSU	3.5	4	2.8	6	4	8	18	3.5
South Dakota	4.5	4	4.2	6	3.8	6	16	4.13
Kansas City	5.2	5	5.5	4	2.9	7	16	4.25
Oakland	2.6	5	4.5	6	5.9	7	18	4.5
Omaha	6.25	4	4	4	4.3	7	15	4.73
Fort Wayne	4.4	5	5.7	3	5.4	7	15	5.13
Western Illinois	5.4	5	5	6	5.5	8	19	5.32
IUPUI	5	5	4	4	6.4	7	16	5.38

The tale of the tape is kind of interesting here. Knowing that Kansas City and Oakland won’t be around next year of the remaining seven schools you can see where the balance of power definitely is, the Dakotas. North Dakota State seems to be the premier program in the league right now with South Dakota State their closest competitor. It’s a bit of a further drop to South Dakota who was never spectacular as their best average was only 3.8 in the spring. they were however consistent with their worst average being only 4.5 in the fall.

Omaha has to feel fairly good about how their first year went. They were a bit off the pace in the fall as their 6.25 average was the 2nd worst of any school for any season (IUPUI had a 6.4 average in the spring) but they were much stronger in the winter and the spring as they got their season long average down to 4.73.

Historical Comparison

I wondered how UNO stacked up compared to the last few schools to move into the Summit. Now one thing to note here is that Fort Wayne began their transition in 2001, NDSU and SDSU began in 2004, and South Dakota began in 2008. None of the schools went through the kind of transition UNO is dealing with where they will spend 3 years competing in the Summit League while not being eligible for the postseason. All were able to build their programs much more before their first Summit competition. So how does UNO stack up in terms of average finish?

School	Fall  Average	Fall Sports	Winter Average	Winter Sports	Spring Average	Spring Sports	Total Sports	Average Finish
NDSU 2007-08	4.75	4	2.25	4	3.8	6	14	3.64
SDSU 2007-08	2.75	4	4.5	6	4.8	8	18	4.22
Omaha 2012-13	6.25	4	4	4	4.3	7	15	4.73
South Dakota 2011-12	6.25	4	4	6	5.3	6	16	5.06
Fort Wayne 2007-08	5.6	5	6	3	5.9	7	15	5.8

Few things of note… the Summit League was only 9 teams this year as opposed to 10 last year and 10 in 2007-08. Was that an advantage to Omaha? Probably slightly. But in that 2007-08 season there were only 7 returning members as three new members joined. So that was certainly an advantage for NDSU, SDSU and Fort Wayne.

NDSU had an amazing first year in the Summit and were extremely competitive. They stand out from the pack in this table. I think the case could be made though that Omaha’s season was the 2nd best of these five. Yes they were a half spot worse on average than SDSU five years ago, but that season for SDSU came in their last season of transition as opposed to Omaha’s second. I think this seems to show the future is very bright for UNO.

UNO Baseball – Conference Championship Scenarios – Previewing SDSU Series

It’s 4 game over 3 days starting tomorrow…

vs. South Dakota State on Thursday the 16th
DH vs. South Dakota State on Friday the 17th
vs. South Dakota State on Saturday the 18th

And all UNO needs to do to win a share of the conference title is win a single game! Two games up on SDSU coming in so a 3-1 split for SDSU only evens the standings. A split for UNO? That’d give them the conference title outright!

Was there anyone at UNO during the start of the D1 transition who would have said, “You know… I think that first year we could have a team at home playing for a conference title in the final week of the season”? I doubt it… I don’t think anyone realized just how competitive most of the teams would be.

And against all expectations… UNO was picked to finish last in baseball, although just barely behind Fort Wayne, and now they look likely to finish in 1st. Incredible.

Once this weekend is over I’m planning on writing a recap of the entire Summit League season and just how good UNO was… It’s shocking for a program in their 2nd year of transition from D2.

UNO Baseball – Conference Championship Scenarios – After 5/14 (UNO’s Games)

Mavericks with a monster sweep today and South Dakota State blew a 10-3 lead in game 1 to lose 11-10 to North Dakota State!  Wow!

With this series still to come… UNO is in great shape.

vs. South Dakota State on Thursday the 16th
DH vs. South Dakota State on Friday the 17th
vs. South Dakota State on Saturday the 18th

Two scenarios… if SDSU loses game 2 and if they win it.

If SDSU loses game 2, UNO needs a single win in the series to get a outright conference title. They can not share the conference title with SDSU, only way they lose it is getting swept.

If SDSU wins game 2, UNO needs a split for an outright conference title and a single win to share the conference title.

Either way… ONE MORE WIN and UNO will have a conference title at the Division 1 level in their first season of conference competition. Incredible. I’d love to see it be outright though… so let’s not settle for just the one win!

UNO Baseball – Conference Championship Scenarios – After 5/12

South Dakota State got a 4th win over Fort Wayne to complete the series sweep. Not what UNO was hoping for out of that series, but thankfully the Mavericks have been fairly strong the last two weekends taking 5 of 8 in Western Illinois and Oakland. That means UNO heads back home still in 1st place in the Summit League. All that remains is 6 games over a 5 day stretch…

DH vs. Western Illinois on Tuesday the 14th
vs. South Dakota State on Thursday the 16th
DH vs. South Dakota State on Friday the 17th
vs. South Dakota State on Saturday the 18th

South Dakota State has 2 games at North Dakota State on Tuesday. The Bison have lost SEVEN straight games after starting conference play 6-5. They were once the overwhelming favorites to win the conference, but times have changed. Still this is a team that split four-game series earlier in the year with both Omaha and South Dakota State.

Now to look at the scenarios. On the left is what happens before the series. On the right is what needs to happen in the series to give UNO an outright title.

Remember UNO has 2 games, SDSU 2 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series

This is the same idea, but for a share of the conference title.
Remember UNO has 2 games, SDSU 2 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4 (outright… no chance at shared)
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series (outright… no chance at shared)
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series (outright… no chance at shared)

If UNO sweeps Western Illinois (or SDSU gets swept by North Dakota State… or SDSU loses 1 and UNO wins 1) then a split in the SDSU-UNO series will give UNO a conference title.

UNO Baseball – Conference Championship Scenarios – After 5/11

UNO got a big 7-2 win (after being down 2-1 heading to the 8th) today to get the magic number down to 6. They also have 6 games left… SDSU unfortunately swept their DH so they have one more vs. Fort Wayne and then a DH at North Dakota State on Tuesday before the 4-game series in Omaha to decide the Summit title.

DH vs. Western Illinois on Tuesday the 14th
vs. South Dakota State on Thursday the 16th
DH vs. South Dakota State on Friday the 17th
vs. South Dakota State on Saturday the 18th

Now to look at the scenarios. On the left is what happens before the series. On the right is what needs to happen in the series to give UNO an outright title.

Remember UNO has 2 games, SDSU 3 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
5 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series

This is the same idea, but for a share of the conference title.
Remember UNO has 2 games, SDSU 3 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4 (outright… no chance at shared)
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series (outright… no chance at shared)
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series (outright… no chance at shared)
5 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs

If UNO sweeps Western Illinois (or SDSU loses 2 of the next 3… or SDSU loses 1 and UNO wins 1) then a split in the SDSU-UNO series will give UNO a conference title.

UNO Baseball Enters Home Stretch… Conference Championship Scenarios – After 5/10

Long time no blog everyone… it’s been a refreshing break for me after a busy winter season. I’ve got some fresh ideas and look forward to sharing what I can.

Wanted to talk today a little about UNO Baseball heading into the final week of the season. UNO will wrap up the season on Saturday the 18th with a home game against South Dakota State. They have 6 games before that point.

@ Oakland on Saturday the 11th
DH vs. Western Illinois on Tuesday the 14th
vs. South Dakota State on Thursday the 16th
DH vs. South Dakota State on Friday the 17th.

UNO currently leads South Dakota State by a single game in the standings, 14-5 to 11-6. Yes that seems weird to call a single game because SDSU has played two less games, but that’s what it is.  The Magic Number for UNO is 7! 7 wins/SDSU losses and UNO is conference champs. Since the two teams meet for a 4 game series and in that series every UNO win would be worth 2 (since SDSU would also lose) this means even if UNO loses every game until that point a sweep in the series would make UNO outright conference champs.

Now to look at the more complete scenarios. On the left is what happens before the series. On the right is what needs to happen in the series to give UNO an outright title.

Remember UNO has 3 games, SDSU 5 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to sweep 4-0
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
5 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
6 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
7 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs
8 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs

This is the same idea, but for a share of the conference title.
Remember UNO has 3 games, SDSU 5 games before they meet.
0 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
1 UNO win/SDSU loss before the series –> UNO needs to take 3 of 4
2 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
3 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to split the series
4 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
5 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO needs to win a single game in the series
6 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs
7 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs (outright)
8 UNO wins/SDSU losses before the series –> UNO is conference champs (outright)

Tomorrow (as every day from here on) is a big day. If UNO wins and SDSU gets swept UNO would know a series split against SDSU would give them a conference title. Even a single UNO win/SDSU loss would mean UNO only needs a series win, not a sweep against SDSU, to win the title outright.

A strong finish to the weekend could set UNO up with a chance to win the conference title on Tuesday against Western Illinois. Would be nice to have that kind of breathing room but I certainly suspect South Dakota State will be playing their best ball knowing they are in a good position to make a run at the conference title.

2013 Omaha Baseball – Game #1 Preview – UTSA

Friday, March 1st, 2013 – 6 PM
Wolff Stadium (San Antonio, Texas)
Live Stats
Live Audio – UTSA Feed – Free?

Omaha will get their season off to a start on Friday. It’s a lot later than some schools have started but for the Mavericks it is just right and will start a season where they’ll play 56 games by March 18th. The longest stretch of days off is a couple of 4 day of stretches from April 22nd through the 25th and from April 29th through May 2nd. And that’s assuming that nothing from earlier in the year gets rained out and games get scheduled during that time. There’s been talk of UNO and Nebraska getting together if the schools have rainouts early in the year and Nebraska only has Kansas State on the 23rd of April scheduled for those two breaks right now…. so that may be when that happens. Either way, I’m not real concerned about the Mavericks waiting until March 1st to start when the season will be relentless after this.

Omaha was picked to finish sixth (out of six) in the Summit League this year, though just a single vote behind Fort Wayne. Although I made it to a few baseball games last year I would not remotely contend that I can provide you any sort of good preview of this year’s team. Instead I can just say that Omaha brings back four starters. Outfielder Alex Mortenson is back for his sophomore year after starting 43 games and hitting .292 with 19 runs, 4 home runs, and 26 RBIs. Junior infielder Caleb Palensky started all 48 games and hit .250 last year with 24 runs and 17 RBIs. Senior infielder Tyler Splichal hit .302 last year with four runs and four RBIs before getting hurt after 14 games while senior outfielder Connor McCrite hit .193 with five runs and five RBIs in 30 starts.

The Mavericks return a slew of pitchers this year. Senior Matt Tew started the most posting a 1-6 record in 13 starts with a 5.60 ERA. Sophomore Zach Williamson started four games and appeared in eight others while posting a 4.65 ERA and a 2-2 record. Senior Derek Landis started four games, appeared in nine others, and went 1-3 with a 5.02 ERA while senior lefty Cory Buckley went 1-2 in three starts with a 5.62 ERA. Omaha’s best lefty by ERA last year was Cole Volkers who started three games, appeared in seven others, and went 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Finally junior Josh Bullock is back after going 0-4 with a 6.12 ERA in 15 appearances and five starts.

Are any of those guys going to start? Well yes of course and Mortensen, Palensky, and Splichal seem to be locks to start to me. Omaha does have 13 freshman on the roster and two other sophomores we haven’t talked about so there will be plenty of competition from new players and other veterans. Omaha’s got a 35-man roster right now so there will be a lot of players angling for some time.

As the season goes on we’ll get a better feel for how competitive Omaha will be. They had some good moments last year and with softball off to such a great start I know that I may be expecting more out of them than is realistic, but let’s hope they can live up to it. Excitingly the first home game is just a week away, a 1 PM game against North Dakota at Westside on Friday the 8th.

Matchup

Omaha	Category	UTSA
N/A	Record	6-3
N/A	Batting Average	.356
N/A	HRs	5
N/A	Slugging %	.495
N/A	On Base %	.431
N/A	Stolen Bases	12
N/A	Runs/Game	8.78
N/A	ERA	3.69
N/A	Runs Allowed/Game	5.44
N/A	Shutouts	0
N/A	Strikeouts/Game	6.89
N/A	Opp. Batting Average	.302
N/A	Fielding %	.953

Team Info
The Roadrunners are starting their first season in the WAC after playing in the Southland last year. UTSA was 22-32 last year, 11-21 in the Southland and was picked to finish 8th in this year’s WAC. The Roadrunners are led by Daniel Rockett, an honorable mention All-Southland selection last year, who is hitting .514 with 12 RBIs already. RJ Perucki, third-team All-Southland last year, already has 17 RBIs and is hitting .425. The top pitcher for the Roadrunners is Nolan Trabanino who is 3-0 this year with a 1.29 ERA. Michael Kraft has started the first games of the two weekend series so far but is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA and has only pitched seven innings so far.

Previous Meetings
This is the first meeting between the two schools.

Summit League Preview – Baseball

Since UNO is joining the Summit League, something new and unfamiliar to all of us, I thought it’d be helpful to take a look at the League and the Sports that they offer, and what UNO can expect.  For a list of all the posts on the different sports, please refer back to this intro.

Baseball History

Tournament and Regular Season History

The Summit League has been playing baseball since 1984.  There was no regular season the first year, but Missouri State won a tournament amongst the 7 teams to end the year.  Northern Iowa, who went 12-18 on the year, was actually the league runner-up.  Missouri State would go on to win the first 6 conference tournaments. The first regular season champion was Eastern Illinois who went 8-0 in 1985.  They went on to win 2 other regular season titles (1987 and 1991).  Wright State saw a brief period of dominance in the early 90’s as they won 3 straight titles from 1992 to 1994.  Oral Roberts has absolutely dominated baseball since joining the league in 1998.  They won the league tournament in 1998 and have not lost the tournament since, 13 straight titles.  They have also won the regular season title every year since 1999, although South Dakota State tied them in 2010 at 19-9, the first time Oral Roberts had more than 4 conference losses since before the streak started.  The last undefeated season was by Missouri State in 1990, at 11-0, while the most wins in a single season belong to Oral Roberts, who went 26-1 in 2000.

The conference tournament was originally hosted in Chicago, Illinois, and has been hosted there 10 times, but none since 1997.  Other locations to host it have been Charleston, Illinois (twice), Troy, Alabama (once), Shreveport, Louisiana (once), and Macomb, Illinois (once).  Since 1998 the tournament has been held in Tulsa, Oklahoma every year except for 2.  However in 2011 the tournament will be in Sioux Falls and is presented by American Airlines.  The top four teams in the conference will participate in the tournament, a basic double elimination tournament.

The Summit League was split into two divisions at two different periods.  Between 1985 and 1992 there was a Blue Division and a Gold Division.  From 1995 to 1998 the league was split into an East Division and a West Division.  There are no plans to return to a Divisional system at this point.

Award Winning Players

David Castillo (2002-03) and Dennis Bigley (2004-05), both from Oral Roberts, are the only two-time winners of the Player of the Year award.  Brian Anderson of Wright State was a two-time winner of the Pitcher of the Year award in 1992-93, Mike Rose of Oral Roberts accomplished the same feat in 1999-00 and Dennis Bigley of Oral Roberts did it in 2004-05.  Keith Guttin of Missouri State has won five Coach of the Year awards (1985-89), Dean Refakes of Illinois-Chicago won two, John Mayotte of Troy won two, Sunny Galloway of Oral Roberts won four, and his successor, Roby Walton, has won four as well.  Stan Hyman of Western Illinois has won it twice.  There has never been a player who won multiple tournament MVPs.

There have been 17 All-Americans since 1992 (depending on what sources you accept).  Four of those have been 1st team selections (Brian Van Kirk of Oral Roberts in 2008 by the ABCA and Collegiate Baseball, Dennis Bigley of Oral Roberts in 2004 by the ABCA, Jeff Stallings of Oral Roberts in 1999 by Collegiate Baseball, and Brian Anderson of Wright State in 1993 by Collegiate Baseball.  There have been 15 Freshman All-Americans since 1990, and 7 Academic All-Americans since 1984.  14 Summit Leaguers have made it to the Big Leagues.

NCAA Tournament History

Missouri State made the 1987 West II Regional, but lost both games they played 9-5 to Arizona State and 10-4 to Pepperdine.  A Summit League team wouldn’t make the NCAA Tournament again until 1994 when Wright State made the Mideast Regional.  Wright State knocked off North Carolina State 14-12 to open the tournament, but lost to Arizona State 7-4 and saw North Carolina State get the last laugh losing 10-6.  In 1995 Wright State was back playing a Play-In Series with conference rival Troy.  Troy won both games 16-7 and 6-5 to advance to the Atlantic I Regional.  Troy was swept at that regional 18-3 by Florida State and 8-5 by Mississippi.

In 1996 Northeastern Illinois got the chance to play in the Play-In Series against in-state rival Northern Illinois, and swept the series 5-1 and 9-2.  The were sent to the West Regional where they were rolled 16-0 by Florida State and 18-1 by Northeastern Illinois.  In 1997 Troy got the Play-In Series chance and swept Detroit 7-4 and 5-4, but were swept out of the South II Regional, 8-2 by Alabama and 5-2 by Southern Cal.

1998 marked the first year of Oral Roberts and saw the league see its first postseason success outside the Play-In Series since 1994.  ORU knocked Butler out in the Play-in, 5-4 (10) and 18-5.  Getting sent to the Central Regional ORU was beaten soundly by Rice 11-1 to open play, but responded with a 20-13 victory over Charlotte.  Washington ended ORU’s season with a 13-6 win.  1999 saw Oral Roberts go straight to the Wichita Regional, where they were promptly sent home, swept 13-5 by Wichita State and 12-4 by Oklahoma State.

In 2000 Oral Roberts got to stay closer to home going to Oklahoma City where they met Oklahoma.  It took 11 innings, but the Sooners finally topped ORU, 6-5.  ORU beat Delaware 4-2 to stay alive, but once again couldn’t top Oklahoma falling 9-7.  In 2001 ORU was sent West to the Los Angeles Regional and was swept 12-4 by Southern Cal and 2-1 by Fresno State.  In 2002 Oral Roberts had the most successful Summit League postseason run so far in the Wichita Regional.  They dispatched the host Wichita State 6-1 in the opener, fell to Arkansas 7-6, but then rebounded to knock out Wichita State with a 15-8 win.  In the regional final ORU lost to Arkansas 11-6.

In 2003 Oral Roberts was sent to College Station, Texas where they lost to a pair of Texas teams, Texas A&M 6-3 and Houston 4-2.  In 2004 Oral Roberts went to Austin for a regional where they swept TCU 6-5 and 10-1, but were swept by Texas 6-5 and 7-3  to end their season.  In 2005 Oral Roberts made their second regional final, this time at the Clemson Regional.  ORU lost their opener 5-2 to the College of Charleston, but rebounded to beat North Carolina A&T 6-3 and CoC 6-0.  In the Regional Final they lost 8-3 to Clemson.

In 2006 Oral Roberts finally broke through, sweeping through the Fayetteville Regional.  They started things off with a 4-3 win over Arkansas in 11 innings, then knocking off Oklahoma State 5-4 to reach the final and beating Oklahoma State 9-2 again to win the Regional.  They were paired with Clemson (where their season had ended the year before) and were swept 11-8 and 6-5.  In 2007 Oral Roberts hoped to build on their success from the previous season, but were swept out of the Wichita Regional, 4-3 by Arizona and 11-4 by Wichita State.

In 2008 Oral Roberts was sent to the Lincoln regional, matched in the first round with UC Irvine who beat ORU 9-7.  ORU was able to stave off elimination defeating one-time Summit League member Eastern Illinois 8-7 in 10 innings, and then upsetting the host Huskers 8-0 to reach the final.  Unfortunately ORU fell by the same 8-0 margin against UC Irvine, a Cinderella team which made a run to the CWS.

In 2009 Oral Roberts put up a fight in the Tempe Regional beating Cal Poly 13-3, losing to Arizona State 4-1, beating Kent State 15-10, and finally losing to Arizona State again, this time by a score of 8-3.

2010 Season

In 2010 Oral Roberts’ Tyler Saladino won Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Centenary’s Boone Whiting won Pitcher of the Year, and South Dakota State’s Ritchie Price was Coach of the Year.  Chris Elder of Oral Roberts was the Tournament MVP.  Boone Whiting of Centenary was named a 3rd team All-American by Ping!Baseball last year, while Trever Vermeulen of South Dakota State was named a 3rd teamer by the NCBWA.  Taylor Shaw of Southern Utah was named to Ping!Baseball’s 3rd team Freshman All-American team, while John Lee of South Dakota State was named to CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine’s 1st team Academic All-American team and Zach Wentz of North Dakota State was named to the 2nd team.

South Dakota State and Oral Roberts each went 19-9, with SDSU winning the tiebreaker to claim the #1 seed for the conference tournament.  Centenary went 17-9 to get the #3 seed while Oakland went 13-14, barely holding off 13-15 IPFW, for the #4 seed.  SDSU and Oral Roberts both won their opening games, and Oral Roberts pounded SDSU 21-6 to advance to the title game.  Oakland upset Centenary 7-2 in an elimination game before SDSU eliminated them 20-4 to move into the title game vs. Oral Roberts.  Needing to win twice South Dakota State wasn’t even able to get the first one, losing 12-2 to give Oral Roberts its 13th straight tournament title.

Oral Roberts advanced to the postseason and was sent to the Norman Regional, hosted by Oklahoma, as the 4 seed.  ORU put up a great fight, but fell in 10 innings, 7-6.  They were able to eliminated California the next day by winning 9-8, but lost to North Carolina 12-4 to finish 3rd in the regional.

In individual records, Billy Stitz of South Dakota State set a conference record with 111 hits and with 273 at-bats, Teammate Joel Blake set the conference record with 33 doubles. Oral Roberts’ Seth Frumanek set a record with 25 home runs.  Pitcher Trever Vermeulen of South Dakota State set a record with 35 appearances for the team.

2011 Season

Several players are climbing the career charts this year.  Billy Stitz of SDSU came into the year 15th with 670 career at-bats and could climb into the top spot.  Justin Kline of NDSU enters the year #8 in Career Batting Average at .389, while teammate Zach Wentz is 20th at .370 and SDSU’s Joel Blake is 18th at .372.  Stitz started the year 19th with 143 runs scored and could climb into the top 3, while his 234 career hits is 10th and he should mount a serious run at the all-time record.  Additionally his 48 career doubles ranks 10th and he should reach the top of that chart, except teammate Joel Blake has 54 already, ranking 4th, and will almost surely become the all-time leader this year.  Stitz starts the year 17th with 9 triples and could reach the top 10 in that category, starts with 357 total bases, 8th all-time, and could finish the all-time leader in that category as well.  On the RBI chart he’s currently 15th with 137, within range of a run at the top of the chart.  Jesse Sawyer’s 38 career home runs places him 6th, and the Jackrabbit will probably take over that category later this year.  His .700 slugging percentage is 4th best all-time, and his 29 times hit by pitch currently ranks 9th.  Finally Joel Blake of SDSU enters the year 20th in slugging percentage at .614.

As far as pitchers go, Justin Kraft of Centenary enters the year at 18th with 19 career wins, within reach of the top 5 with a good season.  Trever Vermeulen of SDSU had 13 career saves sitting at 9th, and within reach of the top 5, as is Stephen Tromblee who has 9 and sits in 17th.  Boone Whiting of Centenary has 251 career strikeouts, placing him in 8th, and has a shot at the top 3.

Oral Roberts is the pick to win the league again with SDSU to odds-on favorite to finish 2nd.  Oakland and Southern Utah finished tied in voting for 3rd, with Western Illinois, North Dakota State, Centenary and IPFW rounding out the poll.

Currently all the teams are under .500 except for Oral Roberts who is 8-7.  South Dakota State at 7-9 and Southern Utah at 7-10 have the look of contenders, while all the other teams have a winning percentage of .250 or less.

As a league the teams are 2-20 vs. teams from BCS conferences (Oral Roberts has defeated both Arizona State and Baylor) with 15 chances left this year.

Future

South Dakota does not participate in baseball, so the Summit League will be down to just 7 baseball teams with the loss of Centenary next year.  Southern Utah will leave in the Summer of 2012, but UNO will jump into their spot and the league will continue with 7 teams for now.  It will be interesting to see how the Mavericks compete from the start.  While ineligible for NCAA Tournament play, the Mavericks will be able to qualify for the Summit League Tournament and could push for that early on.  In 2009 if Centenary had been out of the league, 17-38 IPFW would have been the 4 seed in the conference tournament.  Already a top-level team in the MIAA, a league with several nationally ranked D2 baseball teams, it would seem UNO could push for a conference tournament spot fairly quick.

Mavericks in the Minors

There’s a few Mavericks floating around in Minor League Baseball right now, so let’s check in and see how they are doing…

2009 Mavericks

Evan Porter:

Former UNO Standout SS Evan Porter’s new team, the Williamsport Crosscutters of the Short Season Class A New York-Penn League started their season tonight with a 15-2 win.  Evan didn’t play tonight, which must be quite an odd feeling.  He started every game UNO played during his 4-year career (239 to be exact) and I doubt he missed many games in HS (including the 35-0 season his senior year at Millard North).  So to not play tonight must have been a very weird experience.  He may not have started in the Summer League he’s played in (I believe in Beatrice).

Evan and his teammates will have 76 games to show their stuff before the season ends on September 6th.  All the games can be heard online at www.crosscutters.com if you’d like, they probably have a game tracker as well.  Additionally you can friend request them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Williamsport-Crosscutters/1189556076!

Chris Kessinger:

Chris was drafted by the Seattle Mariners.  I haven’t seen any mention of him anywhere online on a roster, and this article says he will be in a rookie camp in July.  We’ll see where he might pop up.

BTW- Both Evan and Chris are represented by Agent J.R. Rickert, who also represents Correll Buckhalter.

2008 Mavericks

Tyler Cloyd:

Cloyd is another member of the Phillies organization and is playing with the Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class A South Atlantic League.  Last year he started 12 games for Williamsport going 5-4 with a 4.57 ERA.  He also started 1 game and appeared in one other for the Gulf Coast Rookie League Phillies, going 2-0 with no runs and 5 hits against in 11 innings.

This year Tyler is 7-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 13 starts at Lakewood.  He won his last game on June 14th going 6 innings giving up 2 runs against the Lake County Captains. In his last 8 games Tyler is 6-1 and hasn’t given up more than 3 runs, going at least 6 innings in each start.

His team was the best in the league in the First Half currently at 41-25, 3 games clear of 2nd place, with 3 to go.

Bryan Frew:

Bryan, like Evan and Tyler, was a member of the Phillies organization.  He played at Williamsport last year hitting .241 in 55 games with 14 RBIs.  I heard he was cut after that, and then played for the Traverese City Beach Bums, in the Frontier League (think like the Lincoln Saltdogs).  He was cut from that team a week ago on June 13th, he was hitting .222 at that point.

Tim Huber:

Tim was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and started off at the Burlington Royals fo the Rookie Appalachian League where he made 3 appearances and had an 18.00 ERA. He then moved to the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Rookie Pioneer League where he made 13 appearances there going 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA.  During that time he also joined the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League where he made 4 appearances going 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA.

Tim is still listed on the roster, so it seems he will be with the Chukars when they start play on Tuesday.

Chris Weimer:

I’ve read in a few places that it appears Chris will be playing for the Arizona Rookie League Cubs.  He played in Extended Spring Training with the Cubs this year, after signing with them in February.

Dustin Koca:

Well Dustin, much like Bryan Frew, has pursued the Independent Leagues.  He’s playing a bit closer to home though with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.  Dustin signed with Evansville in January and is hitting .293 with 15 RBIs in 25 games.  In his first game, on May 24th, Dustin went 5-5 with a grandslam in his first at bat! Unfortunately his team is struggling currently in last with a record of 7-18.

If you know of anyone else who is a former Maverick and playing ball, let me know and we’ll follow them as well!

D2 Baseball – 4/14

I’m gonna switch up the style of things after today… it’s too much work to try and figure out how the conferences look and how the matchups are affected every day.  So gone will be the daily national updates, and in it’s place will be conference summaries once a week.

April 13^th Review

East Region

(#14) West Chester @ Wilmington (Del.)  – West Chester wins 14-8

Wilmington (Del.) missed a chance to pick up a big win, but they’ll play again tomorrow at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philly.  The winner will be the Bill Giles Inivational Champion. West Chester has won 5 of the last 6 including last years, but Wilmington (Del.) won it in 2007.

Southern Connecticut @ UMass Lowell – Southern Connecticut State wins 10-3, 3-1 (More info here and here)

UMass Lowell missed a chance to keep pace here, Southern Connecticut State got must needed wins.

Saint Anslem @ Bentley – Game of the Day – Saint Anselm wins 10-5 (More info here)

Saint Anslem moves up in the standings while Bentley falls back.

D2 Baseball – 4/13

April 11/12^th Review

Atlantic Region

Mercyhurst @ (#30) Slippery Rock – Merychurst wins 9-6, loses 9- 13 (More info here)

Mercyhurst was unable to get as much seperation as they wanted from Slippery Rock (only up 1 game), while they now trail California (Pa.) by 2 games.

Seton Hill @ Davis and Elkins – Seton Hall wins 6-4, loses 3-4 (More info here)

Seton Hill misses a chance to take the lead in the Northern Division, but with the weekend Davis and Elkins is now up a game in the Central Division.

West Virginia State @ Concord – West Virginia State wins 4-3, 4-2 (More info here)

West Virginia State now leads Concord by 4 games in the Southern Division, meaning it’s pretty much over already.

East Region

Nyack @ Wilmington (Del.) – Postponed until April 27th

UMass Lowell @ Southern Connecticut – Postponed until April 13th

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Bentley @ Saint Anselm – Postponed

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – Rockhurst wins 3-5, loses 6-4, wins 6-0, loses 3-4

Well with the split nothing will change in the conference standings between these two.  Southern Indiana is on top by .5 games, but definitely advantage Rockhurst for getting the sweep on the road.

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis – Northern Kentucky wins 5-0, loses 2-3, loses 1-2 , wins 3-2 (More info here and here)

Indianapolis missed a chance to pull away from Northern Kentucky, however a 4 game margin is looking pretty safe at this point.

South Central Region

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – Angelo State wins 3-2, 13-3 (More info here)

Angelo State remains 3 games back of Abilene Christian, hoping they make a mistake to jump on.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive – Mount Olive wins 17-4 (More info here)

This is what I get for not paying close enough attention… the regular season is over for Mount Olive!  They end up the #2 seed in the conference tournament.  Limestone gets the #6 seed.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – Game of the Day – Barton wins 5-4, loses 0-5 (More info here)

Well since they swept, they stay near each other and Barton gets the #3 seed in the conference tournament, Erksine the #4 seed… rematch next week?

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – PBC GOTW – Georgia College wins 5-4, loses 4-6 (10) (More info here)

Georgia College probably doesn’t need to worry about Columbus State (3.5 games back), but they will have their eye on another team…

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – South Carolina Aiken wins 3-2, 8-5 (More info here)

South Carolina Aiken got the sweep they needed and are only a game out now thanks to Georgia College’s split.

April 13^th Preview

East Region

(#14) West Chester @ Wilmington (Del.)

Wilmington (Del.) is a middle of the pack team in the CACC, but have a great chance to pick up a big non-conference win here.

Southern Connecticut @ UMass Lowell

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Saint Anslem @ Bentley – Game of the Day

Great matchup near the top where Bentley is .5 games out and 1 game ahead of Saint Anslem.

D2 Softball and Baseball – 4/12

Well considering there is only one Softball game I’ve got my eye on today and 2 baseball games, it’s a lot easier to just cover these all in one post… we’ll recap the 11th and 12th together.

Baseball

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – GLVC GOTW

These two series began yesterday and will finish today.  We’ll just cover the entire series in the recap tomorrow.

Here was the previews for the series.

Rockhurst is just a .5 game back of Southern Indiana in the West.  This is a big series to see who the top team in the Division is.

Indianapolis has a chance to pull away from a Northern Kentucky team who is 3 games behind them.

Softball

(#9) Northern Kentucky @ (#4) Missouri-St. Louis – GLVC GOTW

This game was originally scheduled for Friday, and here’s the preview that was written then.

Missouri-St. Louis is alone at the top. Northern Kentucky is a surprise regionaly ranked team to me who doesn’t seem to have much going on.  If they do want to make the tourney they need to move up and this would be a good chance for a big win.

D2 Baseball – 4/11

April 10^th Review

Atlantic Region

(#30) Slippery Rock @ Mercyhurst –  PSAC GOTW – Mercyhurst wins 3-2 (8), 6-0 (More info here)

Mercyhurst has now overtaken Slippery Rock in the Western Division with a great home sweep here.

West Virginia State @ Concord –  WVIAC GOTW – West Virginia State wins 4-2, loses 4-11 (More info here)

Concord picked up a big win in the 2nd game to get back to within 2 games of West Virginia State.

West Virginia Wesleyan @ Fairmont State – Fairmont State wins 5-3, loses 5-9 (More info here)

Fairmont State remains one game ahead of West Virginia Wesleyan after these two games.

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack – CACC GOTW – Wilmington (Del.) wins 3-1 (More info here)

Big win for Wilmington (Del.) who moves into a tie with Nyack in the middle of the standings.

Bentley @ Franklin Pierce – Franklin Pierce wins 14-4 (More info here)

Franklin Pierce jumps past Bentley at the top of the NE-10 standings now.

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – GLVC GOTW – Postponed til Sunday

South Region

(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – SSC GOTW – Game of the Day – Florida Southern wins 8-7, loses 2-15 (More info here)

Barry came through with a major win in a major tourble spot today.  They were in danger of being swept and falling 3 games back of Florida Southern (a result that would have pretty much ended the conference race).  Instead they stay in things only 1 game back.

South Central Region

St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – HC GOTW – St. Mary’s wins 15-9, loses 10-11 (10)

St. Edward’s absolutely had to have that 2nd game and they got it.  They are still a game back of St. Mary’s, and now trail Texas-Permian Basin by 2 games.

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – LSC GOTW – Angelo State wins 7-3, 12-2 (More info here)

Angelo State is now 3 games back of Abilene Christian, they need to finish the sweep tomorrow now.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive – Mount Olive wins 11-4, 2-1 (More info here)

Mount Olive still has a chance to catch Belmont Abbey (they trail by 2 games).  Limestone is going to be too far back.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine –  CC GOTW – Barton wins 12-8 (More info here)

Barton’s win moves them within 1.5 games of Belmont Abbey.  Erskine’s loss drops them 2.5 games out.

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – Georgia College wins 9-8 (more info here)

Georgia College now leads Columbus State by 3.5 games.

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – South Carolina Aiken wins 21-9 (More info here)

South Carolina Aiken keeps pace with Georgia College, still 2 games out.

April 11^th Preview

Atlantic Region

Mercyhurst @ (#30) Slippery Rock

Mercyhurst is only 1 game back of California (Pa.) and could help make this a 2 team race by finishing off Slippery Rock tomorrow (they trail Califonia (Pa.) by 2 games).

Seton Hill @ Davis and Elkins

Good matchup between the top team in the Central (Davis and Elkins) and the #2 team in the North (Seton Hill), but it won’t

West Virginia State @ Concord

West Virginia State leads Concord by 2 games and could extend the lead to 4 games today.

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack

Nyack leads the conference and Wlimington (Del.) is only 2 games back, but a lot of teams are right in it.  This is a big chance for them.

UMass Lowell @ Southern Connecticut

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Bentley @ Saint Anselm

Bentley is now .5 games out, and needs to pick up these wins against a Saint Anslem team who is also in need of wins 1.5 games out.

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana

Rockhurst is just a .5 game back of Southern Indiana in the West.  This is a big series to see who the top team in the Division is.

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis has a chance to pull away from a Northern Kentucky team who is 3 games behind them.

South Central Region

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State

Angelo State needs a sweep here to keep their chances of catching Abilene Christian.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive

Limestone is about out of things, and Mount Olive is still in and looks to finish the sweep here.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – Game of the Day

Barton’s only 1.5 games out, and Erksine is 2 games out.  These game are huge for both teams who need to keep pace with Belmont Abbey.

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – PBC GOTW

Georgia College can put Columbus State away with a sweep (they are already 3.5 games ahead).

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken

Augusta State is probably done (3.5 games behind), but South Carolina Aiken is only 2 games behind and must keep pace today.

D2 Baseball – 4/10

April 9^th Review

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ (#14) West Chester – West Chester wins 19-3 (More info here)

West Chester is very good… Wilmington (Del.), while they are competing for the CACC title is not on nearly the same level.

Assumption @ Southern Connecticut – Assumption wins 10-6 (More info here)

Tough loss for Southern Connecticut State who falls to 5-7 in conference and will probably be eliminated from conference title contention before too long.

Bentley @ UMass Lowell – NE-10 GOTW – Bentley wins 2-1 (11) (More info here)

Big time win for Bentley here in a great game.  This win moves them a game ahead of UMass Lowell at 2nd place in the NE-10.

South Region

(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – Game of the Day – Florida Southern wins 9-7 (More info here)

Florida Southern starts things off the right way, ensuring they will come out of here at worst a game back of Barry.  2 more games tomorrow to end the series.

South Central Region

St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – St. Mary’s wins 18-4 (More info here)

St. Mary’s jumps off to a great start in this 3 game series with a dominating win.

April 10^th Preview

Atlantic Region

(#30) Slippery Rock @ Mercyhurst –  PSAC GOTW

Two game series will be big for Mercyhurst who is already 2 games behind Slippery Rock and has to go to Slippery Rock for 2 games tomorrow.  They need to get these.

West Virginia State @ Concord –  WVIAC GOTW

West Virginia State is up 2 games on Concord in the Southern Division already, a road sweep today would give them a large 4 game lead.

West Virginia Wesleyan @ Fairmont State

This Central Division matchup sees Fairmont State who is up 1 game on West Virginia Wesleyan with a chance to extend their lead and start to catch Davis and Elkins who is 1 game ahead of them.

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack – CACC GOTW

Nyack is currently 1 game out of first place and has a chance here to try and move up on Dominican (N.Y.). Wilmington (Del.) is already a game back of Nyack and behind a lot of teams in the standings.   A loss here would be costly.

Bentley @ Franklin Pierce

Bentley leads the conference at 9-4, and now has to travel to a Franklin Pierce team who is only a .5 game back.  Great matchup at the top tomorrow.

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – GLVC GOTW

Rockhurst is just a .5 game back of Southern Indiana in the West.  This is a big series to see who the top team in the Division is.

South Region

(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – SSC GOTW – Game of the Day

Florida Southern is now up 1 game and can take a major lead of 3 games with a sweep today.

South Central Region

St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – HC GOTW

St. Mary’s is now tied for first place and St. Edward’s is now a full game back.  St. Edward’s at home really needs to win this series with a sweep here.

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – LSC GOTW

Both of these teams are 4 games out now, so if either is going to have a shot at catching Abilene Christian it has to start by winning this series.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive

Mount Olive and Limestone are a full 3 games back of Belmont Abbey, this series will put one of the two into a better position to make a run the other will take a step back and probably be too far back.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine –  CC GOTW

A battle for #2 sees Barton travel to Erksine and the two 11-6 schools will face off just 2 games back.

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – April 10th (ONE GAME)

Georgia College leads the conference by 2 games at this point, Columbus State though is only 2.5 games out. They could pass Georgia College with a home sweep this weekend. Game one of 3 today.

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – April 10th (ONE GAME)

These two teams are #3 and #2 respectively in the Peach Belt.  With Georgia College facing a tough road trip to Columbus State, both teams have a chance to get in to first place.

D2 Baseball – 4/9

April 8th Review

Atlantic Region

(#26) California (Pa.) @ Seton Hill – Seton Hill wins 11-7 (More info here)

Great win for Seton Hall.  Seton Hall has now won 13 straight after a 10-8 start!

East Region

Post @ Dominican (N.Y.) – Game of the Day – Dominican (N.Y.) wins 10-2, 4-3 (10) (More info here)

Dominican takes advantage of an opportunity here and definitely gets a leg up on Post in the CACC (now up 2 games over Post) but also jumps into the conference lead at 9-5.

Nyack @ Bloomfield – Bloomfield wins 8-5, 13-6 (More info here)

Nyack getting swept has dropped them into a tie with Bloomfield at 6-4 one game behind Dominican (N.Y.).

Bentley @ Stonehill – Stonehill wins 4-0 (More info here)

Stonehill with an impressive sweep, but it won’t help their conference standings!

Southern Connecticut @ Franklin Pierce – Franklin Pierce wins 6-0 (More info here)

Good win for Franklin Pierce, but again not going to see any ramifications in the conference standings.

Midwest Region

(#22) Southern Indiana @ Bellarmine – Southern Indiana wins 11-8 (More info here)

Bellarmine had a chance here but gave up a 8-7 lead in the 6th inning.  Good road win for Southern Indiana.

April 9^th Preview

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ (#14) West Chester

Wilimington (Del.) gets a big out of conference chance to get a top 15 win here.

Assumption @ Southern Connecticut

Assumption is sitting near the top of the conference standings, and Southern Connecticut is a full 2.5 games back of Franklin Pierce.  This is a big game for Southern Connecticut who really needs a win.

Bentley @ UMass Lowell – NE-10 GOTW

Great matchup here.  Bentley and UMass Lowell are both 1 game out in conference, the winner of this game will have an edge heading into the final weeks.

South Region

(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – Game of the Day

#1 and #1 in conference start the marquee series of the week.  both are 11-1 and 3 games up on any competition.  This series could determine who wins the conference.

South Central Region

St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s

A great matchup in the Heartland Conference sees the #2 and #3 teams meet.  Btoh teams are .5 games behind Texas-Permian Basin at the top of the standings. This 3 game series (1 Thursday, 2 Friday) will be key for these two teams.

D2 Baseball – 4/8

April 7th Review

Atlantic Region

West Virginia State @ Fairmont State

I can’t find any results from this one anywhere… but considering it’s not going to count for conference standings I’m not going to worry about it too much…

East Region

Post @ Felician – Postponed

Franklin Pierce @ Bentley – Game of the Day – Franklin Pierce win 5-2 (More info here)

Franklin Pierce picks up a big win to move to .5 games behind Bentley (and UMass Lowell… and Assumption) for the conference lead.

Southern Connecticut @ Assumption – Assumption wins 12-11 (More info here)

Assumption moves into a tie for first, Southern Connecticut falls 2 games out, but they sit in 7th place.

April 8th Preview

Atlantic Region

(#26) California (Pa.) @ Seton Hill

Seton Hill gets a great chance to pick up a couple Non-conference wins over a ranked team.

East Region

Post @ Dominican (N.Y.) – Game of the Day

These two teams come in tied in the conference standings, both only a game back of Nyack.  Great chance for either team to take a step in the right direction.  Biggest conference game around tomorrow.  Game of the Day.

Nyack @ Bloomfield

Nyack is 2 games up on Bloomfield, so this game could allow them to get 3 up, or bring them back to the rest of the pack.

Bentley @ Stonehill

Bentley is up on top in conference, but this game won’t affect those standings.  Still a good chance to see two teams in the title chase play.

Southern Connecticut @ Franklin Pierce

This would be a huge game normally, but as a non-conference game it won’t be as big.  Franklin Pierce is expected to take it.

Midwest Region

(#22) Southern Indiana @ Bellarmine

One of the better teams in the East gets to host the top team from the West… good matchup, but it won’t effect conference standings.

D2 Baseball – 4/7

April 6th Review

East Region

Bentley @ UMass Lowell – NE-10 GOTW – Game of the Day – Postponed until April 9th

Southeastern Region

South Carolina Aiken @ Armstrong Atlantic State – South Carolina Aiken wins 16-3 (More info here)

Armstrong suffered a crushing lost here, they’ve fallen out of the conference title race now.

April 7th Preview

Atlantic Region

West Virginia State @ Fairmont State

In this non conference matchup between two conference rivals, West Virginia State travels to upset minded Fairmont State.  West Virginia is the favorite, but Fairmont has had a good start to conference play.

East Region

Post @ Felician – April 7th (ONE GAME)

Both of these CACC teams teams are a game back at 5-3.  The winner of this game will have a leg up on the other in the race to track down Nyack.

Franklin Pierce @ Bentley – April 7th (ONE GAME) – Game of the Day

Bentley leads the conference at 8-3, but Franklin Pierce is hanging 1.5 games back and could pull within a game of Bentley with a win.  I’ll give it the Game of the Day tag, but it’s not the best matchup still.

Southern Connecticut @ Assumption – April 7th (ONE GAME)

Southern Connecticut is in danger of falling out of the race at 2 games down due to the number of teams in front of them.  This would be a big win at an Assumption team that is only a game out of first.

D2 Baseball Update – 4/6

Atlantic Region

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
As of April 6th
East
(#14) West Chester – 27-9 (14-2)
Kutztown – 23-8 (9-3)

West
(#26) California (Pa.) – 25-7 (10-2)
(#30) Slippery Rock – 25-9 (11-5)
Mercyhurst – 21-12 (8-4)
Lock Haven – 11-19 (5-3)

Big Games:
(#30) Slippery Rock @ Mercyhurst – April 10th – PSAC GOTW
Mercyhurst @ (#30) Slippery Rock – April 11th

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
As of April 6th
Northern
Seton Hill – 22-8 (10-2)
Shepherd – 17-14 (5-1)

Central
Davis and Elkins – 16-19 (7-3)
Fairmont State – 8-15 (3-1)
West Virginia Wesleyan – 15-15 (3-3)

Southern
West Virginia State – 14-9 (6-0)
Concord – 17-8 (4-2)

Big Games:
West Virginia State @ Fairmont State – April 7th (NON CONFERENCE)
(#26) California (Pa.) @ Seton Hill – April 8th
West Virginia State @ Concord – April 10th – WVIAC GOTW
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Fairmont State – April 10th
Seton Hill @ Davis and Elkins – April 11th (NON CONFERENCE)
West Virginia State @ Concord – April 11th

Central Region

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
As of April 6th
(#28) Wayne State (Neb.) – 21-7 (11-0)
Minnesota State Mankato – 16-10 (9-1)
Winona State – 16-7 (8-0)

Big Games:

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
As of April 6th
Mountain
(#3) Mesa State – 30-5 (20-2)

Plains
Colorado St. Pueblo – 26-13 (15-9)

Big Games:

East Region

Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
As of April 6th
Nyack – 10-5 (6-2)
Dominican (N.Y.) – 16-9 (7-5)
Wilmington (Del.) – 15-14 (6-4)
Post – 15-7 (5-3)
Felician – 15-12 (5-3)
Bloomfield – 7-16 (4-4)

Big Games:
Post @ Felician – April 7th (ONE GAME)
Post @ Dominican (N.Y.) – April 8th
Nyack @ Bloomfield – April 8th (ONE GAME)
Wilmington (Del.) @ (#14) West Chester – April 9th (ONE GAME)
Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack – April 10th (ONE GAME) – CACC GOTW
Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack – April 11th (ONE GAME)
(#14) West Chester @ Wilmington (Del.) – April 13th (ONE GAME)

East Coast Conference
As of April 6th
Adelphi – 16-6 (8-1)
C.W. Post – 9-18 (6-2)
Concordia (N.Y.) – 15-16-1 (7-4)

Big Games:

Northeast-10 Conference
As of April 6th
Bentley – 17-11 (8-3)
UMass Lowell – 15-7 (8-4)
Assumption – 14-11 (7-4)
Saint Anslem – 10-14 (6-4)
Franklin Pierce – 14-12 (5-3)
Stonehill – 13-11 (6-5)
Southern Connecticut – 10-13 (5-4)
Pace – 11-17-1 (6-7)

Big Games:
Franklin Pierce @ Bentley – April 7th (ONE GAME)
Southern Connecticut @ Assumption – April 7th (ONE GAME)
Bentley @ Stonehill – April 8th (ONE GAME) (NON CONFERENCE)
Southern Connecticut @ Franklin Pierce – April 8th (ONE GAME) (NON CONFERENCE)
Assumption @ Southern Connecticut – April 9th (ONE GAME)
Bentley @ UMass Lowell – April 9th (ONE GAME) – NE-10 GOTW
Bentley @ Franklin Pierce – April 10th (ONE GAME)
UMass Lowell @ Southern Connecticut – April 11th
Bentley @ Saint Anselm – April 11th
Southern Connecticut @ UMass Lowell – April 13th (ONE GAME)
Saint Anslem @ Bentley – April 13th (ONE GAME)

Midwest Region

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
As of April 6th
(#2) Grand Valley State – 28-4 (12-2)
(#16) Ashland – 25-8 (10-2)

Big Games:

Great Lakes Valley Conference
As of April 6th
East
Indianapolis – 25-12 (13-3)
Bellarmine – 21-13 (10-6)
Northern Kentucky – 20-15 (9-7)

West
(#22) Southern Indiana – 25-8 (13-2)
Rockhurst – 25-10 (11-5)

Big Games:
(#22) Southern Indiana @ Bellarmine – April 8th (NON CONFERENCE) (ONE GAME)
Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – April 10th – GLVC GOTW
Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – April 11th
Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis – April 11th
Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis – April 12th

South Region – 8 TEAM REGIONAL

Gulf South Conference
As of April 2nd
East
(#11) West Alabama – 25-10 (10-1)
(#28) North Alabama – 27-13 (3-3)

West
(#5) Southern Arkansas – 32-7 (11-1)
(#20) Delta State – 24-12 (10-2)

Big Games:

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
As of April 6th
East
Albany State – 24-12 (13-0)
Benedict – 19-8 (13-1)

West
Miles – 18-11 (7-4)
Stillman – 14-17 (6-3)
Tuskegee – 9-13 (5-3)

Big Games:

Sunshine State Conference
As of April 6th
(#7) Barry – 31-4 (11-1)
(#1) Florida Southern – 31-5 (11-1)
(#13) Tampa – 29-11 (8-4)

Big Games:
(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – April 9th (ONE GAME)
(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – April 10th – SSC GOTW

South Central Region

Heartland Conference
As of April 6th
(#17) Texas-Permian Basin – 26-10 (22-9)
St. Edward’s – 24-13 (22-10)
St. Mary’s – 24-12 (21-9)
Incarnate Word – 22-12 (19-10)

Big Games:
St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – April 9th (ONE GAME)
St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – April 10th – HC GOTW

Lone Star Conference
As of April 6th
(#9) Abilene Christian – 31-11 (24-8)
(#12) Cameron – 31-10 (23-9)
(#25) Angelo State – 27-15 (20-12)
Southwestern Oklahoma – 26-14 (20-12)

Big Games:
Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – April 10th – LSC GOTW
Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – April 11th

Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
As of April 6th
(#19) Nebraska-Omaha – 29-10 (19-5)
(#5) Emporia State – 29-6 (17-3)
Central Missouri – 21-9 (13-7)
Missouri Southern – 21-13 (13-7)

Big Games:

Southeast Region

Conference Carolinas
As of April 6th
Belmont Abbey – 23-18 (14-5)
(#21) Erksine – 30-8 (11-6)
(#29) Barton – 25-14 (11-6)
Limestone – 24-16 (9-6)
Mount Olive – 23-16 (6-6)
Pfeiffer – 23-13-1 (8-6)

Big Games:
Limestone @ Mount Olive – April 10th
(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – April 10th – CC GOTW
Limestone @ Mount Olive – April 11th (ONE GAME)
(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – April 11th (ONE GAME)

Peach Belt Conference
As of April 2nd
(#8) Georgia College – 25-10 (12-6)
(#24) South Carolina Aiken – 25-14 (10-8)
North Georgia – 20-20 (11-10)
Francis Marion – 22-13-1 (10-9)
Columbus State – 19-15 (9-8)
Augusta State – 20-20 (8-7)
Lander – 23-13 (8-8)

Big Games:
(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – April 10th (ONE GAME)
Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – April 10th (ONE GAME)
(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – April 11th – PBC GOTW
Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – April 11th

South Atlantic Conference
As of April 2nd
(#10) Tusculum – 25-10 (14-1)

Big Games:

West Region – 4 TEAM REGIONAL

California Collegiate Athletic Association
As of April 2nd
(#6) UC San Diego – 22-8 (19-5)
(#15) Sonoma State – 24-9 (16-8)
(#23) Cal State L.A. – 23-13 (15-9)

Big Games:

Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(NO AUTO BID)
(#18) Western Oregon – 18-7 (11-1)

Big Games:

D2 Baseball – 4/6

April 5th Preview

Atlantic Region

Indiana (Pa.) @ Clarion – Clarion wins 3-0, loses 4-10 (More info here)

Can either team be written off, can neither team be written off?  I’d say Indiana (Pa.) is done at 6-8.  Clarion has only played 10 games, so if they win their next 4 they’d be 8-6, so they might be alive still.

Bluefield State @ West Virginia State – West Vrginia State wins 9-6, 12-3

And the undefeated conference start continues for West Virginia State.

(NON CONF) Concord @ Shepherd – Concord wins 5-4 (More info here)

Concord sweeps the entertaining 3 game series.

East Region

Adelphi @ Concordia (N.Y.) – Concordia (N.Y.) wins 4-2, loses 0-5 (More info here)

Concordia hands Adelphis their first loss and stays within 2 games.

Franklin Pierce @ Southern Connecticut – Franklin Pierce wins 7-4, loses 3-4 (More info here)

Walkoff sac-fly for Southern Connecticut.  Franklin Pierce is now 1.5 games back, Southern Connecticut is 2 games back.  Not any clearer picture for either team.

Southern New Hampshire @ Bentley – Bentley wins 9-8 (More info here)

Bentley now leads UMass-Lowell by .5 games at the top of the conference.  Southern New Hampshire is now 3.5 games out.

Pace @ Assumption – Pace wins 9-6 (More info here)

Assumption would have shared the lead with Bentley had they won, instead they sit one game out and Pace is only 3 games out.

Midwest Region

Bellarmine @ Northern Kentucky – Northern Kentucky wins 5-1, 6-5 (10) (More info here)

Well Northern Kentucky scored 5 runs in the last 3 innings to win the 2nd game and stay alive, only 4 games back of Indianapolis. (with a series @ Indianapolis next weekend). Bellarmine is 3 games back now.

South Region

Arkansas Tech @ (#5) Southern Arkansas – Southern Arkansas wins 10-6 (More info here)

Southern Arkansas has pretty much ended the title dreams of Tech who now trails by 4 games.

South Central Region

(#10) Abilene Christian @ (#17) Angelo State – Game of the Day – Abilene Christians wins 8-6 (10) (More info here)

Abilene Christian is now up 4 games in the LSC, and Angelo State is tied with Southwestern Oklahoma for 3rd.  Abilene has made this a 2 team race (Cameron is one game back).

Southeastern Region

Pfeiffer @ Barton – Barton wins 11-4 (More info here)

Barton picks up a huge win to win the series, now 2 games out in conference and tied for 2nd.  Pfeiffer drops to 3.5 games out.

North Georgia @ Augusta State – Augusta State wins 13-11 (More info here)

Augusta State picked up a must win game, stays even with North Georgia in the league, and gets the series win.  Both are 2.5 games back of Georgia College.

South Carolina Aiken @ Armstrong Atlantic State – South Carolina Aiken wins 5-4 (More info here)

Game 2 was halted and suspended for the day. Armstrong is now 4 games out of Georgia College, this 2nd game is a must must must win.

(#20) Columbus State @ Lander – Lander wins 7-1 (More info here)

Impressive series win by Lander who manages to stay within 3 games of Georgia College.

April 6th Preview

East Region

Bentley @ UMass Lowell – NE-10 GOTW – Game of the Day

This game looked good before the weekend, but after a surge by Bentley they now lead UMass Lowell by .5 games.  Now they face off, and UMass Lowell has the advantage of being at home.  It’s only a single game, but it’ll be a big one.

Southeastern Region

South Carolina Aiken @ Armstrong Atlantic State

Assuming they resume Game 2 Monday this will be a big one.  Armstrong Atlantic State can’t afford another loss here.

D2 Baseball – 4/5

April 4th Review

Atlantic Region

(#14) Kutztown @ (#18) West Chester – PSAC GOTW – Kutztown wins 13-6, loses 3-8 (More info here)

West Chester stays one game up on Kutztown.

Clarion @ Indiana (Pa.) – Postponed until Sunday

Slippery Rock @ Lock Haven – Slippery Rock wins 17-3, 9-3 (8) (More info here)

Slippery Rock is one game back of California (Pa.) now.  Lock Haven is now 3 games back.

(NON CONF) Concord @ Shepherd – Concord wins 7-6, 6-5 (More info http://www.shepherdrams.com/page.cfm?story=24958&cat=exclusives)

Great games between these two evenly matched teams.

Bluefield State @ West Virginia State – WVIAC GOTW – West Virginia State wins 1-0, 7-3

West Virginia State the last undefeated team in conference at 4-0.

Central Region

(#4) Mesa State @ Nebraska-Kearney –  RMAC GOTW – Mesa State wins 7-3 (10), 6-4 (More info here)

Well they actually played Friday, but the result was the same.  The final two games were cancelled.  UNK isn’t going to have a shot at the Plains… and the RMAC divisional titles are locked up more or less by Mesa State and Colorado St. Pueblo.

East Region

Felician @ Post – Postponed until Sunday

Dominican (N.Y.) @ Wilmington (Del.) – CACC GOTW – Dominican wins 6-2, loses 0-3

Wilmington is still up on Dominican by 1 game, just behind Post and Nyack for the lead.

Chestnut Hill @ Nyack – Nyack wins 13-10, 6-4 (More info here)

Chestnut Hill is 5-6, but only 2.5 games out.

Adelphi @ Concordia (N.Y.) –  ECC GOTW – Adelphi wins 8-4 (More info here)

Adelphi is still undefeated and up by 1.5 games on 2nd place C.W. Post now.  Doubleheader with Concordia Sunday.  Could basically make this a two team race with a sweep.

Bentley @ Southern New Hampshire – Bentley wins 7-0, 3-1 (More info here)

Bentley leads Southern New Hampshire by 2.5 games now, and is only .5 games back of Umass Lowell

Assumption @ Pace – Assumption wins 13-4, 4-3 (More info here)

Assumption stays .5 games out, Pace falls to 3.5 games out.

Midwest Region

Bellarmine @ Northern Kentucky –  GLVC GOTW – Northern Kentucky wins 6-4, loses 6-9 (More info here)

Northern Kentucky is now 4.5 games behind Indianapolis in the East.  They need to sweep Sunday.

South Region

Arkansas Tech @ (#5) Southern Arkansas – GSC GOTW – Southern Arkansas wins 15-2, 9-4 (More info here)

Southern Arkansas up 3 games on Arkansas Tech now, and off to a great 10-1 star in conference.  2 More games tomorrow and a chance to finishs Arkansas Tech off.

Miles @ Albany State –  SIAC GOTW – Hah just kidding there’s no way these schools will update their sites and give us a score…

Top teams from the East and West face off.

Lane @ Benedict – WE HAVE A FINAL!!! – Benedict wins 11-1, 10-7

Lane is terrible, the conference standings will no longer have them close next update.

South Central Region

(#12) Texas-Permian Basin @ St. Mary’s –  HC GOTW – Texas-Permian Basin wins 4-2 (More info here)

After this series Texas-Permian Basin emerges up .5 games in conference.

(#10) Abilene Christian @ (#17) Angelo State –  LSC GOTW – Game of the Day – Angelo State wins 23-6, loses 3-5 (More info here)

Angelo manages to stay only 3 games back of Abilene, but needs to get the split by winning tomorrow.

Southeastern Region

(#26) Pfeiffer @ Barton –  CC GOTW – Pfeiffer wins 11-10, loses 5-12

Pfeiffer is now 2.5 games out of 1st, and Barton is now only 2 games out.  They’ll play 2 more tomorrow.  Getting swept tomorrow would be a killer for either team.

North Georgia @ Augusta State – Augusta State wins 16-8, loses 7-8 (More info here)

North Georgia almost got swept today, but scored 2 in the 9th of game 2 to win it.  Augusta State gets to hang around a bit longer only 1 game back of North Georgia, but 3 back of Georgia College.   One more tomorrow.

South Carolina Aiken @ Armstrong Atlantic State – South Carolina Aiken wins 8-3 (More info here)

A sweep tomorrow for USC Aiken ends Armstrong’s title hopes.

(#23) Francis Marion @ (#8) Georgia College – PBC GOTW – Georgia College wins 4-1, loses 3-9 (More info here)

Georgia College ends the series up 2.5 games on Francis Marion.

(#20) Columbus State @ Lander – Columbus State wins 8-0, loses 2-4 (More info here)

One more tomorrow in this series. Lander is already down 3.5 games in conference. Must win.

April 5th Preview

Atlantic Region

Indiana (Pa.) @ Clarion

These two are hanging around in the West, but the loser can probably be written off.

Bluefield State @ West Virginia State

West Virginia State will try to continue their undefeated conferene start.

(NON CONF) Concord @ Shepherd

This matchup provided two good games tomorrow, hopefully these are as good.

East Region

Adelphi @ Concordia (N.Y.)

Concordia might be out if they get swept.

Franklin Pierce @ Southern Connecticut

This league is ssuch a mess, everyone staked togethere.  Both teams are in the running but middle of the pack right now.

Southern New Hampshire @ Bentley

Southern New Hampshire really needs to get this one today.

Pace @ Assumption

Pace really needs the win today to avoid falling out.

Midwest Region

Bellarmine @ Northern Kentucky

I think Northern Kentucky is done if they lose today.

South Region

Arkansas Tech @ (#5) Southern Arkansas

Southern Arkansas looks to finish the sweep, while Arkansas Tech gets two more chances.  If they get swept they are out of the conference title race.

South Central Region

(#10) Abilene Christian @ (#17) Angelo State – Game of the Day.

Angelo State MUST win tomorrow to have a shot at the conference title still.  Game of the Day!

Southeastern Region

Pfeiffer @ Barton

Either team would probably consider getting swept a disaster… but a split might be just as damaging.

North Georgia @ Augusta State

Augusta State can’t afford to get swept.

South Carolina Aiken @ Armstrong Atlantic State

Armstrong Atlantic State can’t get swept here or they kiss their conference title dreams goodbye.

(#20) Columbus State @ Lander

A must win for Lander, who split the games on Saturday.