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Cody Turner was a big reason that Chapman was the fourth |
by Ralph Turner
for D3baseball.com
It is heady times for the West Region. Chapman (44-12) celebrated a title in 2019 whereas Texas-Tyler, Cal Lutheran and Trinity (Texas) all celebrated titles of their own in the three years previous. A fifth straight National Champion from the West is a possibility.
No. 1 Chapman starts the season as the preseason favorite but so often the winner in one year stumbles the next. Rowan and Marietta proved that consecutive title years can happen and this is exactly what the Panthers will be looking to duplicate.
Preseason expectations see No. 3 Trinity (Texas) as the top challenger for regional supremacy. The Tigers found success in 2016 with a senior laden team and four years later, the recruiting class that filled many of the vacancies are now seniors. First they need to win their conference and they will get a challenge from No. 22 Texas Lutheran, the 2018 national runner-up, who brings title aspirations into the 2020 season.
Cal Lutheran and La Verne come into this season with strong teams and with No. 23 Concordia (Texas) form the top six contenders for a World Series title. Where is Texas-Tyler in this discussion? They played their last D-III game in 2019 and are now playing a D-II schedule.
New Faces
Kevin Kopple, George Fox: Kopple is taking the helm of the George Fox program. Kopple will take the lead for the Bruins after serving under Marty Hunter for 13 seasons as an assistant coach and the Bruins' recruiting coordinator. As a player, Kopple helped lead his team to consecutive Northwest Conference titles in 2005 and 2006 and an appearance in the NCAA DIII National Tournament in 2006. Kopple joined the program as an assistant coach under Bailey for the 2006-07 season and stayed with the program through Hunter's 12-year tenure as the Bruins' skipper.
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| Belhaven's Hill Denson retired after the 2019 season with over 1000 collegiate wins. Photo by Belhaven athletics |
Kyle Palmer, Belhaven: Palmer takes the helm of the Blazers program from service at D-I California Baptist in Riverside, Calif., where he has most recently worked as Director of Baseball Operations under head coach Gary Adcock. "Among our talented pool of candidates, Kyle's broad experience in recruiting, student-athlete development, competitive excellence and program administration is the ideal blend for us as we move into active NCAA membership", said Belhaven Athletic Director Scott Little, "We are extremely happy to welcome Kyle to the Belhaven family."
Dan Spencer, Linfield: Spencer replaces Stan Manley who retired at the end of the 2019 season. Spencer becomes just the sixth Linfield baseball coach in the span of the last 70 seasons. He takes over a program regarded nationally for its lasting stability and winning ways. Since recording its first Northwest Conference baseball championship in 1923, Linfield has won three national championships (two as part of the NAIA and one in the NCAA in 2013), along with 41 additional conference titles. "I'm very excited and honored to be joining the Linfield family," said Spencer. "Growing up in Southwest Washington in 1975, I would always hear about Linfield and its reputation for winning baseball games. The baseball program and the people at Linfield are all fantastic, no matter what angle you look at it from, whether that's academically, athletically or from a facilities point of view."
Mike Stawski, Mary Hardin-Baylor: The Cru named Mike Stawski as the school’s new head baseball coach this summer. Stawski joins UMHB after turning Concordia-Chicago into a national championship contender in four seasons as the Cougars head coach. Stawski was a three-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year during his tenure at CUC and was the D3baseball.com Midwest Region Coach of the Year. He spent two seasons as head assistant coach and pitching coach at CUC before taking over as head coach. His first collegiate head coaching job was at Spalding, where he posted an 82-44 record in three seasons. The Golden Eagles were 32-11 in his final season as he won SLIAC Coach of the Year honors. Stawski started his coaching career with a three-year stint as head assistant coach and pitching coach at Webster. “When my wife and I got to UMHB, we saw a beautiful campus and outstanding facilities and were just floored by everything the university has to offer,” Stawski said. “It feels like a wonderful place to develop student-athletes in a Christian environment. I think the best baseball days are ahead for UMHB and my family and I are so excited to have this opportunity.
Games to Watch in 2020
February 7th: No. 1 Chapman opens their title defense with a contest with Texas-Dallas.
February 21st: No. 23 Concordia (Texas) opens the ASC with two of three series on the road. Their first game is against Belhaven who will see new head coach Kyle Palmer keen on notching his first ASC win.
February 29th: Cal Lutheran travels to No. 1 Chapman with both teams looking to come out with at least two wins in the three game set.
March 20th: The SCAC schedulers put the Texas Lutheran-Trinity (Texas) matchup early the schedule. A series win will put one team into the drivers seat towards a top seed in the SCAC championship at Cleburne, Texas.
Conference Previews
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| Concordia (Texas), with 19 of the 24 first-place votes, was picked to win the regular season title Photo by Concordia (Texas) athletics |
American Southwest Conference: Led by head coach Tommy Boggs, the former major league pitcher, Concordia (Texas) (37-13) opens the 2020 season on new Field Turf at Tornado Stadium. Returning from the 2019 team that was eliminated by Chapman are 10 regulars and 26 letter winners. D3baseball Honorable Mention All-American SP Matthew Williams (12-2, 3.26 ERA, 93K) is one of six All-ASC returnees including SS Cason Novak (.337), OF Brett Leiferman (.374, 40 RBI), RP Calvin Bush (6-0, 1.49 ERA), SP Taylor Barksdale (5-2, 3.25 ERA) and C Ryan Clouse (.995 fld%, .487 sba%). Coach Boggs is three wins away from 300 career wins.
East Texas Baptist (30-14) was the second pick in the ASC preseason poll and will be led by 2019 ASC Freshman of the Year, starting pitcher Alan Underwood who compiled a 5-2 mark with 33 strikeouts over 65.0 innings with a 2.63 ERA.
Texas-Dallas (21-21) found some quality help in their quest for an ASC title. The Comets picked up D3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year SS Hunter Cheek (.355) who moved back to Texas.
Hardin-Simmons (19-22) made the conference tournament in 2019 and returns eight position players and three pitchers in the 21 returnees. The Cowboys will be led by LF Cade Johnson (.355, 7 HR, 20 RBI). Head Coach Steve Coleman is three wins away from 500 career wins.
LeTourneau (24-21) is a gritty, experienced team with solid pitching that will depend on back end of bullpen. The Yellow Jackets had a late postseason run last year. With four starters and among the 20 returners back in the mix, there is reason for optimism. They will be led by senior OF Bryce Brueggemeyer (.329, 7 HR, 31 RBI) and junior SP Kolton Eberlan,(4-4, 4 SV, 4.36 ERA, 53.2 IP, 44 K).
Louisiana College (31-12) will be led by second team D3baseball.com All-American 3B Clayton Noakes, a junior. Noakes batted .381 with 59 hits, 11 HR and 46 RBI in 2019. Sul Ross State (17-21) has the D3baseball.com All-American at 1B, Tim Johnson, who batted .443 with 19 doubles 9 HR and 49 RBI in 38 games.
Favorite: Concordia (Texas)
Northwest Conference: Whitworth (27-15) won the conference regular season in 2019 but lost to Whitman (28-21) in the conference tourney. Whitman went on the take National Champion Chapman to five games in the first round of the playoff under the new format. Such is the balance in the NWC. The inter-league damage to the W-L records of NWC teams in conference play drops them below the radar in Top 25 balloting and in the regional ranking, but West Region observers are always wary of NWC teams come late May.
C.J. Perry at Whitworth was 2019 NWC Coach of the Year. Coach Perry returns all-NWC pitchers senior RHP Matthew Young (9-3, CG 3, 3.26 ERA, 68K) and junior Austin Rice LHP (6-1, 4.08 ERA, 57K) and All-NWC catcher senior Cody Simmons (.304, 24 R, and caught 12 of 37 base stealers).
Whitman head coach Brian Kitamura will count three All-NWC returning starting pitchers to lead the Blues back to the NCAA tourney in senior Eric Ma (8-3, 4.04 ERA, 67K), senior Travis Craven (8-6, 2.99 ERA, 82K) and junior Matthew Sox (6-2; 3.58 ERA, 81K).
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| George Fox (2004) and Linfield (2013) are the only Northwest Conference teams to be D-III baseball national champions. Photo by George Fox athletics |
New Head Coach Kevin Kopple takes over at George Fox (23-17) sees six returning starters among 21 returnees. Key players include Matt Ramirez (All-NWC, .359, 5 HR, 13 2B, 25 RBI), Chase Fetzer (All-NWC, .298, 3 HR, 11 2B, 17 RBI, 2 SB), Christopher Stone (All-NWC, 5-5, 3.36 ERA, 51K), Landon Schirer (All-NWC, 8-1, 3.00 ERA, 60K), and 2 utility players Chase Fetzer (All-NWC,.298, 3 HR, 11 2B, 17 RBI, 2 SB; 2-3, 5.90 ERA, 20K) and Matt Voelzke (D3baseball.com All-Region, .308, 28 RBI, 3 SB, 2-2, 7 SV, 2.97 ERA, 40K). After finishing 4th in 2019 and just barely missing the tourney, the Bruins could win their first conference title since 2009.
From the National Championship in 2013, Linfield fell to 7-33 in 2019. New head coach Dan Spencer can build the program into his own model. Returnees for the Wildcats are Wyatt Smith (.316, 12 RBI), and Tanner Earhart (.291, 2 HR, 17 RBI). Coach Spencer adds two transfers, SS Tanner Jacques from Skagit Valley and C Cody Stevenson from Clark College.
Favorite: Whitman
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference: No. 3 Trinity (Texas) (35-12) will have six strong returnees for Coach Tim Scannell in the 2020 season. Three starting pitchers include senior left-handed pitcher James Nittoli (6-1, 4.68 ERA, 45K), senior right-hander Mark Tindall (6-0, 3 SV, 3.75 ERA, 58K) and junior right-hander Corey Cater (7-3, 5 SV, 2.43 ERA, 71K). Three senior positional players to watch include outfielders Rafe Chaumette (.351, 44 RBI) and Mason Meredith (.328, 40 RBI, 10 SB), along with catcher Michael Goodrich (.315, 39 RBI).
Texas Lutheran (31-14) was regular season 2019 SCAC co-champs and made the 2019 regional as a Pool C bid where they lost to Concordia-Texas and Trinity. Coach Greg Burnett returns eight position players that started at least 22 games a season ago. The team also brings back four pitchers that tossed more than 18 innings. Among the key returners for TLU is right-fielder Tyler Cauley, a three-year starter, two-time All-Region selection and 2018 All-American. The senior from Baytown, Texas enters his final year with the Bulldogs with a career average of .342 and career numbers of 23 home runs, 131 RBI, 35 doubles, 13 triples, 152 hits, 111 runs, 77 walks, and a career slugging percentage of .635.
Southwestern (24-19) will be led by 1st team All-D3baseball.com senior 3b Daniel Montgomery Jr who had 48 runs, 9 HRs, 15 doubles, 60 hits on his way to a .364 batting average.
Favorite: Trinity (Texas)
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Chapman Head Coach Scott Laverty has D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Nick Garcia to lead the Panthers (44-12) in their defense of the title. The sophomore reliever went 9-0 with 12 saves in 56.0 IP, giving up 14 walks and striking out 82 for a gaudy ERA of 0.64. He is joined by All-SCIAC junior 1B Mack Cheli (.263, 30 RBI, 1.000 fld%) and sophomore 3B Drew Littwin (.294, 34 RBI).
Cal Lutheran (28-16) won it all in 2017 and head coach Marty Slimak has seven position starters and two pitchers among his 21 returnees. Look for good seasons from C Jalen Parks (.269, 10 RBI), LF Ryan Probst (.359, 3 HR, 28 RBI), and DH Tanner Wright (.381, 29 RBI, 13 SB). Pitchers include Alexander Rivas (2.33 ERA, 2-2, 1 SV, 18K) and Zach Hardman (3-0, 2.81 ERA, 30K). Cal Lutheran was runner-up to Chapman in the conference tourney and should contend for the conference crown this year in the always tough SCIAC.
Older college baseball fans always remember the College World Series in 2003 when Rice defeated Stanford and wondered when a “smart school” like Caltech (8-26) would become competitive, like MIT, JHU and Washington Univ. Caltech head coach Kevin Whitehead brought excitement to the 2019 SCIAC season when they beat, Pomona-Pitzer, LaVerne and Cal Lutheran. Caltech returns eight starters, among 12 returnees and greets seven freshmen. The Beavers will be led by Max Popken (.324, 16 RBI) and Dawson Beutler (1-6, 5.44 ERA, 25K). SS/P senior Cortland Perry (.282, 1 HR, 15 doubles, 12 RBI, 2-1, 3 SV, 5.40 ERA, 24K) will provide leadership for this maturing team.
Favorite: Chapman