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| UW-Whitewater has made the most appearances in the NCAA Playoffs over the last decade as any team in the Midwest region. d3photography.com photo by Steve Frommell |
by Jim Dixon
D3sports.com
The days you can bank on a Midwest team in the D-III World Series are days gone by. The Warhawks of Whitewater and Cougars of Concordia have not fallen from this rarefied air but it seems that many teams have. Other than the two favorites, there is a mix of teams that want to make their mark. Look for Aurora, St. John's, and St. Scholastica to string enough wins to be playoff contenders. Past these programs, there is not a lot of depth in the region.
The Midwest teams typically waits until March to start and with no spring trip this year, that means April. The MIAC has a dozen games in March, the NACC has Edgewood opening their slate with a trip south in February, the WIAC will open a mostly conference slate the last part of Match while the UMAC is still waiting for a decision.
New Faces
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| While serving as head coach at Lourdes, new Northland head coach Jeremy Snow led the team to a school record 22 victories and the program's only conference post-season appearance in 2018. Northland athletics photo |
Charles Bolden, UW-Eau Claire: UW-Eau Claire athletics director Dan Schumacher has announced the hiring of Bolden as the head coach of the brand new program. "We are excited to welcome Charles to our staff and his family to the community," said Schumacher. "We are all looking forward to having Blugold baseball back on campus." Bolden comes to Eau Claire from Illinois Tech where he was the associate coach. In addition to serving as the hitting, outfield and third base coach, Bolden coordinated recruiting and organized and ran team camps and clinics. Under his tutelage, the Scarlet Hawks offense set school single season records for home runs and stolen bases and were ranked in the top four in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference for every offensive category.
Nat Richter, UW-Stevens Point: Former Pointers second baseman Richter returns to UW-Stevens Point as their head coach. Richter becomes the 15th coach in program history and just the third since his playing days under Pat Bloom in 2004. "We are excited to welcome back another successful alumni to head up our baseball program," UWSP athletics director Brad Duckworth stated. "He has World Series success here as a player and his enthusiasm for the direction of the Pointers program is evident. We are committed to competing for WIAC championships, performing great in the classroom and having a significant impact on the community. Nat's passion for Pointers baseball is unparalleled and I know he will work tirelessly to ensure our student-athletes have the best experiences possible." Richter comes back to UWSP after most recently spending a season as an assistant coach at UW-Oshkosh. There he helped the Titans knock off a pair of ranked opponent in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Jeremy Snow, Northland: College officials announced the hiring of Jeremy Snow as the new Head Coach of LumberJack Baseball in may 2020. Snow, a 2010 graduate of Northland, arrives after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at the University of Northwestern Ohio. Prior to that, Snow spent four seasons as the head coach at Lourdes University. Snow took over the Gray Wolf baseball program after three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. "My family and I would like to thank President Solibakke, Coach Gregory and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity," said Snow. "I am honored to lead the Lumberjack program. As a graduate of Northland College, this position is special to me. I cannot wait to meet the players and get started building a championship culture."
Conference Summaries
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| Soren Roe (pictured) and his twin brother Ethan combined for four extra base hits in 2020 for St. John's. St. John's (Minn.) athletics photo |
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: St. John's (7-1) is the only MIAC team to make the tournament in each of the last five years, winning the series three times. It should be no different in 2021 but they will have to replace a few key players. Outfielder Wyatt Ulrich is a grad-transfer at D1 Richmond, reliever Joey Stock is starting his professional career with the Boston Red Sox and a pair of infielders, Michael Gruber and Jack Schramel graduated. Replacing Stock in the bullpen will be senior Nick Penick (1-0, 2.25 ERA) Junior outfielder Soren Roe (.300, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB) and catcher Ethan Roe (.250, 1 2B, 4 RBI) as the top offensive players returning in 2021.
The turnover with St. John's will be a boon to Gustavus Adolphus (1-0). The Gusties were the regular season champ in the last full season and started 2020 on the right foot with a 13-2 win over Marian in Arizona. A gift of an extra season for seniors following the Covid-19 shortened season will not impact Gustavus as much as other teams as the bulk of their 2020 squad was playing their junior year. Another year of development on their young frames could prove to their rivals that they can make it two regular season titles in a row.
St. Thomas (6-1) is playing out their association with Division III as they will be moving to NCAA Division I in July. A traditional power, they missed the postseason for the first time this decade in 2019. Coach Chris Olean's Tommies raced to a 6-1 start last March before the 2020 season was shutout due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Nearly 12 seniors are expected to return in 2021 to provide leadership and experience, with another dozen or more juniors and sophomores expected to push for playing time. Josh Thorp (.444, 5 3B, 11 RBI) is the Tommies best hitter. A pure hitter, he has power and plus speed so look for his name when All-Americans are announced at the end of the season. Andrew Tri (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 20 K) was clicking in 2020 and with progress to his game, could see him on a minor league baseball roster in 2022.
St. Mary's (Minn.) (6-4) has had a mixed record in the MIAC. With the fourth most appearances in the postseason, they have worst winning percentage of any team with multiple trips. The Cardinals should improve on this as this senior laden team has the potential to shine in 2021. It starts with an All-MIAC battery, All-American James Green (1-1, 3.75 ERA, 10 K) and Justin Weinberg (.526, 9 runs, 8 RBI). Green did not get the start to the 2020 season he wanted but Weinberg was on fire from the first pitch. Third baseman Will Matthews (.279, 4 runs, 9 RBI) stumbled early but along with Green will be given a reset and expect both to rebound to their 2019 numbers.
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| Headlining the returners for St. Olaf is senior outfielder TJ Rogers. Rogers earned All-MIAC honors and was an All-Midwest Region honoree in 2019. d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
St. Olaf (2-2) is another team on the rise. After a solid record in the first decade of the 2000's, they have fallen off the pace. Making the postseason will show that, like Gustavus, they are back. The 2021 version of the Oles will be a mix of veterans and newcomers with early non-conference competition determining the lineup as there will be competition for many spots on the field. Centerfielder TJ Rogers (.375, 1 RBI, 1 SB) will spark the offense, leading off for the Oles. A tough player to strikeout, expect him to put pressure on the defense with the ball in play and as a base runner. Shortstop Matthew Muller (.200, 3 runs, 0 RBI) is another position that is set.
Bethel (4-4) has fallen down the standings since winning the tournament in 2018. A turn around is needed for the Royals. They had a very young team in 2019, usually playing seven freshmen each game. Even though the pandemic stopped the 2020 season eight games in, the experience earned will show in 2021. Look for the Royals to get back into the competition for a MIAC championship. Keep an eye on Joey Fredrickson (.282, 21 RBI, 3 SB). The 2017 & 2018 All-MIAC third baseman will be back as a fifth year senior and will give stability to an up and coming offense.
Macalester (1-2), Augsburg (4-10), Hamline (3-6), Concordia-Moorhead (7-5), and Carleton (0-2) combined for three playoff appearances since 2015 and it might be tough for either of these teams to crack the MIAC postseason. Hamline's graduation list hit the middle of the defense hard and they will need to reload here. Defense and pitching are key to success on the diamond and the Pipers will be young at both these phases of the game.
FAVORITE: St. Thomas (Minn.)
Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference: With minimum travel and an emphasis on playing local teams, it should not be a problem putting together a quality schedule for any team in the NACC. Concordia-Chicago (5-5) will start the season with a target on their back as they look for another NACC title. The Cougars have made the conference tournament 12 of the last 13 and expect 2021 to be lucky 13. The last couple years they needed at at-large bid for the NCAA playofffs so expect a schedule that will give Concordia quality wins and a backup plan if the title escapes their grasp again this year.
It was a long time ago that Aurora (9-2) was in national contention but times have changed. The Spartans have won 30 games in the last two full seasons and a conference tournament title in both. Off to a good start in 2020, the turnaround looks complete and this is the year that the Spartans could replace Concordia-Chicago as the regular season champions. We will not know until May when the teams meet for a four game slate in the next to last weekend of the conference schedule.
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| Benedictine Ryan Miller's no-hitter in 2020 was just one of six thrown in the pandemic shortened season. He transferred to Creighton for the 2021 season. Benedictine athletics photo |
Benedictine (4-3) flirted with joining Division II but is fully re-settled in the NACC. Since rejoining the conference, they have made a steady progressing up the standings and the next step is to challenge the best of the conference in Concordia-Chicago and Aurora. Almost the entire team is back from a season that saw just seven games where the team was poised to break out and make a run in the region. The pitching staff remains elite with 2019 All-Conference pitcher Alex Schram (2019 stats; 5-2, 2.06), Stephen Sewruk (5-0 in 11 career starts), and Justin Sosa showing promise in 2020. With the bats, SS Kyle Mitter (.586, 10 runs, 9 RBI, 7 SB) missed out on an All-American caliber season and C Jack Surin (.464, 5 2B, 6 RBI, 4 SB) drew the interest of scouts.
Rockford (9-3), Milwaukee Engineering (6-3), Concordia (Wis.) (3-2), and Dominican (7-6) will be in competition for the conference tournament. If the top favorites play to their expectations, at least one team in this group will be out of the postseason picture. Rockford looks like they have a team that could accept this challenge. Rockford has a lot of strong returners from last year's team that was off to a fast start before COVID happened. Rockford returns nearly the entire starting lineup, three starting pitchers, and the bullpen. All-American Zach Jones is gone but the return of Christian Dahlstrom (2018 stats: 8 SV, 1-1, 1.65 ERA, 34 K) will ease the pain. Marian (3-5), and Edgewood (1-3), and Lakeland (2-6) will also be looking to crash the postseason party. Illinois Tech (0-6), and Wisconsin Lutheran (0-8) did not get the start they wanted in 2020, both going winless. The confidence that a team gets by putting up Ws will be key for both these programs if they envision a spot in the postseason.
FAVORITE: Aurora
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| Bathany Lutheran participated in the last two NCAA regional playoffs with UMAC tournament wins. Bethany Lutheran athletics photo by David Faulkner SPX Sports |
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: When looking for the favorite in the UMAC, it is set in stone: St. Scholastica (4-4-1). The Saints have an impressive resume in wins and titles but the last couple years, cracks have appeared in their dominance. We predict a final top finish for the Saints. It is not that the quality of the team will fade but in 2022, but they will be a member of the MIAC starting that season.
The teams that will inherit the mantle of front runners when St. Scholastica exits the UMAC will be UW-Superior (2-4), Northwestern (Minn.) (2-8), and Bethany Lutheran (1-6). All have proven to be able to put together solid seasons with the BLC Vikings earning NCAA playoff nods in the last two UMAC playoffs. Two of the three, sometimes all three, have appeared in the most recent UMAC tournaments so next year all three will be working harder to be the team to start another string of dominance.
Crown (3-4), Martin Luther (2-6), Minnesota-Morris (1-4), North Central (Minn.) (1-4), and Northland (1-9) round out the bottom of the conference. None of these teams have an overall record above .500 in the last five full seasons and the expectations are low for this to change in 2021. Northland will be a strong offensive team with a lot of experience in the starting lineup but with a thin pitching staff that needs to stay healthy for the Jacks to have success. Jake Schramm (2019 stats:.436, 0, 4, 16 RBI) is the top player for Northland's new head coach, Jeremy Snow.
FAVORITE: St. Scholastica
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: UW-Whitewater (2-1) use to be part of the big four but while they have maintained a national caliber program, the others have dropped off. Twelve straight NCAA playoff appearances shows the consistent high quality of the Warhawks squad and they are the team to beat in the conference. Pitching will be a strength of the program with Matt O'Sullivan (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 K) back as the team ace. Past O'Sullivan, the pitching corps is pretty good with starter Westin Muir (2019 stats: 8-0, 2.07 ERA, 78 K) and reliever Connor Spear (2019 stats: 7-0, 1 SV, 1.44 ERA, 31 K). Infielder Nick Santoro (.333, 4 runs, 3 RBI) is another All-Conference player back for another season.
The program that is closest to the Warhawks is UW-La Crosse (1-4-1). There are plenty folks in the program that remember quite well how it felt to be in the Championship series, only to let a late lead slip away and watch another team celebrate. This just serves to fuel the Eagles' fire and expect them to be a factor in the conference postseason. UW-Stout (2-1) and UW-Platteville (3-3) made great strides the last few years, both earning a spot in the most recent conference tournament. UW-Stout brings a lot of leadership back in the lineup, but has a young pitching staff. If the pitching holds up, the Blue Devils could make a run in the playoffs. Kasey Bass (2019 stats: .376, 3 HR, 31 RBI) is the top player for Stout but the fortunes rest on the likes of James Palmer (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 4 K) staying healthy.
UW-Stevens Point (1-2) and UW-Oshkosh (2-4) are still working on getting back to the top of the WIAC leaderboard. Stevens Point made a change in their head coach as they continue to search for the right combination that will produce the success they enjoyed under Pat Bloom's leadership. Affiliate Finlandia (0-10) is now in the Coast2Coast but is playing a WIAC schedule this season. The Lions will not be needed as a seventh team for an automatic bid to the playoffs now that UW-Eau Claire (did not play) is ready to play. The Blugolds will be back on the field after discontinuing baseball in 1995.
FAVORITE: UW-Whitewater
Independents: Maranatha Baptist (0-0) was just one of 10 teams that never got off the practice field. The new uniforms that were to be unveiled in 2020 will have to wait until March 19 when they are scheduled to take the field against Lincoln Christian.