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| Rowan joined Kean in the DIII World Series in 2025. This was the first time since 1985 when William Paterson and Montclair State were part of the six team field. d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
By Jim Dixon, D3sports.com
More teams from this region have made a DIII World Series Championship game than any other with eight teams from three different conferences. Six of these teams won the whole thing in the fifty years of the DIII World Series. Most of these teams have come out of the NJAC and the top teams vying for the national stage consists of several NJAC teams. Rowan, Kean are mentioned most often as the teams with the talent to win the title in East Lake this June. Don't count out the other conference members as this conference sent the most teams to the NCAA Playoffs in 2025 and could very well do it again.
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| Bryan Torresani replaced 36 year head coach Tim Neiman on the DeSales dugout bench this summer.. DeSales athletics photo |
Add Penn State Harrisburg to the list of favorites. Every year a team who has never made the final eight, reaches the World Series and Harrisburg is a favorite to become a World Series rookie. They will have to get past Keystone in the United East. The Giants live up to their nickname, making the Regional round every year they have been eligible and one of those eight teams that played in a World Series Championship game. While we note the top candidate from Region 4 to make a rookie appearance is in the UE, Arcadia and Stevens in the MAC Freedom also have the potential to play in the final round for the first time. Misericordia showed they can win it all with their style of play and after a rebuilding year look for them to compete for the top of the conference and region.
New Faces
Joshua Knight, Cairn: Knight comes across the field to the Highlander dugout after a playing and coaching career at Clarks Summit were he led the program from 2022-2024, bringing in the Defenders' largest recruiting class in the program's final season. Knight then took his talents to Susquehanna where he served as an Assistant Coach, overseeing the infield while assisting with hitting and coaching first base.
Jimmy Gulden, Delaware Valley: Delaware Valley announced the hiring of Gulden as the next head coach of Aggies baseball. Gulden brings more than 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently serving nine seasons as the top assistant at Arcadia University. During his tenure, the Knights emerged as a regional powerhouse, winning three MAC Freedom titles (2022, 2023, 2025), earning multiple NCAA Regional appearances, and reaching Top 25 national rankings from 2022 to 2024. "I'm incredibly honored to be named the next head baseball coach at Delaware Valley University," said Gulden. "This is a special opportunity, and I'm excited to begin the next chapter of Aggies baseball. I look forward to building something our players, alumni, and the entire DelVal community can be proud of.
Bryan Torresani, DeSales: Torresani was hired as the fifth head coach of the DeSales program. Torresani will be replacing legendary head coach Tim Neiman who announced his retirement following the end of the 2025 season, his 36th in the dugout for the Bulldogs. Torresani has had an exceptional start to his coaching career as well having won four conference titles at Arcadia. He was the head coach at Immaculata for three years from 2013-16, before serving as the head coach at Arcadia for seven seasons winning 187 games with the Knights. He was an assistant coach at the University of Delaware for one season in 2024 before returning to Division III to become an assistant coach under Neiman in 2025 at DeSales. Torresani also has stints as an assistant coach with LaSalle University and Chestnut Hill College and will begin his tenure at DeSales with a career record of 265-159 (.625) in 10 seasons at Immaculata and Arcadia.
Garrett deMarrais, FDU-Florham: deMarrais began his FDU-Florham chapter on August 11th. deMarrais comes to FDU-Florham from MAC Freedom rival Misericordia. While with the Cougars, deMarrais served as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator. Over his three seasons in Dallas, Pa., he helped lead the Cougars to 110 wins and was part of the 2024 D3 National Championship winning team that went onto defeat Wisconsin-Whitewater two games to one in the best-of-three series in Eastlake, Ohio. "I am honored to have been named the next head baseball coach at FDU-Florham. I am extremely grateful that the hiring committee had the faith in me to take over a program that has the potential to achieve great things in the MAC Freedom," said deMarrais. "I am looking forward to getting on campus and having the opportunity to work alongside the current members of the athletic department as well as a variety of different departments on campus."
Paul Engelhardt, Penn State Berks: Engelhardt has been named the new head baseball coach at Penn State Berks. Engelhardt brings more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience to the Lions, including a highly successful 16-year tenure as the head coach at Moravian. While at Moravian, he compiled a career record of 333-277-1, led the Greyhounds to three NCAA Tournament appearances, and captured Landmark Conference titles in 2010 and 2013. "Having had the opportunity to play against Penn State Berks in the past, I always felt it was a place where I could successfully recruit and build something special," said Engelhardt. "The campus has a unique location and energy, and this was truly the only job I wanted—it's the perfect fit for me. I'm excited for the opportunity to grow the program and compete at both the regional and national levels. Berks offers a chance to think outside the box in recruiting, attracting a different kind of athlete than the traditional four-year path. Our goal is to create a program where student-athletes can transfer in, develop, and reach their full potential."
Chris Collazo, TCNJ: One of Monmouth's (N.J.) all-time greats, Collazo makes his head coaching debut after more than a decade of success as an assistant in the Division I ranks. Collazo returns to the Garden State after two seasons as an ACC assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, where he helped the Panthers achieve the highest RPI ranking in program history this past spring. Collazo spent the 2023 campaign as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware, playing an integral role in the program's first 30-win season. Collazo's lengthiest coaching stint came at his alma mater, where he served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2015 to 2022.
Key Games
Cortland at Kean, March 1st - This will be the first test for the Kean Cougars. Kean should be 8-0 coming into the game with national powerhouse Cortland. This is the first of a tough string of five games where they play Cortland, Arcadia and Trinity (Texas) in an eight day period.
Keystone at Penn College, March 21st, Penn State-Harrisburg at Penn College, April 18th - Keystone and Penn State Harrisburg will only meet in the conference tournament as they do not have a scheduled game against each other. They do travel to Penn College and seeing how the Giants and Lions fare at the Wildcats will give us an idea where these two teams are ranke to each other.
Lehman at Yeshiva, April 14th - Nothing on the line except pride in the programs. This was the most talked about game in the regular season in 2025 and will not be this year as the build up took a decade to make.
Stevens at Arcadia, April 11th - The Ducks of Stevens travel to Arcadia for the end of a weekend doubleheader that is expected to determine who will finish atop the MACF standings. They will have played a single game in Hoboken, N.J. the day before.
Kean at Rowan, April 18th - Two teams in the top 10 of the preseason D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 will play a doubleheader, Kean comes in after a home-away with Rutgers-Newark with Roan finishing up the same with TCNJ.
Conference Previews
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| Lehman posted its first victory since May 9, 2023 when they earned a 7-6 comeback win over Yeshiva, ending a 42 game loss streak. Lehman athletics photo |
City University of New York Athletic Conference: CCNY (8-4, 13-14) earned the top seed as three teams had identical conference records. The reward is to get to play hapless Lehman but this was not enough to get the Beavers a CUNYAC tournament title. Kevin Budzinski (.402, 22 RBI, 17 SB) and Demetri Zirogiannis (.351, 35 RBI) are the best of the batters for CCNY. Erik Rank (.328, 7 RBI; 7-1, 6.65 ERA, 41K) also earned a start in all but one game but excelled more on the mound than at the plate. John Jay (8-4, 15-20) should have the best pitching in the four team league. Pitcher of the Yea Axel Kappes III (5-1, 3.29 ERA, 33K) and Sean Jost (5-1, 5.11 ERA, 47K) can also be expected to finish what they started with three complete game apiece. On the offensive side, CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Sebastian Sanchez (.314, 30 RBI) will be swinging a bat.
Baruch (8-4, 14-19) earned the CUNYAC tournament title with a win over CCNY but with a conference three teams short of qualifying for an automatic pass into the conference, a NPI rank of 343 was far below the cutoff. While John Jay has the best pitching, Baruch has the best outfield duo with Roy Longarzo (.373, 29 RBI, 19K) and Peter Marino (.302, 29 RBI, 10 SB) patrolling the outfield grass. John Kim (5-2, 4.98 ERA, 38K) returns to the mound for the Bearcats. Baruch with all this experience from last season and will be looking to build off of it for another championship. Lehman (0-12, 1-26) ended the 2025 season with 13 straight losses but count this one as a success. They had the most publicized DIII baseball game of the year when they took a 42 game losing streak against Yeshiva's 100 game losing streak. The two teams split a doubleheader for their only wins of the year. Leniel Rivera (.314, 13 RBI) was one of three All-CUNYAC players and the only one to return in 2026.
Predicted Champion: John Jay
Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom: Stevens (18-3, 28-16) is coming off a MACF regular season championship but a 71st NPI ranking and a loss in the tournament saw Kristaps Aldins' squad sitting out the Regional last spring. The Duck saw the largest losses of the top contenders in the MACF but there are bright spots in 2026. They return the last two MACF Pitchers of the Year in David Finch (3-2, 3.70 ERA, 36K) and Erik Sibbach (6-2, 4.43 ERA, 57K). Offensively the team is particularly strong in the middle of the field with Chip Krese (.359, 34 RBI) returning at the top of the lineup anchoring the shortstop position. The best hitter from last season is outfielder Dylan Fishbough (.398, 26RBI, 14SB) and he will be paired with a top recruiting class. Tops new to the team will be catcher Griff Zitko, a graduate student from California Lutheran who excelled in the fall and earned a spot in the middle of the lineup.
Although the Knights of Arcadia (14-7, 29-17) were not the regular season champs last season, they secured their fourth straight NCAA Playoff appearance in 2025. Graduation hit the team with important contributors finishing up their eligibility but like 2025, Arcadia just reloads. They return a good amount of the lineup and think it should be a strength as they compete for slots with 15 new players. The Arcadia outfield is stocked with the likes of seniors Kevin Wheeler (.327, 36 RBI, 17 SB) and Max Oswald (.329, 25 RBI). Joshua Agriesti (.345, 47 RBI) planted himself in the middle of the order last year as a true freshman and expects to continue to make a name as a top threat. Hard hit was the mound where 75% of the innings are gone from last season. Sophomore Braden Kelly (1-4, 6.47 ERA, 25K) is the top starter and graduate student Jadon Dormer (1-0, 2 Saves, 4.70 ERA, 11K) is the top reliever coming back.
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| Misericordia shortstop Owen Cordner is the last starting player from The Cougar's championship season in 2024. d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
The lineup Misericordia (14-7, 26-16) puts on the field in 2026 will not look like the team that was national champions just two years ago. Head coach Pete Egbert noted that the Cougars were rebuilding in 2025 and the project is still in progress. The 2026 squad will be very young on the mound and those position players returning need to step into more defined roles. The top returners are predominately in their junior year so 2027 might be the time we see the Cougars take their show back to...no wait the 2027 DIII World Series is in York, Pa for the first time. Among the junior class is second baseman Brooks Kanwisher (.291, 29 RBI) who does many things the "Coug way". He plays solid defense, turns a double play well and handles the bat. His double play partner is the the final piece of the 2024 NCAA Champions still playing for Misericordia, shortstop Owen Cordner (.214, 10 RBI, 12 SB).
Lebanon Valley (13-8, 22-20-1) and DeSales (12-9, 21-18) competed with each other in the middle of the standings with Lebanon Valley getting the tournament spot and DeSales saying goodbye to their long-time coach Tim Neiman without a last shot at a title run. The Bulldogs found their new head coach out of their rival Arcadia's program in Bryan Torresani. Having spent the last year in the DeSales dugout last spring, look for a smooth transition. The Bulldogs will be good defensively with an unproven offense and talented pitching staff. The top bat for the Bulldogs is JT Anderosky (.331, 24 RBI, 20 SB). Lebanon Valley will have a solid infield with second baseman Dylan Mennillo (.263, 14 RBI), shortstop Owen Berry (.272, 24 RBI, 14 SB; 0-1, 2.84 ERA, 7K) and third baseman Carter Enders (.340, 14 RBI) all returning. In the outfield, the big news is the inclusion of DI Fairfield transfer Lucien Burger. While the LVC backstop, MACF Player of the Year Jace Fettermen is gone, the pitching staff is the best in a decade. Berry has been moved to the rotation and is flourishing and incoming freshmen are also looking like they can start on day one. FDU-Florham (9-12, 17-23) and Delaware Valley (1-20, 3-34) also will be headed by new coaches at the top of their program. With King's (3-18, 11-27) only All-conference performer, Zach Day, finishing his senior season in 2025, the Monarchs will have plenty of work to get to the top of the standings in 2026.
Projected Champion: Arcadia
New Jersey Athletic Conference: With a first place finish, Kean (17-1, 41-11) looked like a lock for the Regional round and they were. After a disappointing 1-2 finish in the NJAC tournament, Kean won their regional and a Super Regional for a trip back to the DIII World Series. Despite the loss of their best pitcher and a top offensive threat, Kean returns a mature offensive team and upgraded on the mound. Tyler Stone (.340, 40 RBI, 10 SB) is the top batter to return on a team that returns a starter in all but one outfield position. Dominic Massino (.298, 35 RBI, 17 SB, .967 FLD%) is the top defensive player, earning a Gold Glove at shortstop. While the graduation of Jason Gilman takes away the top Cougar pitcher, the staff was not a one headed monster. Lucas White (3-1, 2.95 ERA, 43K) and Christian Pareja (6-1, 2.99 ERA, 47K) are back and don't expect to see the quality of the everyday starter to dip. With Jason Basilicata (4-2, 9 Saves, 2.18 ERA, 48) this is one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. Expect another big season from head coach Neil Ioviero's team.
Two straight wins to open the NJAC tournament had Rowan (14-4, 38-12) looking good but two losses left them a game shy of the NJAC championship game. They ended the season as the 12th ranked NPI and was one of five teams from the NJAC to earn a Regional invite. Like Kean, they played well enough to get to the DIII World Series, losing to the eventual champion UW-Whitewater. With a top finish in the NJAC, the Profs earned seven All-NJAC honors but only two players will be back in the fold in 2026. Damon Suriani (.404, 25 RBI, 11 SB) was just the third Prof to earn the league's top rookie award, and the first in the 11 years. While Suriani and senior first baseman Nick Stuble (.400, 29 RBI) tops the offense, it is another freshman in 2025 who will play a big role for the pitching staff - Austin Kreyenhagen (5-1, 1 Save, 2.92 ERA, 47K). His ace duties will have to wait with Zach Coluccio (10-1, 2.70 ERA, 77K) back for a final year.
Montclair State (10-7-1, 24-16-1) and TCNJ (10-7-1, 28-19-1) went different directions in the NJAC tournament with the Red Hawks going 0-BBQ and TCNJ losing out in the championship game. The results factored in the Regional bids as TCNJ got in with a 38th ranking and Montclair was left out with a 56th NPI rank. Montclair will benefit from an influx of young and talented arms that will help complement our older, mature offense. Tops from the offense will be Billy Tigar (.379, 33 RBI), Chase Fischer (.346, 8 HR, 35 RBI) and Jared Levis (.318, 35 RBI, 21 SB). The best pitcher on the staff will be in the bullpen where Patrick Teehan (4-2, 9 Saves, 2.92 ERA, 41K) is one save away from setting the program's all-time saves record. TCNJ's fortunes will be effected by the graduation of their four All-NJAC players. Add that the top five offensive players and pitchers who accounted for 47 of 48 starts were seniors of graduate students and you have the Lions on a major rebuild in 2026. The plan is for the young players to get the experience that comes with getting getting the chance to play everyday and have the Lions rolling as we enter the back part of the season. The first win for TCNJ will be a milestone for head coach Chris Collazo as it will be win number one after spending time as an assistant at D1 programs.
Ramapo (10-8, 28-16) finished the postseason (NJAC tournament and Regional) 1-4 putting a damper on a successful season. The Roadrunners will be transitioning to the post COVID era. With the extra year granted every baseball player, there were many who took advantage of the extra year to play and add a graduate degree in the process. Like a lot of NJAC teams, Ramapo will say good bye to a larger than average group of players and with 12 freshman and 5 transfers, it will be a very new team for 2026. Jake Depetris (4-3, 3.91 ERA, 44K) will be the top starting pitcher returning in 2026 with Julian Caruso (.337, 10 RBI, 13 SB) the top offensive player. The new guys caught on quickly in the fall and a big group of them will be stepping into big roles right away. They are expected to produce right away which has the coaching expectations high for 2026.
Rutgers-Camden (8-10, 30-17) needed a good result in the NJAC tournament living on the bubble at the end of the regular season. They got the best one with a tournament win and no need to await an at large decision. The 2026 season could be different as Camden saw a lot of key players get their diploma. The Scarlet Raptors will rely on the young guys who got a lot of valuable experience in the playoffs and will build off of last year's success. Look for two players who suffered injuries to return and lead the young guns. Jake Watson (.321, 8 RBI, 15 SB) got injured last year but should be available all season in 2026. Danny Torres (2024 stats: 1-1, 4.50 ERA, 28K) is back, missing the 2025 season with Tommy John surgery.
The final four teams Stockton (7-11, 19-19), Rutgers-Newark (7-11, 15-23), William Paterson (3-15, 19-20), New Jersey City (3-15, 13-26-1) all missed the NJAC tournament and sitting below the 100th ranked team had no shot at the NCAA Regional round. Rutgers Newark was yet another program with a big graduation class last year, making them yet another program with young, hungry ballplayers, eager to compete. Their top player is senior shortstop Michael Weinbel (.365, 30 RBI). An intriguing addition to the squad is first baseman RJ Kernan who was a Gold Glove winner at Brookdale Community College in 2025. Stockton had the most All-NJAC players returning in 2026 with Joe Gmitter (.405, 44 RBI) and Nick Avagnano (.373, 6 HR, 36 RBI). William Paterson's Dylan Santos (.357, 38 RBI) is the final All-NJAC player to return in 2026.
Predicted Champion: Kean
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| Keystone has made the Regional round in every year since they became eligible in 2008. Keystone athletics photo by Timothy R Dougherty Photography |
United East Conference: Keystone (15-1, 37-11) will be looking to make it 18th straight Regional appearances since moving to the DIII level. This seems as likely as head coach, Jamie Shevchik getting 27 wins for 800 career victories. A sure bet. The key loss in the off season was the battery of Andy Rivas (all-American catcher) and Sean Brennan (UEC Pitcher of the Year) but Shevchik is the king of recruiting from the junior college ranks. The pitching staff will still be strong with junior Leam Powell (8-0. 4.19 ERA, 47) and senior Anthony Mierez (3-2, 4.97 ERA, 33K) in the starting corps with Luke Baker (0-0, 3.72 ERA, 14K) the top reliever. Senior Carlos Pascual (.354, 49 RBI, 10 SB) is the top returner on offense.
If any team will derail the Keystone dominance at the top of the conference, it will be Penn State-Harrisburg (12-4, 34-13-1). PSH has a shorter string of Regional bids (six) than Keystone and the odds are, no matter who wins the United East, both teams should be representing the conference in mid May - one with the auto bid and the other with an at-large pass. The Lions has the top player in the conference in 2026 D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Blaine Waltimyer (.394, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 19 SB). Look for him to reach the 200 hit mark a month into the season. The top pitcher is also looking to make his mark in the record book. Fisher Druck (6-1, 3.67 ERA, 73K) will need only 36 strikeouts to reach 200 for his career and with his third win of the season will become the program’s all-time wins leader. With a lineup and pitching staff loaded with senior leadership, this might be the time for Penn State Harrisburg to reach the DIII World Series. All the piece are in place.
While the two top teams in the UEC were heading off to the NCAA Regionals with NPI ranks in the 30's, Cairn (11-5, 28-16), Penn College (11-5, 18-18) and St. Mary's (Md.) (11-5, 13-16) were in the middle of the pack with the only path to the postseason coming with the automatic qualifier. Cairn will find a high finish a challenge. They underwent almost a complete roster flip from the previous year with the youth of the program being at the forefront. Channeling the relentless energy and developing a strong mental game on both sides of the ball will be key this season. Penn College is headed the opposite direction, up. The Wildcats will returning six starters from the team who put up one of the best offensive season in school history. Key to building on that success is to get better innings from the pitching staff as a whole. The offense is dominated by players in the junior class with former All-Region players Dallas Griess (.369, 27 RBI) and Shawn Townsend (.410, 33 RBI) topping the lineup. St. Mary's is also retooling with just one non-senior on the 2025 ALL-UEC squad - Rhett Fletcher (.333, 23 RBI).
Penn State-Abington (9-7, 17-20), Lancaster Bible (8-8, 18-21), Wilson (6-10, 9-27) and Penn State-Berks (6-10, 10-29) filled out United East postseason tournament field. The bottom four teams had to first win a play-in game with Lancaster Bible never making the eight-team double elimination tournament (St. Elizabeth was the other team to be eliminated). To change their fortunes, Lancaster Bible is betting on a strong returning lineup, with some key additions at shortstop and catcher. The top returning batter is Dylan Witkowski (.443, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 12 SB) who will also see work on the mound. He will be teamed with transferring shortstop Tanner Smith who played for Indiana Wesleyan last season, and hit over .400 for Clark Summit. The pitching staff will be young and if they match their potential, look to see the Chargers move up the standings.
Rosemont (6-10, 13-25), Penn St. Brandywine (4-12, 8-26), Valley Forge (3-13, 11-28) and Notre Dame (Md.) (3-13, 7-25) round out the rest of the United East. In this group, Penn State Brandywine will be an improved 2026 squad with three starters returning from season long injuries in 2025 and the addition of seven JUCO/D2 transfers in the lineup and the bullpen. With 60% of the innings thrown by freshman in 2025, the pitching staff will benefit with the experience garnered last season. Seniors Ryan Brown (.264, 13 RBI) and Ryan Snyder (.223, 15 RBI) are .300 career hitters and if they can hit like expected, the Lions will get a chance for the conference bid to the Regional playoffs. If the conference looks a little smaller it is. St. Elizabeth will play in the Atlantic East Conference in 2026.
Predicted Champion: Penn State-Harrisburg
University Athletic Association: New York University (8-11-1, 20-17-1) will open 2026 with a good mix of returners and newcomers. While the Violets' may have the best defensive team in over a decade, offensively they will be a different program. This teams identity will come from the top three returners in the staring lineup - Kosta Mocklis (.380, 42 RBI), Harrison Blueweiss (.267, 22 RBI, 11 SB) and Max Oliviera (.328, 21 RBI). If they have good years, the team will have a good year. Don't overlook sophomore CJ Franchini (.326, 34 RBI) who gives a look at the future of the NYU program. Pitching will lean on incoming freshman and transfers for the team to be successful. With a look to the future, the Violets are recruiting nationally and secured the top prep player heading to a DIII school from Kansas in pitcher James Quance for the 2027 season.