The playoff field consists of 48 teams. Forty-two (42) Pool A bids were awarded to conference automatic qualifiers through May 23rd (see 2021 Playoff Central). On May 23, the national selection committee decided who got the six at-large bids and here are the 48 teams in the eight regionals in:Auburn, N.Y., Collegeville, Minn., Decatur, Ill., Hartford, Conn., High Point, N.C., Marietta, Ohio, Saint Paul, Minn. and Whitewater, Wisc.
Here's a preview of the Eight Regional Tournament:
Auburn Regional: regional website
Playing in Cortland's backyard might not make the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State the favorite but in the storied history of ECSU, they never won as many conference games. They have been battle tested by a strong conference and are prepared for anything that their regional opponents have for them. But don't count out Cortland. They are a strong second half team and are peaking at just the right moment. There is a reason the Red Dragons have made a record 28 straight playoff appearances. Our dark horse pick is Keystone. What do they have and how they will respond is a bit of a question mark but their head coach is skilled at getting the best out of their players. If they win the regional, it should not surprise anyone who has watched their program mature. Mitchell quietly put together another strong season but they might just be outmatched. Tufts is still learning what they have. They lost their conference tournament to Amherst and when the Mammoths bowed out of the playoffs, they slipped in. Big things were expected of Tufts at the start of the season and their performance got lost in a region dominated by the Little East and NEWMAC leaders. Merchant-Marine is fitted for glass slippers. They have the qualities that if they put a couple early wins on the board, they might just find themselves the last man standing.
Favorite: Eastern Connecticut State
Cinderella: Merchant-Marine
Dark Horse: Keystone
Collegeville Regional: Regional website
It is a last hurrah for St. Thomas as they play their final D-III season. They could not add a MIAC championship but they can add a regional title and one more trip to the D-III World Series. Built on pitching and defense, don't expect to see a scoring fest when the Tommies take the field. Texas-Dallas had few problems making it through the ASC tournament and bring a ten-game win streak into the regional round. York is a team to keep your eyes on. They have two long win strings and when they start winning, they continue. Winners of 13 of their last 14, they could be starting another streak that would land them in Iowa. Pacific was not on our horizon when the season started but the Boxers have quietly put together a resume that have them looking for a spot at the final ball-game. Chapman would have been a good candidate for favorite, cinderella and dark horse but having played their season only in sunny California, this version of the Panthers are not as well known. Then again they come into the regional as the defending champion and you know that any game with Chapman, you will need your best effort to come out with a win. Scranton is the six seed in the most national of regionals as the teams as the teams span the nation from the west to the east coasts and from Texas to Minnesota.
Favorite: St. Thomas (Minn.)
Cinderella: Pacific
Dark Horse: York
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Decatur Regional: Regional website
Webster would be the favorite if they were put in any other regional. A strong second seed, they bring in a seasoned and experienced squad. I might be penciling them in as my regional pick but sitting as the top seed is our favorite for a regional win and one of three team we see holding a trophy in Cedar Rapids. Washington has already played Webster three times and came out with two wins despite being out-scored in the series by Webster. These two powerhouse teams will find that Denison can go toe-to-toe with any team in the nation and is our dark horse pick in the Decatur Regional. Their first task would be to face host and playoff newcomer, Millikin. The Big Blue is making their first ever foray into the NCAA playoffs and when I checked the dictionary for the definition of cinderella, their picture was there. Having come out of a tough regional, don't look past the hosts. Transylvania is making the trip from Lexington and as you would expect, are bringing their bats. The Pioneers have scored double-digit runs in four of their last five so when you play them you are going to have to bring the lumber as well. The Blue Boys have drawn the right cards. Coming off a surprise series win over Beloit, they will have a fan base that could rival Millikin's at the regional and this might just be what they need to make some noise this weekend.
Favorite: Washington University
Cinderella: Millikin
Dark Horse: Denison
Hartford Regional: Regional website
Southern Maine has played this year in the shadow of rival Eastern Connecticut State in their historical run but every game was well played and the Huskies came out ahead, winning the LEC title. Our regional favorite will take on Johnston and Wales to start the regional. The GNAC champion will have new experiences as they have not been a conference champion since 1998. Husson is our cinderella pick. They started out their season going 0-4 against Southern Maine but rattled off 15 wins after that. They missed another matchup with the Huskies but facing Oswego State is not much of a consolation. The Lakers were the top regionally ranked team in nearby New York and are going to provide a challenge indeed to the Wildcats. The final set of games in the Hartford Regional pits Wheaton (Mass.) with Salve Regina. Wheaton, like the top seeded Huskies came out a winner of a conference with two national contenders and played close games with Babson but the story diverges from here. Salve Regina has Wheaton's number with three wins in an irregularly scheduled series over the last decade. A opening will will be key for either team to advance to Cedar Rapids so circle this game as one to watch on Thursday.
Favorite: Southern Maine
Cinderella: Husson
Dark Horse: Wheaton (Mass.)
High Point Regional: regional website
The southern regional will have one of the strongest teams in the nation in Salisbury. They have dominated their competition and that includes some of the best team in the nation. Southern Virginia knows they can be beaten but it took their C2C rival 23 innings to do that. Expect the Seagulls to book a flight northwest to Cedar Rapids. The Presidents from Washington and Jefferson will have something to say about that. The trip they took to the D-III World Series still lingers in the minds of the team and there is a desire to do it again. Boasting the top winning percentage in D-III, W&J have a combination of pitching and offense that could make them regional champs. LaGrange have made the USA-South their ticket to the playoffs and this year is no different. Their first task though would be facing our cinderella pick, Lynchburg. Winners of the ODAC regular season and tournament, they rose above more nationally known programs in Randolph-Macon and Shenandoah. A surprise fifth seed is Birmingham-Southern. Every year BSC puts together a solid schedule and when regional time comes are more often than not one of the teams in the regional championship game. If one has to look out for BSC making a run, the same can be said of Marymount. A young program that has shown solid improvement every year is ready for that breakout season to put this ball club in the national debate.
Favorite: Salisbury
Cinderella: Lynchburg
Dark Horse: Marymount
Marietta Regional: regional website
Rowan is one of nine teams in the field of 48 to have won a National Championship and are poised to do that again, finding themselves one regional win from another D-III World Series appearance. The one team that will challenge them is the host school, Marietta. The Pioneers showed a little of what they had in the pandemic shortened season of 2020 and proved it was no fluke in 2021. They boast one of the top offenses in the nation and have needed it at times. Seeded third is N.C. Wesleyan. The Bishops are one of three teams in the regional with a National Title on their resume and are playing this year like it was last year not last century. Will we see the team that dominated the USA South or the team that slipped against LaGrange in the conference tournament finals? I hope to see the former as their first test will be St. John Fisher. Making the trip out of New York, the Cardinals will provide a stiff test for even the best in the nation. Rochester will be surprised that we picked them as our cinderella selection. A solid team, that have now made the regional round for two straight years. Their 2019 trip was one to forget but that is in the past and the Yellowjackets will be looking for more positive results. Penn State-Berend will need the same game that they used to upset La Roche. An early win will be important since their will be no gimmie contests this weekend in Marietta.
Favorite: Rowan
Cinderella: Rochester
Dark Horse: N.C. Wesleyan
St. Paul Regional: Regional website
This is one regional that we have disagreed with the seeding of the number one team. Second seeded Aurora is our pick to advance. The Spartans are back in the national conversation and those that follow their program knows this was built from a solid foundation. Their Achilles heal will be that they do not have a stellar record against the top teams and expect this to give comfort to the enemy. Top seeded Trinity (Texas) has shown that they will be a tough team to beat and making the drive to Iowa after a regional win is an even proposition. Trinity will find out early where they stand as they open with Johns Hopkins. An early stumble did not derail the Blue Jay's plans for the season an a repeat trip to Iowa is foremost in their minds. Misericordia brings the most regional experience with an apperance in each of the last ten regional tournaments. This familiarity will serve the Courgars well as they strive to return to the World Series. Host Northwestern (Minn.) and St. Mary's (Minn.) are both regional newbies. Northwestern has the better draw and familiarity with the ball field. UMAC representatives has made challenges but has never broke through with a World Series appearance. The Eagle have wins over three playoff teams and their win over UW-Whitewater served early notice that they are here to play and win. St. Mary's needed a MIAC title to make the regional round. They are playing at a level that no team should look past our cinderella pick.
Favorite: Aurora
Cinderella: St. Mary's (Minn.)
Dark Horse: Johns Hopkins
Whitewater Regional: Regional website
Adrian opens with Salem State but the expectations at the beginning of the year were different. Adrian came in with a long record of playoff success and a regional win was a goal for the program and it is no surprise that are in the regional. For Salem State, they are a few years from a four-year period where they represented the MASCAC three times and at the beginning of the season their playoff drought was forecast to continue. The task ahead of both are now the same, to open with win. Our favorite is UW-Whitewater. Playing at home will give the Warhawks an edge and on this stage any edge is magnified as there are few at this level. They open with Luther, who defeated the ARC regular season champion Coe in the ARC tournament. Of all the teams that we see beating clock, the Norse are tops. The Texas Lutheran/Penn State-Harrisburg game is circled on our schedule. You know that this game will not be a 2-1 win but more of the 14-12 variety. We give the edge to PSH with our dark horse pick in this regional.
Favorite: UW-Whitewater
Cinderella: Luther
Dark Horse: Penn State-Harrisburg