By Jim Dixon
D3baseball.com
Wow. It was a weekend of offense. Sure, there were pitching performances to crow about last weekend (three shutouts), but scoring 10 runs did not guarantee a win (6 games). Seven of the top ten teams in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 are here, with an additional six ranked lower in the poll. Two of the teams are receiving votes. One team is not receiving any.
Catholic is squarely in Cinderella territory as the only team in the super-regional round that is not ranked or receiving votes in the Top 25. They are also one of two third- or fourth-seeded teams to make the second round in the playoffs. Ithaca is the second. The rest of the field was either seeded first (9 teams) or second (5 teams). Hosting a regional did not guarantee a spot this weekend as five of the 16 regional hosts are continuing on.
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| UW-Stevens Point designated hitter Lucas Luedtke leads the regular starters in batting with a .379 average. In the final day of the Stevens Point regional, Luedtke had ten hits, five in each of the regional championship games with North Central (Ill.). d3photography.com photo by Doug Sasse |
Marietta super regional
No. 16 Oswego State at No. 2 Marietta
Marietta was an easy pick to win their regional. Not only were they playing in their home stadium, but they have been one of the top teams all season -- ranked among the top three teams in every poll this season. The Pioneers' winning margin in each of the three regional games was no fewer than five runs, showcasing their offense and pitching. On Sunday it looked as though their opponent would be Arcadia, but Oswego State avenged a opening day loss with two wins in the regional championship games. Marietta has the statistical edge with a better team batting average, earned run average and fielding percentage. Marietta will be a big favorite to advance to the D-III World Series.
Whitewater super regional
No. 12 UW-Stevens Point at No. 9 UW-Whitewater
UW-Stevens Point knows this trip to Whitewater well. They made the trip during the regular season, twice. They made the trip again for the WIAC tournament. They are making the trip for the fourth time in the super-regional round. The Pointers and Warhawks did not meet in the WIAC tournament as their fortunes were headed in different directions -- UW-Whitewater went 0-2 and UW-Stevens Point captured the trophy and a pass into the NCAA playoffs. Head to head favors the Warhawks as they took three of four in the regular season and both teams are riding a wave of momentum. UW-Whitewater in three.
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| Peter Giombetti led all Catholic hitters in the three triple crown categories with a .376 batting average, 14 home runs, and 54 RBIs. Catholic athletics photo |
Ithaca super regional
Catholic at RV Ithaca
Ithaca is playing past the regional round for the first time since 2013. Catholic has never made it past the regional round before, in Division III (2011) or Division I (1977). Catholic found their power swings just in time as they advanced with a 13-10 win over Shenandoah. They hit five home runs in the title game, equalling the total in their previous 11 games, as they scored in double digits for the first time this month. The Cardinals will not see such power numbers from the Bombers as the team hit 27 home runs all season. Despite their moniker, it is a power free offense that wins with good pitching and efficiency at the plate. As much as we would like to see Catholic packing their glass slippers for a trip to Iowa, sadly we pick Ithaca in three games.
Birmingham super regional
No. 15 Trinity (Texas) at No 3. Birmingham-Southern
Well here we are again. It was just a few months ago, at the beginning of the season, that the Trinity Tigers made the trip from San Antonio to Birmingham to open their season in the Birmingham-Southern Classic. In just their second game, the Tigers took a 7-4 win over the Panthers at Striplin field. I know the Hulse Patio Social Club will have the grills going with more on the line this weekend than a Presidents Day Weekend tournament. The winner will be returning to the D-III World Series, a goal that was on the minds of both teams as they started fall practices. We know Trinity can hit the ball but it is the 62 runs they allowed in their four game regional with Texas-Dallas that gives us pause. With a pitching staff that sports an ERA two runs better that that of Trinity, we look to Birmingham-Southern wining the head-to-head matchup in three.
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| Baldwin Wallace hit 69 home runs on the season with Luke Vonderhaar hitting 18 dingers in the 2022 season. Baldwin Wallace athletics photo |
Beverly super regional
No. 21 Baldwin Wallace at No. 19 Endicott
You might think this is the closest series looking at how close both teams are ranked to each other and you would be right. Both teams started the season with little recognition and over time, it became more obvious how good each program is. No longer under the radar, it should be a battle. Baldwin Wallace cruised through their regional while Endicott had to defeat a solid Cortland team twice to advance. We think that greater glory rides with the Yellow Jackets: Baldwin Wallace in two.
Salisbury super regional
RV Wooster at No. 7 Salisbury
We had to wait until Monday to know the participants in this regional. Setting up the scoreboard files, our outlook was sunnier, and thought nobody was playing on Monday. Mother Nature had other plans and four teams earn their regional title last Monday. Penciling in a Denison-Bethel series made us glad to have erasers as Wooster and Salisbury won twice on Monday to advance. This regional pits a better hitting team in Wooster against a better pitching program in Salisbury and pitching usually wins out in the end. Salisbury should carry their defense of their 2021 title to Cedar Rapids. Sea Gulls in three.
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| Junior Joe Ruth has played in every single game for the LaGrange Panthers since arriving as a freshman in 2018. LaGrange athletics photo |
Willimantic super regional
No. 10 Rowan at No. 1 Eastern Connecticut
I can understand why nobody wants to play Eastern Connecticut. the top ranked team has a team that fields well, hits well and pitches well. Add in the senior leadership and you get a juggernaut of a team. The stat that sits in the back of my mind is, that for a team that has a long record of success, championships, All-Americans, each win this year adds to a program record for wins in a season. We expect the wins to keep coming but it will not be easy. Rowan is just the team to knock the Warriors off the top spot. last year, they journeyed to a very good Marietta team and won the regional from a team one year later is just as strong of a team as ECSU. There is no denying the Warriors as we have ESCU winning in three games.
LaGrange super regional
No. 17 Chapman at No. 4 LaGrange
LaGrange has a lot to win for. They have a team that is still looking for that first ticket to the D-III World Series. Head coach David Kelton has his team playing as well as anyone in the nation over the last five yearsand all they do is win. And win. And win. Chapman may not look as battle tested but the SCIAC schedule provide more than the usual test for a team and Chapman has dominated their rivals in 2022, whether it was in the regular season or in the playoff regional. We don't have to go out on a limb to pick the Panthers coming out of this regional but we do when we mean LaGrange winning in two games.