By Jim Dixon
D3baseball.com
A weekend of regional action did not disappoint. Eleven top seeds made it through to this round with just one playing on the final day losing to a lower seed. Seven hosts also earned a spot this coming weekend as well. Of those who eliminated top seeds, two were seeded two and three were three seed. No fourth seeds made it with 11 going 0-2 on the weekend. The most surprising of these five were Messiah and McMurry. Messiah benefitted with dual upsets on the first day and McMurry was one of the last teams to be included in the playoffs.
There were only six shutouts last weekend, down from 2024 (16) and 2023 (9). On the hitting side, teams reached the 10 run mark 55 times for for almost 28% of the batting sides. The number of games where both teams put up double digit runs (4) was less than the previous year. The number of blowout wins was about half of the games played. You would expect more blowouts later in the weekend with the top pitchers playing in game one but there was as many at the beginning of the regionals as at the end. The rate UW-La Crosse accounted for half of these games, playing just one game where neither team hit the 10 run mark. It would not be regional weekend without a little rain and that is all we got, a little rain that effected just two regionals.
It has not escaped our notice that we might just have what is an anomaly for the final series. All eight of the top teams in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 are in a Super Regional. With the exception of Salve Regina, the rest of the best eight teams are also hosting. It is possible that at the end of May, we will see the 8th best team in the nation seeded last in the DIII World Series.
Lynchburg, Endicott, Salve Regina, UW-Whitewater all will play this weekend from the field on eight in Eastlake, Ohio last year. If the favorites win this coming weekend, we can see half the 2024 field try their luck in Eastlake, Ohio. There are three teams that will be making a bid for their first World Series appearance. They are Belhaven, Denison and McMurry. Since the NCAA moved to the current playoff format, where the established conferences get an auto bid, there has been a rookie team in the final round every year. We are guaranteed to get at least one World Series rookie as Belhaven will play Denison in a Super Regional.
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| The McMurry War Hawks made program history by defeating the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens by a score of 12-3 to win the La Verne Regional. This is the first Super Regional appearance for a team that returned from a short stint at the DII level in 2018. McMurry athletics photo |
Baltimore Super Regional
No. 17 Case Western Reserve at No. 1 Johns Hopkins
Only one of two of the best stories of 2025 will continue into June. Case Western Reserve is minutes from the site of the DIII World Series and we could see crowds like the last time a local team made the final eight (UW-Oshkosh in Appleton, Wis.). Contrast this to JHU, where head coach Bob Babb is retiring this year and still in search of his first national title. Two years ago, he almost got the elusive title with his class of super sophomores. This year all those sophomores are seniors and have one goal, win the title. Johns Hopkins put together a tough schedule to prepare for this moment as has Case. Look at the top players for the Spartans and you see that it also heavy with seniors and graduate students. We will go with the top team in the nation and look for a quirky fact continue. Johns Hopkins has been in the the World series in 2023, 2021 and 2019.
San Antonio Super Regional
McMurry at No. 6 Trinity (Texas)
One of two single conference Super Regionals. McMurry joined the SCAC this year and was selected as the next to last team in the NCAA Playoffs with at large bid #22. The War Hawks had an easier route to the Super Regional, winning all three games to advance. Trinity (Texas), stumbled in the first Regional Championship game and had to rally late to win the second. Will our Cinderella team survive and make it two rookie teams in the World Series. The evidence is to the contrary as the Tigers defeated McMurry three games to none, outscoring them 16-8 in their three game conference series.
Beverly Super Regional
No. 21 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs No. 4 Endicott
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps needed two wins on Sunday to advance and they took a page from the UW-La Crosse playbook, using a big offensive to get to the Super Regional. Twice the Stags scored more runs in a game (23, 22) than they game up in the entire Regional (21). You might think that Andrew Mazzone would be the offensive star but he was give double digit intentional walks to take his bat out of play. Instead it was Alex Henderson who had the series of his career, with nine home runs in the three day event. They will meet a team that knows how to control an offensive in Endicott. The Gulls have not lost back-to back games for two years and look for Endicott to get another shot at the Walnut and Bronze.
Lynchburg Super Regional
No. 15 Rowan at No. 5 Lynchburg
Rowan could have used the offense they displayed in the Regional, scoring almost 20 runs/game as they swept to this weekend. It is a mirror image with the Claremont-Endicott matchup with a great offense matched to a top pitching staff. Lynchburg has the 6th best ERA in the nation at 3.25. We will wonder if we will see the Profs that pitched and hit well in the Regional of the ones that did not in the NJAC tournament. They will be facing a Lynchburg team that could very well be better than their National Championship team two years ago. Look for a third trip for the Hornets.
Granville Super Regional
Belhaven at No. 2 Denison
One again Denison has to play a team from the Gulf Coast. Last year they lost to Birmingham-Southern, who was making one last run before the school closed. The media circus that followed the Panthers will not be there this year so the story will be ablut the play on the field. Both teams will be playing for their first appearance in the D-III World Series, although Belhaven made a World Series when they were in the NAIA. We are going with the second ranked Big Red. They feature a great offense that is complimented by one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, not only in quality but in depth as well.
Union Super Regional
No. 7 Salve Regina at No. 9 Kean
The Seahawks won their 20th consecutive game to extend their program record on Sunday but to make this 21, they will have to travel to the Kean campus in Union, N.J. Eric Cirella has the Seahawks flying high with the top pitching staff (by ERA) and the 38th best offense (by batting average). This is a tall order for Kean who squeaked by in two of the three games last weekend to win their first regional in more than a decade. There is no guide how these team perform against each other as they will be facing each other for the first time.
Whitewater Super Regional
No. 25 UW-Oshkosh at No. 3 UW-Whitewater
There should be no mysteries between these two WIAC rivals with the Warhawks of UW-Whitewater holding a 5-1 record against the Titans this year, including wins in the last four contests. Nobody swung the bats as well as UW-Oshkosh last Friday and Saturday with 39 runs scored in their two games. On Sunday, they lost their way offensively where they had a stretch where they scored three runs over 15 innings to Chicago. When they needed runs, the offense came alive, ending Chicago's Cinderella season. it will not be as easy to get past UWWhitewater. As the second place team last year, UWW has had a target on their back all season and kept wining. The Warhawks believe there is some unfinished business with this team and nobody wants another year where they watch another team celebrating.
Salisbury Super Regional
Messiah vs No. 8 Salisbury
Salisbury will host this closest team that could fit Cinderella's slipper but 48th NPI ranked Messiah barely fits the image. The Falcons got a big game to start the Regional last weekend from a freshman's first shutout (with an assist by the bullpen). They will need this same performance again if they hope to get past the home standing Salisbury Sea Gulls. Salisbury is having quite the decade with a championship already in the books and a habit of making the DIII World Series on a regular basis. This weekend we see Salisbury making it back to the World Series for their first visit to the host site in Ohio.
We wish all the teams success. No matter the result, every one of those teams that go home after the weekend will have a successful and great season to look back on.