West Regional Preview


Tyler Pfeffer, the 2012 West Region Player of the Year, has the Whitworth Pirates thinking of another trip to the D-III World Series in May. d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman

By Ralph Turner for D3baseball.com

Whitworth will not surprise any one this year as the Pirates and Trinity (Texas) battle for western supremacy. If not these two, look for traditional powers in the ASC, NWC, or SCIAC to a make a bid for the best team for 2013.

The big news in the West Region is the formation of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) over in the South Region. When the SCAC-East pulled out last summer to form the SAA, the dominoes toppled in Texas. Texas Lutheran and Schreiner will move from the ASC-West to the SCAC in 2014 The net effect should be better balance in this part of the West Region.

New Faces

Caltech - Caltech named Matthew Mark as its new head coach this summer. He takes the reigns of the squad from John D'Auria who retired at the end of June after 24 years at the helm. "After visiting campus, it was obvious to see the excitement and passion Caltech had for its athletics and baseball program," Mark said. "My goal is to lead and create an environment which all players involved can be successful as young men in the classroom, in the community and on the baseball field.

East Texas Baptist - Lee Driggers left his post with the Thunder to take the head baseball coaching position at East Texas Baptist. His winning percentage in his four years at Wheaton is the highest in school history, and his 86 career wins in those four seasons is the third-highest total in school history. Expect East Texas Baptist to improve once Driggers gets settled.

Key regional games to watch.

Because the West Region is essentially three distinct geographic areas, teams must get on a plane for meaningful in-region games. Chapman has always played strong series against Texas schools, and 2013 sees Trinity (Texas) flying to Southern California for a three game series starting the end of January. Chapman then goes to Hardin-Simmons for a three game series in Abilene in April.

The biggest tournament in the West Region this year is in Anthem, Ariz., Feb 7– 10. Representing the NWC will be Pacific Lutheran, George Fox, Linfield and Whitman. Texas-Dallas, Hardin-Simmons and, Concordia-Texas compete from the ASC. The SCIAC schools are Redlands, Whittier and LaVerne. This will showcase who has the horses for the Playoffs in May.

Three other schools make the big trip. Occidental travels to Texas for a three games series at Austin starting Feb 2. Willamette goes to Texas to play Austin and Centenary (La.) on Feb 9-10. Whitworth flies to Cal Lutheran for a three-game series Feb 8-9 and then Pomona-Pitzer on Feb 10. They play at Texas-Tyler and at Austin in Tyler on Mar 2,3.

Hendrix - Former Hendrix infielder and long time assistant Neil Groat was named as the Warriors' head coach. He replaces former head coach R.J. Thomas who left for Southwestern. “I am incredibly excited to be named head baseball coach at Hendrix,” Groat said. “There is always something special about working at your alma mater and to be able to lead the program where you played is a great opportunity.”

Mary Hardin Baylor - Mary Hardin-Baylor's new coach, Ben Shipp, is far from a newcomer to UMHB. In fact he has been working at the university for nearly three decades, most recently serving as the vice president for athletics. Shipp replaces Derek Dunaway, who was 40-37 in two years as head coach of the Crusaders. "I'm really excited," Shipp said. "Baseball is in my blood. Once you have been a player and then a coach, it never goes away."

Southwestern - R.J. Thomas was announced this summer as the new head coach for the Pirate squad. Thomas revived the Hendrix program, pulling in some of the top talent in Division III baseball from around the nation and improved the team each season, highlighted by a 2009 SCAC championship. "I am honored to be at Southwestern University," shared Thomas. "It is a privilege to be a part of a program that has such a long and storied history. I am excited to get started and look forward to rebuilding this program back to the standards you expect with Southwestern baseball."

Texas Tyler - Chris Bertrand, who most recently served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Louisiana State-Shreveport, is the head coach at Texas-Tyler. “We are going to work hard, we are going to work smart, we are going to do things the right way, and we are going to be great ambassadors for this university and for this community," said Bertrand.

Whitman - Sean Kinney was named interim head coach of Whitman following the resignation of Jared Holowaty. Kinney was an All-Northwest Conference center fielder during his playing days at Whitman."This opportunity to be the head coach at Whitman is obviously a dream come true for me," Kinney says. "As someone who played for Whitman, I can say that no one cares more about this program and its student athletes than I do.


Cole Thompson and the rest of the Centenary (La.) Gents will be eligible for the playoffs in 2015. Centenary (La.) athletics photo

American Southwest Conference: The ASC has a new king of the hill. Concordia-Texas won the 2011 and 2012 crowns and head coach Tommy Boggs wants to keep his Tornados there. Favored to win the ASC-West, the Tornados have early season tests in Anthem, Ariz., especially with games against Pacific Lutheran and Linfield. Mid-week games against Trinity (Texas) in latter half of the season should be key contests affecting the Regional Rankings. Hardin-Simmons tied for third in the ASC-West in 2012. The Cowboys bring James Simmons into the starting rotation in hopes of strengthening the pitching rotation. Hardin-Simmons has a quality non-conference schedule including the Anthem, Ariz. series and a three-game series hosting Chapman. Texas Lutheran gives it one more try for an ASC title before moving (with Schreiner) to the SCAC in 2014. The ASC will have two seven-team divisions and the top four from each division will qualify for the post-season tournament to be hosted by the highest West Region seed.

Coaching changes are the big news in the ASC-East. Perennial favorite Texas-Tyler hired Chris Bertrand to take the helm of a solid Patriot team. The previous head coach, Paul Wyczawski resigned in June 2012 to go to Dubuque to be closer to his family after winning the ASC-East both times in his two season at Texas-Tyler. 2012 ASC-East Co-champs Texas-Dallas lost All-American CF Chase Brown but returns SP Derek Dallas for the 2013 season. The Comets also have six starting position players and SP Jason Fink around which to build 2013 title hopes. Texas-Dallas also plays in the Anthem, Ariz. tourney, so we can see what type of team Coach Shane Shewmake will field in 2013. It was 2010 when Mississippi College last made the NCAA post-season. The Choctaws have major rebuilding in store for 2013. Coach Brian Owens will draw from three starters and 14 returning players in quest for the ASC-East crown. Louisiana College returns seven starters and 21 returning players from last year’s team that made the ASC playoffs. Wildcat baseball was particularly active in the local Pineville community with more 200 hours of volunteer service including Salvation Army bell ringer and donating more than 40 pints of blood in the annual “Life Day” Blood Drive. East Texas Baptist made headlines in the off-season by hiring former McMurry and Wheaton (Ill.) head coach Lee Driggers. Coach Driggers will have a new coaching staff and almost a brand new crop of players. ETBU has approved the fundraising for a $4 million stadium with a turf field. This is an exciting time for ETBU baseball enthusiasts.


Two-time All-American Tim Wilson looks to get the Linfield Wildcats back in the playoffs for 2013. Linfield athletics photo

Northwest Conference: - The NWC will have another heated race with at least three teams serving as strong contenders for the conference Pool A bid. Defending NWC and West Region champion Whitworth returns nine starters and 19 total players. Whitworth has sought strong non-conference games against Cal Lutheran, Pomona-Pitzer, and Texas-Tyler. Players to watch include junior OF Tyler Pfeffer and sophomore SPDan Scheibe who are prominent names fighting for national honors as well as the playoffs in May. Coach Scott Brosius’ Linfield Wildcats start the season in Arizona against four strong West Region teams: La Verne, Redlands, Texas-Dallas and Concordia-Texas. The Wildcats finished fourth in 2012, and will need another stellar year from junior Tim Wilson. Pacific Lutheran finished third in 2012. The Lutes need to replace the infield but are well positioned to re-load. Led by SP Max Beatty, the Lutes will return three position players, four starters and a closer. George Fox won the Whitworth series and looks to continue building. The Bruins lost NWC Pitcher of the Year, Brian Ranta, but looks to a talented young pitching staff in 2013 season.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference: The SCAC will maintain its automatic qualifier status for the 2013 and 2014 seasons by virtue of four core members sponsoring the sport. By 2015, Centenary (La.) should have completed provisional status and become the seventh full member to sponsor baseball. Trinity (Texas) was a Pool C selection in 2012 and is the overwhelming favorite for 2013. A four-team tourney is scheduled for Southwestern (Texas) in late April. Hendrix moved to the Southern Athletic Assocaition and is included in the South Regional Preview


Trinity (Texas) pitcher Ryan Lucero was named a 2013 D3baseball.com preseason All-American. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: The SCIAC may be the most balanced, most talented conference in the West Region. The preseason crystal ball sees no less than five potential contenders for the SCIAC Pool A bid. Pomona-Pitzer returns eight starters, two starting pitchers and a reliever from the 2012 SCIAC runners-up. RF/1B Nick Gentili and P/1B Jake Bruml will lead the Sagehens. La Verne won the 2012 crown but lost All-American and gold glove winner Jacob Ludvik. With ten returning starters, La Verne is a good hitting team with solid defense and decent pitching staff. Cal Lutheran finished tied for third place in the 2012 season. The Kingsmen return seven position players and one starting pitcher including senior 1B Nick Boggan. The Kingsmen host Whitworth for three games opening weekend Feb 8-9 and then George Fox the next weekend before starting SCIAC play. Redlands finished 13-15 in SCIAC play last year. Bulldog coach Scott Laverty has five starting position players, two starters and a closer around which to build his 2013. Winning 16 games this season breaks the Redland school record of 304 wins held by Paul Taylor. Senior SP Kyle Hart hopes to rebound to 2011 form when he led the Bulldogs to the 2011 West Region playoffs. Chapman is eligible for the SCIAC title in 2013 and is a fifth contender for the SCIAC crown. Chapman has a very good non-conference schedule with a three game series against Trinity (Texas) and Hardin-Simmons to boost their strength of schedule numbers. The problem with so much balance in the conference is that a very good team may not break from the pack to make the case for a Pool C bid.