Trinity (Texas) will enter the 2023 season as the favorite of many, including the conference preseason poll, to win the SCAC. d3photography photo by David Malamut

By Ralph Turner
for D3baseball.com

No. 5 Trinity (Texas) swept Birmingham-Southern to earn its ticket to Cedar Rapids for the 2022 National Championships, their first appearance since winning the NCAA Championship in 2017. The Tigers ran into a LaGrange squad who send the two best teams from Region 10 home. The SCAC Champs went home with a 1-2 record in the DIII World Series and No. 7 Chapman Panthers returned to California after a 1-2 record in the super-regionals held at LaGrange. Of the 40-odd conferences in D-3, only four conferences have had two members reach the NCAA Finals in the last 10 seasons. The SCIAC and the SCAC are two of them. The Region has had a National Champion from each conference in the last 10 seasons with six teams competing as finalists.

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Concordia Texas has renamed their home field after their two best head coaches in program history - Tommy Boggs and Mike Gardner. Concordia-Texas athletics photo

While Trinity and Chapman are two of the best programs nationally, the Pacific Boxers and East Texas Baptist Tigers will give their fans something to cheer about. The number of teams that have chosen to skip Florida and go to Southern California or Texas is on the up swing and it is great to see the best in the East play the best in the West.

New Faces

Clint Mokry, Concordia-Texas: Mokry takes over for the late Tommy Boggs, a RHP for the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves and with 325 wins for the Tornados, died of cancer in October 2022. For 13 years as an assistant and associate head coach on the CTX staff, Mokry was primarily responsible for overseeing the training and development of the Tornados pitching staff while also playing a role in every day-to-day activity such as recruiting, organizing fundraisers and summer camps. He is also a two-time member of the ASC Coaching Staff of the Year (2012, 2018).

Paul Phillips, Letourneau: Phillips has taken over the reins for the Yellow Jackets. He comes to Letourneau from Covenant. He helped lead the Scots to the USA South regular season championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014 and served as player-coach for the 2015 Covenant Scots. Coach Phillips played and coached a semi-pro team in Germany and recently was assistant coach at Covenant for 6 years.

Josh Lee, McMurry: Lee moves up from assistant coach. Lee played at McMurry from 2001-04 and holds the distinction of being McMurry's only two-time American Southwest Conference Player of the Year, winning the award in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He was a standout pitcher and a power hitting first baseman, helping his team to conference titles in 2001 and 2004.

Ely Gallego, Sul Ross State: Gallego has played ball at Kokernot Field in Alpine for Alpine High School, for Sul Ross State and the Alpine Cowboys of the independent Pecos League. As a SRSU senior in 2016, he had 56 hits, 16 doubles, 7 HR and 49 RBIs while going 6-5 on the mound with 5 complete games in 80.1 innings and 60 strikeouts. He has been an assistant at SRSU for four years and now he begins his 15^th season of baseball at Kokernot as head coach of the Lobos. As they say in Alpine, he is a “local boy made good”.

Key Games

Pacific at Chapman, February 11-12th: An three game series between the two top conferences on the west coast would mean more if it was not so early in the season but expect both teams to want to come out on top. The Chapman Panthers will be given their first real test of the season while the Pacific will be coming through the LA area after a three game series with Texas Lutheran.

East Texas Baptist at Birmingham Southern, February 17-19th: The Tigers take a trip to Birmingham to the BSC Classic with LaGrange and Huntingdon. ETBU will not be looking at the spectacular sunsets that can be seen past the outfield wall but out to prove to the nation that they are the team to beat.

Trinity (Texas) at Texas Lutheran, March 24-26th: This conference series has been the best gauge of who is the top dog or cat in the SCAC. For the last three full seasons, these teams have been 1-2 in the conference at the end of the season and getting a series win goes a long way to the top conference spot.

Cal Lutheran at Chapman, May 6th: The Kingsmen will be ending their's and Chapman's conference schedule on the first weekend in May. they will be coming off a contest in Thousand Oaks and on this Saturday we look forward to a conference title on the line and a push for in-region wins.

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Conference Previews

ETBU is looking to make it two years in a row as the top team in the ASC. East Texas Baptist athletics photo

American Southwest Conference: Belhaven moved to the new Collegiate Conference of the South, which broke out of the USA South to leave 10 teams vying for the ASC championship. The conference tourney takes the top six into a double elimination tournament. East Texas Baptist (33-13) finished first in the regular season but lost in the conference tournament to Texas-Dallas. Jared Hood was Co-Coach of the Year in 2022 and returns every starter but one. Leading the Tigers is Preseason All-American RHP Sayers Collins (11-2, ERA 2.55, 121 K). From the bullpen, ETBU will look to Trent Clark (4-1, 3 saves, 3.30 ERA, 37 K). Catcher Austin Barry (.388, 5 HR, 23 RBI) and 1B Brett Wagner, (.339, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 10 SB) are top batters. Coach Hood is at 198 career wins, but after back-to-back conference championship tourney appearances, hopefully third time is charm for the ASC Pool A.

In declaring that the Texas-Dallas’ roster, showing only three returning starters and 17 returning players, may be better than last season, head coach Shawn Shewmake implies that he is looking to reload, not rebuild. Texas-Dallas (35-17) won the conference tournament, then lost the best-of-five regional slugfest to Trinity (Texas). Second team ASC shortstop Keegan Vance (.326, 1 HR, 37 RBI) and third team All-ASC third baseman Andrew Skivington (.330, 6 HR, 44 RBI) hold down the left side of the infield, while RHP Dylan Hugley (4-2, 3.97 ERA, 51 K) will be anticipated to be the ace of the staff.

UMHB (25-19) returns seven position players and all four starters for Coach Mike Stawski. Returning position players include DH Ryan Farmer (.306, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 17 SB) and 1B/C Hunter Jones (.302, 7 HR, 32 RBI). D3 All-Region in 2021, RHP Andrew Acierni (2021 stats: 7-2, 1.89 ERA, 51 K) sat out 2022 and returns as does ASC Co-Freshman of the Year RHP James McGlumphy (5-2, 3.66 ERA, 62 K). Coach Stawski calls this the most talented team at UMHB in years.

At McMurry (24-18) Josh Lee takes over Jon Byington who was the 2022 ASC Co-coach of the Year. McMurry looks for leadership from 3B Josh Dyer (.313, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 9 SB) and SS Blake Beach (.302, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 13 SB). Coach Lee has a couple of solid relievers, Travis Beauchamp (1-1, 3 saves, 5.08 ERA, 44 K) and Braxton Briones (1-1, 3 saves, 3.32, 12 K). Hardin-Simmons (22-21) finished 6th in 2022  but Coach Steve Coleman says he has the best team in years. All-Region 3B Gannon Azios (.393, 7 HR, 27 RBI) leads an infield that includes D-1 Tarleton State transfer SS Colby Seltzer who was Honorable Mention in the Western Athletic Conference and started 115 games. Jett Forrest (.331, 8 HR, 33 RBI) was second team All-ASC at catcher for the Cowboys. On the mound, junior Grant Mitzelfelt is projected as ace of the Cowboy staff.

LeTourneau went 15-24 in 2022, but Coach Phillips is counting on outfielder Dane Jones (.293, 6 HR, 38 RBI) and catcher Cameron Pfafman (.317, 1 HR, 15 RBI) for a successful coaching debut. On the mound, LHP Aman Patel (3-6, 4.95 ERA, 60 K) is likely to be the #1 starter for the Yellow Jackets. Of the teams at the bottom of the standings, Concordia-Texas (14-15) might make a move upward as they play this year with more than baseball on their minds. Their home field has been renamed Gardner-Boggs Field after its two winningest coaches, Mike Gardner and the late Tommy Boggs. Coach Gardner led the Tornados to 242 wins during his tenure as the head coach from 2000-2009 and took the Tornados to the 2002 World Series, suffering a 1-run loss to eventual champion ECSU. Coach Boggs led the program for 13 seasons with 339 victories, five NCAA regional berths, three American Southwest Conference Tournament championships (2011, '12, and '13), and three ASC regular season titles in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Favorite: ETBU

Lewis and Clark's third baseman Jack Thomson was tabbed a 2023 D3baseball.com Preseason All-American to start the season. Lewis and Clark athletics photo

Northwest Conference: The Northwest Conference may be the toughest conference, top-to-bottom, in the country. Coaches in the conference remind us that they only play weekend games where players are facing each team's best starters. Pacific and Linfield tied for the regular season championship with 14-10 records and a mear three games ahead of the seventh place finishers, Lewis & Clark and Whitman (11-13). “Third time must be charm” has to be in the back of the minds for Pacific (28-16). In 2021, the Boxers were 3 outs away from the World Series, losing to World Series finalist St Thomas (Minn.) in the Collegeville Regional. In 2022, the Boxers were eliminated in the Chapman Regional. Coach Brian Billings welcomes Isaac Lovings (.311, 11 HR, 39 RBI) and LHP Will Clark (4-2, 4.72 ERA, 66 K) back for the 2023 season.

After a 5-year absence, Linfield (20-20), the 2013 National Champion under Scott Brosius, picked up a conference co-championship, but still want to get back to the NCAA Playoffs. Coach Dan Spencer has 27 returning players and 21 freshmen and transfers from which the make a title run. Leading the team are second team All-Region outfileder Branden Paison (.326, 1 HR, 27 RBI) and reliever Skyler Manelski (4-0, 1 save, 2.22 ERA, 15 K).

For Matt Kosderka‘s sixth season for the Lewis & Clark (20-17) Pioneers, he will be looking more than a seventh place finish. Infielder Jack Thomson (.450, 14 HR, 41 RBI) is a unique talent and will be matched with Luke Bass (.328, 6 HR, 37 RBI) at the plate. Righty Brett Pierson (1-4, 5.31 ERA, 66 K) will be one of the beneficiaries of a top offense. George Fox (20-21) finished one game behind the co-champs in 2021. Coach Kevin Kipple welcomes 35 returnees plus 14 freshmen and newcomers. Spencer Roos (.305, 5 HR, 25 RBI) and  Jared Gee (.323, 1 HR, 10 RBI) will be swinging a bat and Travis Miller (1-4, 5.21 ERA, 44 K) and Ben Wills (5-3, 5.79 ERA, 34 K) will be throwing the rock. The Bruins hope for growth among the young players who showed potential in the 2022 season.

Coach Nolan Soete believes that his Pacific Lutheran (22-18) team has a core group of seniors, one who has played together for years and can carry the team early. A young pitching staff will need to develop behind veteran Spencer Howell (7-2, 2.63 ERA, 58 K) and Cole Trotignon (3-4, 6.62 ERA, 31 K) if the Lutes will make noise in 2023. Cole Trotignon (.333, 7 HR, 37 RBI) will also get his reps with the bat as well as experienced veteran outfielder Andy Schmitz (.353, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 9 SB). Coach Jeff Halstead’s Puget Sound Loggers (20-17) return six position players and two starting pitchers among their 24 returnees. He will need contributors among the 15 transfers and freshmen to be successful. Players to watch include Dylan Joyce (.327, 13 HR, 41 RBI), Cody Hirano (.344, 1 HR, 16 RBI) and Willy Gross (.265, 4 2B, 10 RBI) who posted a solid .941 fld% at shortstop. On the mound, lefty Davis Franklin (2-4, 5.75 ERA, 39 K) will be called to step up this season.

Brady Joyner appeared in 14 games this summer for the Henderson Flash in the Ohio Valley League earning either a save or win in half of those appearances. Willamette athletics photo by Sydney Davis Denny

Willamette's (19-17) Coach Aaron Swick has 291 wins and has his most talented team this year. The Bearcats have a ton of experienced hitters returning and the pitching staff is filled with strike throwers. In the fall there were lots of flashes of great performances. Shortstop Ethan Fischel (.307, 8 HR, 28 RBI) has been a steady presence on the field and can change the game with one swing. Also look for Luke Werkmeister-Martin (.349, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 19 SB) to make his own statement on the season. Relief pitcher Brady Joyner (0-2, 4.21 ERA, 39 K) has shown tremendous growth since last season with a successful summer in the Ohio Valley League. 

Favorite: Pacific

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: The SCIAC garnered three bids to the 2022 Playoffs. Fourth-seeded Cal Lutheran won the postseason tourney, while Chapman hosted the Regional for Pacific, Pomona-Pitzer and the Kingsmen. Chapman flew to LaGrange but lost an exciting 3-game super-regional. Coach Scott Laverty’s Chapman Panthers (35-14) won the D-IIIi World Series back in 2019 and are loaded to make a run at a Walnut and Bronze in 2023. The Panther pitching staff looks solid with a pair of Preseason All-Americans, first team RHP Wyatt Thompson (9-1, 2.18 ERA, 82 K) and second teanm RHP Grant Manning (8-1, 3.12 ERA, 118 K). Also returning are 2022 first team All-SCIAC 3B Cole Minato (.389, 31 RBI), 1B Davis Mieliwocki (.386. 8 HR, 51 RBI) and DH/1B AJ Anzai (.398, 5 HR, 42 RBI).

Marty Slimak led Cal Lutheran to the 2017 National Championship and was having a championship season in 2020 when the nation shutdown for Covid. The 2022 SCIAC tourney winners went 30-16 in 2022 with an appearance in the Chapman Regional. The Kingsmen lost several quality players to graduation but have depth upon which they can call for 2023. Keep an eye on catcher Brendan Durfee (.355, 3 HR, 30 RBI) and shortstop Kyle Reuser (.328, 2 HR, 27 RBI), both second team All-SCIAC. Chris Torres (5-5, 3.97 ERA, 54 K) appears to be the ace of the staff in 2023.

Coach Bill Walkenbach is five wins away from 100 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (24-15). Over the last five full seasons, he has taken a 7-32 program to 24-15 last year and relevance in the SCIAC standings. In a league with solid pitching, five players hit for solid averages: 2B Tyler Shaw (.331, 3 HR, 34 RBI), 1B Julian Sanders (.333, 5 HR, 43 RBI), CF Jack Potter (.336, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 10 SB) and RF Nick Wilson (.379, 3 HR, 28 RBI). Second team All-SCIAC Jarrett Korson (8-2, 4.07 ERA, 72 K) will be the ace. University of La Verne (30-12-1) finished second in 2022 but was left out of the NCAA playoffs after a 1-2 record in the SCIAC tournament. The Leopards' best player will be their top pitcher in Gerald Terry (6-3, 2 saves, 2.78 ERA, 77 K). Pomona Pitzer (32-14) was the third team out of the SCIAC to make the 2023 Chapman regional. The Sagehens were able to go 2-2 but was unable to advance with both losses to the eventual regional champion, Chapman. All four players who earned All-West Region honors return in David Bedrosian (.388, 12 HR, 53 RBI), Isaac Kim (.379, 12 HR, 69 RBI), JC Ng (.360, 7 HR, 47 RBI) and Jake Hilton (8-1, 4.67 ERA, 81 K).

Redlands (22-16-1) finished 2.5 games out of a tourney bid. Look for the Bulldogs to get contributions from 2B Jared Anderson (.387, 3 HR, 38 RBI), 3B Max Clark (.271, 10 HR, 28 RBI) and RF Esteban Nakashima (.290, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 10 SB). On the mound RHP Tyler Reiter (4-4, 1 save, 4.11 ERA, 46 K) is the projected ace. The overall pitching staff is much deeper this year and will allow the Bulldogs to compete in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Occidental (13-24-2) and Whittier (4-36) CalTech (6-31) finished at the bottom of the SCIAC standings. CalTech head coach Kevin Whitehead has committed to recruiting exciting ball players to play for the Beavers. Second team All–SCIAC outfielder Will Dembski (.357, 10 HR, 30 RBI) is regarded as one of the best outfielders in the region and set school records for hits (46), HRs (10) and runs scored (29). One newcomer to watch on the Beaver squad is freshman Mark Hu who threw a perfect game in high school.

Favorite: Chapman

Randy Huerta set a program record for Texas Lutheran with 35 stolen bases in 2022. His SB total was good for seventh in the nation. Texas Lutheran photo by Amanda Morgan

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference: Coach Tim Scannell got his Trinity Tigers (38-13) back to the World Series in 2022, only to fall twice to LaGrange in the Salisbury bracket. With the quality of returnees from that 2022 team, it will be no surprise if Trinity returns in 2023, just as a veteran 2016 Trinity team brought home the Walnut and Bronze. 2022 first team selections include CF Ezra Gore (.358 5 HR, 40 RBI) and C Tyler Pettit (.358 11 HR, 37 RBI). They will be joined by a solid infield of 2B Colt Harris (.326, 6 HR, 41 RBI), SS Michael Montrezza (.311, 3 HR, 22 RBI) and 3B Cristian Holloway (.375, 2 HR, 25 RBI). RHP Joseph Chavana (9-2, 2 saves, 4.21 ERA, 75 K) was first team All-SCAC. RHP Harrison Durow (8-1, 3 saves, 5.51 ERA, 68 K) is likely to be the relief pitcher on whom Coach Scannell calls most often.

Texas Lutheran (28-14) received preseason notice as a team to watch in the Region. Coach Rick Heines brings back veteran players who garnered All-SCAC status in 2022. First-team All-SCAC returnees include OF Payton Dahl (.330, 21 RBI, 19 SB) and OF/DH Alec Sanchez (.298, 1 HR, 20 RBI). Second team All-SCAC players include 2B Aric Vasquez (.318, 2 HR , 28 RBI), 3B Randy Huerta (.272, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 35 SB), and OF/RP, Blake Cappadona (.297, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 18 SB, 0-1, 2 saves). Coach Heines believes 1B Tyler Post (.298, 8 HR, 48 RBI) has been a productive and consistent power hitter. Third Team All-Region RHP Joe Burch (7-4, 3.89 ERA, 83 K) is the team’s ace.

Coach Mike Diaz’ Centenary Diamond Gents (27-19) knocked off Trinity in the Conference Tourney to earn the Pool A bid in 2022, but lost to LaGrange in the Regional. RHP Tyler Herrera (7-1, 1.59 ERA, 59 K) is a 2023 D3baseball.com All-American selection. Out of the bullpen, the Diamond Gents have Parker Primeaux (9-6, 3 saves, 4.09 ERA, 81 K), who is just 4 saves away from the school record for saves in the D3 era. Centenary has a young team that will need players to step up to help shortstop Noah Koehmstedt (.272, 2 HR, 22 RBI), outfielder Cade LaBruyere (.313, 24 RBI, 13 SB) and catcher/outfielder Gary Hewitt (.296, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 14 SB) at the plate. Coach Diaz is 276-196-1 lifetime and look for him to get number 300 in April when the pennant chase is in full swing.

The fourth team in the conference tourney in 2022 was St Thomas (Texas) (18-25) as a provisional D-3 member. The Celts are in their first year of full D-3 membership and fourth year after a 51-year hiatus at the school. Outfielder Dylan Lamb (.264, 6 HR 26 RBI), 1B Leo Galvan (.260, 1 HR, 22 RBI), RHP Landon Murray (4-6, 5.48 ERA, 62 K) and RHP Chris Parsons (6-4, 3.46 ERA, 79 K) will provide the team leadership. Coach Dave Wood has brought this program along rapidly and welcomes 30 new players including 19 freshmen. He expects an improved depth in offense, defense and pitching. Southwestern (20-18) just missed the postseason tourney last year. Outfielder Maxwell Mims Jr. (.310, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 25 SB) was 2021 Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention last year. On the mound is Travis Harvey (2-2, 3.74 ERA, 76 K). This is a young team that is just on the edge of contending for a conference tourney bid.

Favorite: Trinity (Texas)