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| The Mitchell Mariners are just one of a number of teams that have garnered interest by the poll voters and started their conference season without a loss. Mitchell athletics photo |
The conference season is well underway, for the most part. We check in conference by conference to see who is leading and how their season are going.
With just a few games, the AMCC is still pretty open. Alfred State opened with a sweep of Mount Aloysius but that is the spread in the conference standings. Two more teams have already hit the 10 win mark in Pitt-Greensburg and Hilbert and these are the top teams with a month to go in the season.
After the 2022 season that Immaculata had, more was expected from the Mighty Macs in 2023 in the AEC. The slow start they had is just an early spring memory. A top spot in the standings and a big win over TCNJ has Immaculata right where they want to be. Following Immaculata is Cabrini and Marywood who are also having good season.
The two top teams in the ARC are Luther and Buena Vista. The Norse and Beavers will be fighting for that number one spot and the advantage in the ARC tournament. Before the season started, we expected this to be anyone's race and it is turning out just as expected with any team being able to pull out an upset.
The ASC is shaping up to be a dogfight with most of he conference season is already played. Eastern Texas Baptist is leading the standings with its experienced squad. The only other teams with .500 or above records are Texas-Dallas and Concordia-Texas but well off the pace.
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The C2C will be playing in Pool B this year but it might surprise nobody that Salisbury has the best record of the three teams. Neither is the success that Christopher Newport has had but Mary Washington is having one of their best season in recent memory. The first conferences we reviewed will in all likelihood send one team to the playoffs but all three members of the C2C can easily find themselves heading to Regionals in mid-May.
Johns Hopkins is the top dog in the CC in 2023. They have a top 5 spot in the polls and wins over many teams we expect to see regionally ranked at the end of the month. The real surprise is that Franklin and Marshall and Swarthmore have underperformed to this point in the season. The Diplomats have turned things around and expect them to battle for the top spot. Swarthmore still have time to right the ship but that time is now.
Endicott tops the CCC with a couple series already in the books. No surprise here as they are a top contender for the national trophy. Roger Williams follows the Gulls in the standings but with a nearly perfect record in conference and a sub .500 record in their non-conference schedule. Salve Regina and Western New England are wining at a pretty good clip so one might expect to see all four in the end of the season tournament.
Well that was unexpected in the start of CCIW play. The umpteenth-time winning Cardinals from North Central were expected to be at the top of the standings in early returns but a sweep by Wheaton (Ill.) has a conference in disarray. NCC is too good of a team to stay in the basement so expect them to rise steadily through the month. Augustana also has a powerhouse team this year and what was expected to be a battle for supremacy between the top teams are now a push to improve their standing. It is still early but the one team near the top of the standings with staying power is Millikin.
It was expected to see LaGrange with a perfect CCS conference record but with most teams having played three series, the race is between The Panthers and the Belhaven Blazers. Belhaven won their first nine games and top the standings, having been on a tear now for weeks. One team that one thought would be there from their great start is Maryville (Tenn.). The Scots opened with 12 straight wins but since then the wins have come few and far between. Huntingdon is having a good season and come tournament time, they can play the role of spoiler.
Ho-hum, it is Keystone topping the CSAC. We have hear that many times before and no matter the conference lineup, the Giants stand tall. A .500 record shows that they are vulnerable and right behind them are the Wilson Phoenix. This year might be the time for Wilson but we will know when they play head-to-head with Keystone. Getting the top seed in the CSAC tournament will be key in either team coming out with the conference's automatic playoff bid.
The CUNYAC has made the most of the Pool A bids, using an alliance with the NAC to pave a path to the playoffs but the adage that if you can succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere does not hold for this New York City conference.
I would be crazy to say we did not expect St. John Fisher to top the early standings but it has not been an easy non-conference schedule. The Cards must be happy to be back in Empire 8 play as their record in conference is remarkably different than that outside the E8. Utica is the only other team with a plus .500 record in regular season so expect come playoff time to see St. John Fisher, once again making an appearance.
The GNAC was once a more powerful conference and what fills the standings are teams that at the .500 mark for the season. No true star here but many up-and-comers. St. Joseph's (Maine) is having a great start to the season as is Anna Maria. Add Lassell and you have the top three. We are looking for seeing how they fare against each other in the quest for a conference title.
The path to the playoffs in the HCAC has always hinged on winning the conference tournament and the usual cast of characters are once again at the top of the standings. The group of five includes most of he teams that have represented the HCAC in the NCAA Playoffs with one addition. Bluffton is in the mix. Quite the turn-around from a .500 conference record in 2022. None of the teams will be looking an at-large bid so winning in conference is the path to greater glory.
Catholic is proving that their Landmark title and World Series success was no fluke. They are being challenged by Elizabethtown and Scranton. Neither have meet on the field yet and this weekend, we will start to know who is truly the king of the Landmark.
The preseason polls pointed to Southern Maine as the likely winner but that has not turned out to be the case. With much of the World Series championship team taking scholarship offers at nearby UConn, it as unknown how they Warriors would respond. Call me impressed as they had plenty in the tank for another Little East run. Mass-Boston is right up with them to make it a two team race. Don't count out Rhode Island either. Last year they proved, they belonged at the top of the Little East and so far this year are near to top again.
There are a lot of quality teams in the Liberty League and it would surprise at least one team getting an at-large bid. Ithaca and Skidmore top their respective divisions with plenty of contenders further down the standings. Rochester, Vassar and RPI are not far from the top of the standings and are sporting plus .500 records.
Alvernia has the history in the MACC Commonwealth but it has been a while since they dominated like they use to. They are winning two-thirds of their games but trail Lebanon Valley in the conference standings. The big series between the two contenders is still a few weeks away and with the rest of the conference well off the pace of the leaders will decide the title.
In the sister conference, Arcadia is tops in the MAC Freedom. The Crusaders are followed by Misericordia and Sevens. Misericordia seemed to win the conference year-after-year but last year for the first time in a long stretch that the Cougars did not get to the playoff round. The Ducks of Stevens might not have the pedigree but have to team to make this a three-team race and we will enjoy how the last few weeks unfold in the MACF.
A late change in the top of the coaching staff has dropped Salem State from the ranks of the MASCAC elite. It is too early to anoint a winner but the Bridgewater Bears are proving they have staying power at the top of the standings. A perennial power in the MASCAC, the Bears fell on hard times but that is yesterday. Today and tomorrow the outlook is rosy. Only a handful of teams, Mass-maritime and Fitchburg State, are above the .500 mark for the season as this is Bridgewater's time to win.
Parity has come to the MIAA. Trine, Kalamazoo not only top the MIAA standings but are the only teams playing .500 ball. Hope and Adrian are in the upper half of the standings and if the play in the first few months in indicative of the play in the final week, here are your tournament teams.
The clear winning in the MIAC is Mother Nature. Only four early games have been played with none of the most successful teams even reaching the 10 win mark. Expect the pitching to become thin no matter the size of the staff as multiple games are added and schedules shuffled to accommodate all the postponements.
Lawrence brought back a lot of pieces from their winning 2022 squad but the magic has not returned with the players. Hopefully they can turn things around but if you look at the top of the standings, Beloit stands alone at the top. Winning both in conference and out, it is shaping up to be a positive year for the Buccaneers.
The one conference that has yet to start conference play is the NAC. With some of the most northernly teams in the nation, it is not surprising to see this delayed start. None of the teams have a winning record and all but one have already put double-digit losses on the board.
The 13-team NACC seems to grow bigger each year. Tops here are Aurora and Benedictine. Both have drawn the attention of Top 25 voters as has MSOE. Another conference that has seen it's share of postponement, the teams with success in the early part of the season are continuing their success into the conference schedule.
Most consider Denison the best in the midwest and they have been playing like they are with marquee wins, a top 10 SOS, a Top 25 ranking and sitting at the top of the NCAC standings. They are joined by Wooster and Wittenberg with equally unblemished records. Add Wabash to the mix and you can see the tournament field slowly developing.
Mitchell remains the king of the NECC. Holding an early lead in the conference standings they are clear of Eastern Nazarene. The Lions made plenty of noise with one of the longest win streaks this season season. The past is prologue so there is no reason to think that Mitchell is off to another championship season.
The NESCAC race has yet to develop with most but not all teams playing their conference schedule. On of the 0-0 teams is Middlebury who took a later season trip to California and dominated their competition. Expect the see them near the top once they open the conference schedule. In the NESCAC-East it it Tufts and Trinity (Conn.) at the top. With every team in the division sporting a .500 regular season record, even the bottom team is capable of flipping the standings.
Wheaton (Mass.) and MIT are entering the weekend without a conference loss, with the likes of Babson Clark and WPI just behind. The Lyons a single loss in almost a month and that was to the defending National Champs while MIT still need to prove they can defeat a top regional team. The season is still young and with just three games played by each team. There is plenty of time to move up or fall down the standings.
One conference doubleheader in and it was splitsville in the NJAC. Most teams have shown that they are ready for the national stage but unless you feasted on the non-conference schedule, it will be be hard to avoid a 10 loss season with the overall quality of teams that the NJAC showcases year after year. Montclair State and Rowan are both ranked n the Top 25 but those accolades are thrown out of the window when conference game are underway.
Pacific is once again at the top of the standings with most of the conference season in. They are followed by Willamette and a Lewis and Clark program that is powered by Jack Thomson. Whitman and Puget Sound are quietly having good seasons as the near the 20 win mark for the year.
Marietta is always at the top of the OAC but after their super team last year, they are finding that they might not be the top team this year. That honor goes to Baldwin Wallace who has maintained their top 10 spot in the polls all season. John Carroll also has made a good start to the conference season and piled up win in the non-conference schedule. Mount Union rounds out the top four teams entering the weekend.
The ODAC can make a claim for the best conference in DIII baseball. Three teams in the Top 25 and a fourth knocking on the door in Roanoke. Shenandoah leads the group followed by Lynchburg and Randolph-Macon. All three are will poised to make a run at the national title whether with a conference bid or at-large bid in hand.
Allegheny joined the PAC this year but enter the second part of the season mired in the middle of the pack. No surprise to see Washington and Jefferson holding the top spot. Following them is Grove City who has the pitching to compete with the Presidents.
The best team in the nation plays in the SAA. It is certainly their race to win as they have put up long win streaks all season. Back of them is Centre who is also past the 20 win mark for the year. Hendrix and Rhodes are several games back but if either can catch fire, the can move towards the top of the SAA.
What was expected to be the path for Trinity (Texas) back int the playoffs has been a bumpy road. Sitting second to Southwestern they will be well situated when the tournament is played. As good a season as the Pirates are having, Texas Lutheran is not. Sure they are third in the standings with an above .500 record but well of their pace from a year ago.
Chapman had a lot of preseason hype but they are fourth in the standings. You might expect that Pomona Pitzer to be near the top but they are tied with Chapman. The top team is not Cal Lutheran either. The team at the top are the La Verne Leopards. Following Cal Lutheran in the standings is Claremont-Mudd-Scripts. The Stags have the best staying power in the Top 25 and will need to add to their win totals to keep from falling out in the next few weeks.
Mount St. Vincent and St. Joseph's (L.I.) have a few conference series wins under their belts and led the Skyline. This conference has the habit of sending a team to the playoffs that is capable of scoring a win or two but with the exception of a good year for the Farmingdale Rams, few have made it to the final round.
Greenville leads the SLIAC race followed closely by Fontbonne and Webster. Webster's usually tough schedule has left them with a .500 record while Fontbonne's 300+ SOS ranking has them with the most wins by a SLIAC team. Spalding is fourth in the standings and despite a series loss to Webster is still considered to be a contender for a regular season title.
Cortland, Brockport and SUNY Oneonta are still undefeated in the SUNYAC. The Cortland Red Dragons have passed their biggest test with a sweep of Oswego State. Bockport was struggling early but the warmer weather has improved their outlook and if they can win a series from Cortland, might host the end of the season tournament. Oneonta has the longest win streak among the members of the SUNYAC and winning breed winning.
In the UAA, the top team is Emory. The prospects for a playoff bid is slim as the teams here compete with the C2C teams in Pool B for a playoff bid. New York University and Washington University are also having good seasons but the only title either are likely to play for is the conference honors.
The UE is headed by Penn State-Harrisburg with an undefeated conference record and the team to beat. Penn College is a close second followed by Penn State-Abington. The power hitting PS-Abington team is not having the same success as last year sitting right at .500 for the season.
Like the MIAC, the UMAC is trying to get their season in between rain drops or snow flakes. UW-Superior and Crown have a couple wins and no losses in conference but there is still most of the conference season to play.
Last year the USAC was twice the size. the CCS split off leaving N.C. Wesleyan and Methodist as the best teams historically and once again this year. The Bishops of NCW are in first place followed by the Monarchs. Third in the conference is Brevard who has slowly built a team that can contend for a conference title.
Our last conference is the WIAC. Not last in the strength of the teams thought. UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh are all ranked and are looking for more than a conference title this season. Count in UW-La Crosse and th big four are back. The SOS of all teams will rise now that Finlandia has closed their doors and no longer plays baseball.