It feels like I am saying this every week, but man oh man, do we have a lot of conference champion contenders going at it with each other this weekend. We have a host of ranked teams going up against other ranked teams, including a top-10 match-up earning our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" honors for this weekend. Not only that, but there are a lot of chances for teams to take control of their regular season conference races as they go up against other top teams in their league this weekend.
First, we will reveal our pick for this week's Marquee Match-Up of the Week, although there were three such series that could have earned this honor:
#2 Tampa (24-7, 7-2 SSC) @ #9 Nova Southeastern (26-6, 7-2 SSC) (4/3, 4/4 (DH)): This, our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" this week, will be the biggest Division II series to date, although it seems like we have one of those every week now. Being a three-game series, I think if either team should win this 3-0 or 2-1 on the weekend, they should have the driver's seat for the #1 spot in the region when rankings come out in a few weeks. We will look at this series more in-depth later on tonight as our featured spot of the week.
Sorry to say that the UCSD/CPP and CSU-P/CMU match-ups were just not enough to live up to the billing this week. It is not often you get a couple national champion contenders going up against each other.
With that said, here are a plethora of other huge Division II baseball series' going on over the weekend:
#14 UC San Diego (22-8, 18-5 CCAA) vs #8 Cal Poly Pomona (22-8, 14-6 CCAA) (4/2 & 4/3 @ UCSD, 4/4 (DH) @ CPP): This is an awfully good series to tab it as probably the third-biggest of the weekend in Division II. Justin Donatella, possibly the leader in the clubhouse for top pitcher in Division II this season, will be going in the opener for the Tritons. Donatella is 6-1 with a 0.61 ERA and 61 strikeouts, a fine job of numerical alliteration on his part, and is dominating every time he toes the rubber. CPP will counter with Kyle Garlick, an Oregon transfer who has already belted 10 home runs for the Broncos this season. If you like good pitching, this is the series you'll want to keep tabs on and watch the live video feed for on Thursday and Friday.
#21 Colorado State-Pueblo (25-3, 17-1 RMAC) @ #3 Colorado Mesa (27-3, 19-1 RMAC) (4/2, 4/3, 4/4): For all intents and purposes, this series is for the regular season RMAC championship, as no other team really poses a threat to either of these two. Mesa is rolling this year despite losing a lot of great talent from last season's squad, and although they have already played a pretty decent schedule, this will be the biggest one of the regular season for both teams. CSU-P is still a relative unknown on the national scale in Division II baseball, and this is a chance for the Thunderwolves to break down that barrier and move up in to the top 15, or possibly top 10, if they really take control of this series.
#22 Lynn (25-7, 8-4 SSC) @ #15 Saint Leo (27-6, 8-4 SSC) (4/2, 4/3 (DH)): It is not often that it works in tandem where quite possibly the four best teams in one conference are all facing each other in the same week. Although that would be a slap in the face to Florida Tech, who certainly belongs in there out of the SSC, but here we are with Lynn/Saint Leo to go up against Tampa/Nova Southeastern. I have a feeling this series will be a little more offensively-based than the UT/NSU series will be, but it will be another series that will be well-played and have a ton of talent on the field.
#6 Mount Olive (25-9, 13-4 Conf. Carolinas) @ #25 Erskine (29-6, 15-3 Conf. Carolinas) (4/3, 4/4 (DH)): UMO has been their usual selves over the last week, rebounding well from a three-game losing streak on March 18th and 21st. Since then, UMO has put up at least 11 runs in five of their last six games, and it looks like Erskine is going to have their hands full if they want to hold on to the lead they currently have in the Conference Carolinas.
Stonehill (15-4-1, 3-0 NE-10) @ #5 Franklin Pierce (23-2, 5-1 NE-10) (4/2, 4/4 (DH)): Franklin Pierce has been awfully impressive all year long, particularly the pitching staff, which is just mowing any and every opponent down so far this year. The Ravens will meet their first big test of the year in an extended series in Stonehill, and it will be a great opportunity for FPU to cement their spot in the rankings going forward.
Valdosta State (19-12, 11-8 GSC) @ #4 Alabama-Huntsville (25-4-1, 14-4-1 GSC) (4/3 (DH), 4/4): UAH is coming off a huge sweep of North Alabama last weekend and is probably the "underdog" of the top five teams in the PerfectGame rankings, but another sweep in this series should threaten the top three of the rankings.
#16 UNC Pembroke (25-7, 12-6 PBC) @ USC Aiken (22-11, 11-10 PBC) (4/3, 4/4 (DH)): While UNC-P has been on a comeback trail over the last couple weeks, they are still two games out in the Peach Belt. It will be tough to inch closer this weekend, as anything more than a 2-1 series victory against a talented team like USC Aiken is going to be tough. However, what they do have going for them is that current leader, North Georgia, is heading to Lander this weekend. Although Lander is down, they are still plenty talented enough to take the series and put UNC-P right back in contention.
Arkansas-Fort Smith (19-8, 8-2 Heartland) @ #18 St. Edward's (24-8, 10-2 Heartland) (4/2 (DH), 4/3): Arkansas-Fort Smith was actually a team that put up a hugely impressive record early on in the year, but has slowed down since, while St. Edward's has been on a roll in recent weeks. This series should go a long way in saying who the favorite will be in the conference for the rest of the season.
#23 Dixie State (20-8, 15-1 PacWest) @ Fresno Pacific (20-10, 8-8 PacWest) (4/2, 4/3 (DH), 4/4): This is a series that won't get the attention it deserves on a national scale, but Dixie State has been one of the hottest teams in the country after their first seven games of the year. The Red Storm have gone 20-1 in their last 21, and have the inside track on the PacWest for the rest of the year. In this series, they take on an up-and-coming Fresno Pacific squad that will be around the top of the PacWest going forward in the next few years.
Washburn (21-8, 14-6 MIAA) @ Missouri Southern State (22-6, 13-3 MIAA) (4/2 (DH), 4/3, 4/4): A couple teams that probably were not expected to compete for the MIAA championship at the beginning of the year, and here they are facing off. Between this series...
#12 Emporia State (20-7, 12-7 MIAA) @ Nebraska-Kearney (21-10, 15-5 MIAA) (4/2, 4/3 (DH), 4/4): ...And this series, we should get a solid look at who will be the favorite in the conference for the regular season title.
Wingate (21-13, 12-12 SAC) @ #20 Catawba (28-6, 17-3 SAC) (4/3, 4/4 (DH)): Catawba already has a stranglehold on the SAC standings, two games up on Tusculum and five up on the rest of the field. However, if Wingate can turn the tables and pick up a three-game sweep here, they will bring Catawba back to the field and put themselves in a good position to challenge for the title.
William Jewell (19-6, 10-4 GLVC) @ Quincy (16-7, 12-2 GLVC) (4/3 (DH), 4/4 (DH)): A pair of teams not many would have expected to be the class of the GLVC, the conference that includes the reigning national champion, but they will be fighting it out this weekend to take control of the conference.
North Alabama (21-8, 10-7 GSC) @ West Georgia (21-10, 14-7 GSC) (4/3 (DH), 4/4): Both of these teams will be looking for a sweep in this series to try and keep pace with Alabama-Huntsville. UNA is looking to rebound from a sweep at the hands of UAH last weekend, while West Georgia actually took two of three from the Chargers earlier this year.
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