It is finally postseason time for NCAA Division II baseball, as the regional tournaments have been revealed and teams begin preparing for the run to Cary, N.C. and the Division II Baseball Finals at the USA National Training Complex. Below, we take a look at each of the teams in the region to provide a preview for fans to get a sense of what to expect as this week rolls on.
(Seed. Team (Overall Record) (SOS Rank, Opp. WP, Record vs regional teams))
1. Franklin Pierce (46-2) (191st, .488, 9-2)
2. Stonehill (33-13-1) (149th, .506, 5-9-1)
3. Southern New Hampshire (30-12) (36th, .550, 3-10)
4. Wilmington (33-12) (198th, .487, 2-4)
5. Dowling (27-15) (139th, .510, 4-3)
6. St. Thomas Aquinas (27-17-1) (241st, .460, 2-4-1)
Played at Rindge, N.H. (Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field)
2015 NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament Page
If you have been looking at these regional tournaments hoping for some outrageous numbers, you have finally come to the right spot. Franklin Pierce is what you are looking for.
Despite their very low strength of schedule, the Ravens have absolutely dominated all the competition thrown their way. One might look at their pitching numbers and remember they are in a wood bat league, which inflates (deflates?) those numbers on a yearly basis, but when you see that the FPU offense is also putting in work, it makes their legitimacy all the more tangible.
Here are the staggering numbers Franklin Pierce is featuring in terms of their rank in all of Division II baseball:
1st in stolen bases per game (4.25), stolen bases (204), ERA (2.03), WHIP (1.04) and shutouts (13). 2nd in triples per game (0.52), triples (25) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.24). 3rd in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1). 5th in scoring (8.8 runs/game).
It isn't often the same team in a region has two candidates for the regional pitcher of the year award, but that is what the Ravens have at their disposal in Miles Sheehan (6-0, 0.34 ERA, 47/8 K/BB in 53 IP, 31 hits allowed) and Brendan O'Rourke (10-0, 0.77 ERA, 87 K in 70 IP, 39 hits allowed). Sheehan's 0.34 ERA and 0.74 WHIP lead the nation, and his 5.26 H/9 is 11th, while O'Rourke's 0.77 ERA is 4th in D-II, his 5.01 H/9 is 6th, and his 0.93 WHIP is 16th.
The obscene numbers don't stop there with the Ravens' pitching staff, as they also feature Mike Lundin (8-0, 1.84 ERA, 4 CG, 87/14 K/BB in 78.1 IP), who is 5th in D-II in WHIP (0.83) and 26th in ERA. Those numbers leave out the 4th starter for the Ravens, who has impressive numbers of his own as Paul Covelle is 5-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.
It doesn't get any easier when you get to the bullpen, either. Travis Landry (3-0, 1.44 ERA, 22/2 K/BB in 25 IP) and Paul Fahey (6-2, 2.34 ERA, 49 K in 42.1 IP, 24 hits allowed) will shut down anyone this region has to offer at the plate.
At the plate, the numbers might be even sillier for the Ravens. FPU has eight of their nine regular starters batting over .300, and the most ridiculous part is that everyone can steal a base. FPU's 204 stolen bases leads the nation, and they have only been caught 37 times. Seven players have stolen at least 15 bases, with an eighth swiping 12 bags.
Matthew O'Herron (.384, 39 R, 15 2B, 31 RBI, .522 SLG, .453 OBP), Matt Walsh (.366, 44 R, 14 2B, 4 Hr, 53 RBI, .517 SLG, .436 OBP), Kurtis White (.364, 23 RBI, 20/27 SB, .468 OBP), Chris LaVorgna (.353, 46 R, 11 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 49 RBI, .532 SLG, 28/35 SB), Jay Jabs (.341, 53 R, 13 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 23/25 SB, .687 SLG, .425 OBP) are the huge bats, while Maxx Sheehan (29/30 SB) and John Razzino (45/48 SB) are the terrors on the bases, with Razzino's 45 stolen bases leading the nation.
Stonehill, as is a trend in this region, is another team that leans on its incredible pitching numbers to pick up victories. The Skyhawks have three starting pitchers with ERA's under 3.00 with Neal Horan (4-3, 2.34 ERA, 61 K in 61.2 IP, 43 hits allowed), Armand Rugel (7-1, 2.44 ERA, 50 K in 70 IP, 59 hits allowed) and Patrick Nicholson (7-1, 2.93 ERA, 38 K in 58.1 IP). They also have two more options for later in the weekend to start in Michael Young (4-2, 0.59 ERA, 14 app., 4 GS, 46 K in 46 IP, 21 hits allowed) and Jeremy Roberts (2-3, 3.35 ERA, 9 app., 7 GS, 41 K in 45.2 IP). Steve Pike (1-0, 1.62 ERA, 13 app., 16 K in 16.2 IP) and Aubrey Solomon (2-1, 2.38 ERA, 17 app., 8 SV, 27/3 K/BB in 22.2 IP) are another pair of relievers, much like FPU, that can shut down any lineup in the late innings.
The Skyhawks can't quite match the offensive proficiency of the Ravens, but they are at least a consistent group. They only have four hitters batting over .260, but seven guys who have driven in at least 20 runs on the year. Chris Hoyt (.347, 45 R, 25 RBI, 33/37 SB) is one of the top base-stealers in the nation, while Brian Campbell (.320, 46 R, 11 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 12/16 B, .442 SLG), Dan Fratus (.320, 41 R, 21 2B, 37 RBI, .429 OBP, .486 SLG) and Brian Hocking (.241, 5 HR, 33 RBI, .414 SLG) are a few of the more dangerous bats in the lineup.
If you are looking for any team in the country to even come close to competing with the numbers that FPU is putting up, your answer on the pitching mound is Southern New Hampshire. The Penmen lead Division II in hits allowed per nine innings (6.19) and are second in the country in ERA (2.35), K/9 (10.2) and WHIP (1.12).
SNHU's pitching staff might even run a little bit deeper than FPU's, with four pitchers who have started at least six games this year featuring an ERA under 2.60. Cole Warren (2-1, 2.08 ERA, 74 K in 52 IP, 22 hits allowed), Tim Viehoff (4-1, 2.12 ERA, 40 K in 29.2 IP), Mike Robert (4-1, 2.43 ERA, 43 K in 33.1 IP) and David Gibson (5-2, 2.58 ERA, 39 K in 52.1 IP) can carry the Penmen in to the weekend, where there are a few spot starters (Alex Person, 7-1, 0.91 ERA, 10 app., 4 GS, 57/11 K/BB in 49.1 IP and Rob Del signore, 1-0, 1.62 ERA, 7 app., 2 GS, 17 K in 16.2 IP) who could potentially give the Penmen a chance to match-up against lesser starting pitchers.
Jake Walkinshaw (2-1, 0.98 ERA, 19 app., 2 SV, 25 K in 27.2 IP, 11 hits allowed) and Ben Criscuolo (2-1, 2.04 ERA, 12 app., 2 SV, 21 K in 17.2 IP) are dominating teams out of the bullpen.
The Penmen have a highlight bat in their lineup in Mike Montville (.405, 35 R, 10 2B, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 31 BB, .681 SLG, .542 OBP) as well as four other guys who have driven in at least 28 runs and are batting over .300. Carson Helms (.370, 40 R, 11 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, .582 SLG, .480 OBP), Zach Goldstein (.329, 45 R, 5 3B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, .491 SLG, .462 OBP), Alejandro Diaz (.317, 30 R, 13 2B, 3 HR, 37 RBI, .451 SLG) and Manny Cruz (.304, 30 R, 2 HR, 30 RBI) all provide significant support for that shutdown pitching staff. SNHU is another team that steals a lot of bases, with six guys having swiped at least 10 bases, led by Ryan Gendron's 19.
Stop me if you have heard this before, but Wilmington is yet another team that features an outstanding pitching staff. Wilmington is 6th in D-II in hits allowed per nine innings (7.72), ninth in ERA (3.03) and 10th in WHIP (1.21). Those numbers are helped out immensely by a pair of very good starters in Jamie Treml (7-0, 1.14 ERA, 57 K in 55.1 IP, 26 hits allowed) and Frank Samluk (6-0, 2.28 ERA, 59 K in 55.1 IP), with Treml ranking 2nd in the country in H/9 (4.23), 9th in WHIP (0.89) and 10th in ERA (1.14).
To go along with that pair of starters, Wilmington also has a pair of relievers in Tyler Fries (3-1, 0.88 ERA, 24 app., 10 SV, 35 K in 30.2 IP) and Kyle Menchaca (3-1, 3.15 ERA, 22 app., 17 K in 20 IP) who are productive, but may not be more than one inning guys unless pressed.
Wilmington might have the second-best offense in this region behind FPU, carrying a .315 team batting average that is aided by five guys batting over .350 on the season. Sam Goines is one of the top batters in the country, hitting .432 with 53 runs scored, 5 triples, 40 RBI and 21 stolen bases with a .532 on-base percentage and .606 slugging percentage. Josh Swirchak (.392, 48 R, 38 RBI, 7 SB, .483 OBP, .554 SLG), Christian Adorno (.365, 31 R, 26 RBI, 16/21 SB, .435 OBP), Matt Lopes (.351, 22 R, 10 2B, 4 HR, 44 RBI, .497 SLG) and said starter Frank Samluk (.351, 50 R, 14 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 12/14 SB, .396 OBP, .509 SLG) lead the charge.
The offense isn't as potent for Dowling, but the Golden Lions do have three very productive bats that will need to be performing at top notch to compete with the other squads in the region. Daniel Parisi (.357, 27 R, 4 3B, 26 RBI, .457 SLG, .423 OBP), Tyler Piccolo (.342, 22 R, 25 RBI, .447 SLG) and John Cruz (.329, 26 R, 26 RBI, .438 SLG, .418 OBP) are the only hitters who have driven in at least 25 runs on the year and three of the four full-time starters batting over .300 on the season.
The Dowling pitching staff is a good one, but not on par with the teams above them in the tournament. They have a wealth of options in many different roles, however. Cody McPartland (3-1, 2.29 ERA, 41 K in 39.1 IP), Kyle DeMeo (4-1, 2.62 ERA, 38 K in 44.2 IP) and Dominic Danetti (2-4, 3.32 ERA, 33 K in 43.1 IP) are joined by Brendan Butler (5-2, 3.81 ERA, 39 K in 49.2 IP) in a rotation that can go four deep consistently, but also has a lot of spot starters should the Golden Lions reach the later parts of the weekend. Dennis Buckstein is the one true reliever who is putting up good numbers, tallying a 2.21 ERA in 15 appearances this year with 3 saves and 12 hits allowed in 20.1 innings of work.
In St. Thomas Aquinas' case, they are a team you do not want to sleep on. They were the East regional champions last year and made a great run through the ECC Tournament to find their way in to this regional. A team playing with confidence is always a dangerous team when it comes to the postseason, and it seems like that is where STA is at right now.
The Spartans have five hitters over .300 in their lineup, led by Joseph Pena (.365, 33 R, 17 RBI, 33 BB, .498 OBP, 17/25 SB), Giovanni Dingcong (.350, 28 R, 13 2B, 6 HR, 32 RBI, .564 SLG), Nicholas Gargan (.326, 36 R, 18 RBI, .432 OBP, 16/22 SB), Stanley Susana (.321, 29 R, 2 HR, 38 RBI) and Brandon Fischer (.316, 40 R, 6 3B, 28 RBI, 17/19 SB). STA is another team that uses their speed to their advantage, stealing 87 bases in 118 attempts this year.
When it comes to the pitching staff, the Spartans go three-deep comfortably with innings eaters. Matt Kostalos (7-4, 1.83 ERA, 3 CG, 72/20 K/BB in 69 IP), Anthony Morris (6-2, 2.21 ERA, 4 CG, 49 K in 73.1 IP, .205 BAA) and Nick May (6-1, 2.70 ERA, 4 CG, 64 K in 66.2 IP, .193 BAA) have combined for 11 complete games and are the biggest contributors to holding opponents to a .231 batting average. If they get to a fourth game, they have a flexible option in Frankie Moscatiello (0-0, 2.42 ERA, 8 app., 4 GS, 18 K in 22.1 IP, .195 BAA), while the two big names out of the bullpen in very short relief roles are Chris Pennell (0-0, 2.53 ERA, 13 app., .189 BAA) and Maurizio Devita (3-2, 2.84 ERA, 12 app., .213 BAA).
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