2015 Division II Southeast Regional Preview

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. Catawba (46-7) (32nd, .555, 4-4)
2. Mount Olive (37-14) (58th, .542, 7-3)
3. North Georgia (35-15) (43rd, .548, 2-2)
4. Georgia College (33-17) (10th, .577, 6-5)
5. Wingate (32-24) (19th, .564, 4-5)
6. North Greenville (27-23) (138th, .510, 2-4)
Played at Thomasville, N.C. (Finch Field)

2015 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament Page

There was a lot of controversy in this region when the tournament seeds were released. A lot of worthy teams were left out here, including UNC Pembroke, Columbus State, Armstrong State and even Flagler. A lot of people will bring up that UNC-P and CSU were ranked all year, especially UNC-P, which boasts the best offense in Division II baseball and was ranked in or around the top 15 most of the season. However, I hate the ranking argument. In D-II baseball, the ABCA and NCBWA rankings should never be taken seriously. They are volatile, they are not done under any careful consideration, and they are voted on by people who rarely follow anything about D-II baseball outside of their own conference, not even mentioning their region. Very few coaches in the NE-10 are going to be knowledgeable about the talent or schedule that a team in the RMAC is dealing with, and very few coaches in the CCAA are going to be knowledgeable about the talent or schedule that a team in the SSC is dealing with. So that is why I hate the rankings argument, because the majority of rankings are just a bunch of people trying to pump up their own conference or region, and the voting is done mainly based off nothing more than the win-loss record, not taking in to account who the teams are playing against. That is why I prefer to use the PerfectGame.org rankings during the season, because it is a singular source who covers the game nationally, rather than 50ish people who don't cover the game outside of their own locker room or conference.

With that said...let's take a look at the numbers for those teams compared to the ones above who did make the regional:

UNC Pembroke (38-13) (102nd, .519, 5-1)
Columbus State (35-14) (13th, .569, 8-6)
Armstrong State (34-14) (88th, .524, 3-3)
Flagler (32-15) (40th, .549, 5-1)

There were going to be at least two very worthy teams left out of this regional, no matter what. When looking at the numbers, the uproar over UNC Pembroke is a little more understandable. Their potent offense was obviously very good, but it was also buoyed by a 102nd-ranked strength of schedule, which would have made them a bit out of an outlier to the other at-large teams here. Their record against teams who ended up qualifying for a regional tournament was impressive, but that strength of schedule number, I believe, was too much to overcome compared to the other teams who earned bids.

The most impressive resume, to me, is that of Columbus State here. Their schedule was the 13th-toughest in D-II, and it included a three-game sweep of West Alabama, the South region's top seed, and 2-of-3 from Lynn, another South region participant. They did get swept in four games against UNC-P, but the other quality wins were more impressive than UNC-P's other quality wins. Flagler was not only 5-1 against Georgia College and Florida Tech, but they also swept UNC-P in a three-game series. UNC-P would have made for a worthy regional participant, but I also understand why they were left out when you look at their strength of schedule compared to the teams which did make it. It wouldn't surprise me if, when they ran the numbers, they even came out behind both CSU and Flagler.

That is where I stand on the commotion made in this region. The one thing I do agree with, however, is the mysterious jump by Mt. Olive. Their numbers show they are a worthy regional team, and they will probably prove themselves very well in the tournament, but moving from #5 up to #2 with a single victory against a decent Francis Marion team doesn't make any sense.

With that out of the way, let's get to the preview for this region, which I'm sure will be closely-watched.

Catawba is an absolute force on both sides of the ball. It is not often that you will get a contender for both national player of the year and national pitcher of the year on the same squad, but that is what the Indians have at their disposal.

Will Albertson leads a potent Catawba offense that ranks in the top 20 in runs (460), doubles (124), runs per game (8.7), home runs (68), walks (222) and hits (587). Albertson himself is the most dangerous hitter in any of the regional tournaments. He leads all of Division II in batting average (.481), hits (101) and total bases (194), and ranks 2nd in RBI (87), 3rd in home runs (25), slugging percentage (.924) and RBI per game (1.64), 6th in on-base percentage (.541), while also ranking 7th in runs (70).

He is not alone at the plate for the Indians, as Blake Houston provides a nice compliment, ranking 38th in Division II in on-base percentage (.498) and 5th in runs (74), while also leading the nation in walks (47). Dylan Richardson is 7th in the country in doubles (23), giving Catawba an embarrassment of wealth at the plate. As a team, there are five batters hitting over .300 with another pulling a .295 average on the season. Albertson has 16 doubles to his name, while Houston has 19 to go with 9 home runs, T.J. Wharton has 16 doubles and 10 home runs, while Richardson's 23 doubles leads the way. The one thing Catawba is prone to, however, is strikeouts. The Indians have eight guys who have struck out at least 28 times this season in 53 games.

On the mound, the story is Craig Brooks' electric arm. Brooks is 9-1 in 13 starts (15 app.) with a 1.60 ERA and an absurd 143 strikeouts in 90 innings of work with only 50 hits allowed. His 143 strikeouts and 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings lead the nation, while his 5.0 hits allowed per nine innings number is 5th and his 0.92 WHIP is 13th. Joining him in the rotation is another decent arm in Connor Johnson (5-1, 3.48 ERA, 60 K in 62 IP), but Catawba is going to be prone to some high-scoring games outside of the first two contests, I think.

Ah, Mount Olive, the center of many people's ire as we enter this tournament. Despite their interesting move up the rankings in the final week, the Trojans are still going to be a team to be reckoned with, as they are most seasons.

UMO is going to be living and dying at the plate. The offense is so much further ahead of the pitching staff, the Trojans are going to have to outscore everyone to compete in this regional. UMO enters the tournament ranked 2nd in scoring (9.0 runs/game), 2nd in sacrifice flies (37), 4th in runs (461), 5th in doubles per game (2.47), 6th in doubles (126), and 7th in walks (231), stolen bases (115) and stolen bases per game (2.25). In addition, they are ranked 11th in hits (590), 12th in on-base percentage (.421) and 18th in batting average (.336).

That in incredible offense is carried by Jason Morozowski, a regional player of the year candidate who leads Division II in runs per game (1.47), is 3rd in runs (75), 4th in RBI (78), 5th in total bases (168), 6th in RBI per game (1.53), 7th in hits (89), 8th in home runs (20) and 10th in home runs per game (0.39). Teammate Justin Manning (.411, 52 R, 6 HR, 53 RBI, 27/23 BB/K, .478 OBP) helps out in a big way, while Joe Koehler (.394, 47 R, 5 3B, 11 HR, 52 RBI, .479 OBP, .735 SLG) and Zak Orrison (.362, 56 R, 14 2B, 3 HR, 41 RBI, 33/37 SB) are also wreaking havoc on opposing pitching staffs in a big way.

UMO has a trio of good, not great, starting pitchers. Their ERA numbers are not outstanding, they give up some extra base hits, but man do they strike a lot of people out. Gunnar Kines is 8-2 with 112 strikeouts and only 22 walks in 87.2 innings of work with a 3.59 ERA. His 112 strikeouts is 3rd in Division II, while his 11.5 K/9 is 20th in the nation.

Derek Justice (8-3, 3.53 ERA, 3 CG, 63 K in 74 IP) and Kodi Whitley (8-4, 4.42 ERA, 4 CG, 79/12 K/BB in 79.1 IP) round out a very interesting pitching rotation. Anyone who can avoid strikeouts and get to the UMO bullpen will be in good shape. If there is one interesting match-up to look forward to, it is the potential for a Gunnar Kines vs Catawba Sunday match-up if UMO decides to bring Kines back on short rest. A strikeout artist against a potent offense that is prone to the strikeout would certainly be an event to see.

North Georgia, by comparison to the teams above them, is a very balanced team. The Nighthawks will not blow you away at the plate or on the mound, but they will be consistent in almost every aspect of the game. They are patient (ranked 7th in Division II in walks with 231) and precise (ranked 17th in Division II in fielding percentage at .971).

There are six players in the UNG lineup who have driven in between 30 and 45 RBI, making for a very brutal lineup for opposing pitchers to face, because there is never a break. Joey Cecere leads the team in batting with a .327 average, scoring 35 times and driving in 30 with a team-leading 12 stolen bases on 12 attempts. Sam Tidaback (.320, 37 R, 11 2B, 9 HR, 35 RBI, .537 SLG), Steven Tomlinson (.315, 37 R, 3 HR, 39 RBI, .405 OBP, 13 HBP) and Connor Hoover (.307, 41 R, 14 2B, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 45 BB, .445 OBP), who is 2nd in Division II in walks, serve as some decent table-setters to get on base for a pair of guys who like to knock balls out of the park in Tremayne Toorie (13 HR, 45 RBI) and Andrew Gordon (14 HR, 33 RBI).

When it comes to the pitching staff, UNG will have a lot of options, going four-deep in their rotation when most teams can only go three. Jacob Beauchamp (6-3, 3.21 ERA, 94 K in 75.2 IP, .190 BAA), Blake Gaubert (5-0, 3.42 ERA, 3 CG, 33 K in 55.1 IP), Brandon Agar (4-4, 3.86 ERA, 68 K in 86.1 IP) and Dylan Peppers (6-2, 3.86 ERA, 67 K in 58.1 IP, .195 BAA) will be trying to mow down some potent offenses to start the games, while Taylor Keinat (2-3, 2.25 ERA, 19 app., 4 SV, 32 K in 32 IP) and Chris Cobb (5-0, 3.32 ERA, 19 app., 4 SV, 40 K in 43.1 IP) will be trying to sit them down in the late innings.

Georgia College might be the hottest team coming in this regional tournament, going 26-5 in their last 31 contests. The Bobcats seem to serve as a Mt. Olive-lite in terms of being a potent offense, but leaving a lot to be desired on the pitching mound, just not quite to the extreme ends of the spectrum that UMO is.

Georgia College is ranked in the top 20 in Division II in scoring (8.7 runs/game), runs (434), hits (567), home runs (66) and walks (225), while also boasting one of the best defenses in the country with a .974 fielding percentage that ranks 5th in the country.

Eight of the nine regular starters in the lineup for the Bobcats are hitting .293 or better, led by Dylan Cook (.395, 51 R, 17 2B, 7 HR, 50 RBI, .586 SLG, .445 OBP, 13/16 SB). The other two huge bats in the lineup belong to Jake Sandlin (.376, 60 R, 15 2B, 5 3B, 14 HR, 54 RBI, .690 SLG, .446 OBP, 12/13 SB) and Clay Ardeeser (.360, 57 R, 18 2B, 10 HR, 60 RBI, .596 SLG, .452 OBP), forming an incredible trio that can compare to anyone else in the country.

On the mound, the Bobcats will have their hands full, with not a single pitcher on staff who started at least one game this year and has an ERA under 4.66. The one shining spotlight out of the staff is a spectacular relief pitcher in Chris Gammon, who led the country in appearances with 30 and is 3-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 6 saves with 39 strikeouts and only 7 walks in 41.1 innings of work.

When it comes to Wingate, it is yet another case of a spectacular offense attempting to mask a "meh" pitching staff when looking at the numbers. Shane Billings (.412, 79 R, 16 2B, 10 HR, 43 RBI, .617 SLG, .460 OBP, 26/27 SB) and Thomas Spitz (.387, 80 R, 19 2B, 4 3B, 17 HR, 76 RBI, .733 SLG, .478 OBP, 20/21 SB) are all over the national leaderboards, with Billings ranking 2nd in hits (100) and runs, 3rd in runs per game (1.46), 11th in total bases (150), 12th in RBI and 16th in stolen bases. Spitz is 1st in runs, 4th in runs per game (1.43), 6th in RBI, 6th in total bases (165), 9th in walks (38), 11th in hits (87) and 12th in home runs.

As a team, the Bulldogs lead the nation in home runs (86), are 2nd in runs (470), 3rd in hits (636) and home runs per game (1.54), 6th in doubles (126) and 11th in walks (226).

In what seems to be a theme in the region, however, the pitching staff is carrying a team ERA of 5.24, and will just be trying to keep the offense in the game as best as they can, for the most part.

North Greenville, for the most part, is going to have an uphill battle here as the automatic qualifier out of the Conference Carolinas. Their offense is on par with some of the other regional teams, as six regular starts in the lineup are hitting .294 or above, including Allen Staton (.392, 53 R, 82 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR, 42 RBI, .694 SLG, .454 OBP, 17/20 SB), who is the jewel of the team at the plate. One thing the Crusaders do have going for them is that they are a terror on the basepaths, going 100-for-115 in stolen base attempts, hovering near the top 10 in Division II.

Unlike some of the other pitching staffs in this region, NGU at least boasts a pretty formidable set of bullpen arms. Adam Boghosian (1-2, 1.59 ERA, 29 app., 13 SV, 39 K in 28.1 IP, .162 BAA) is tied for the lead in Division II in saves and 2nd in appearances, and he is joined out of the bullpen by John Leopard (3-0, 2.53 ERA, 27 app., 40/7 K/BB in 42.2 IP) and Cuyler McAuliffe (2-2, 3.67 ERA, 22 app., 14 K in 27 IP). These guys will certainly be needed, too, as the Crusaders lack a starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.80.