Welcome to 2016!

Hello, fellow Division II baseball friends. We are back again for another season of exciting competition! In the coming weeks, we will get in to some previews, talk about the pre-season polls that are starting to roll in (here is the College Baseball Newspaper poll if you are interested), and highlight some of the top returners that we will be seeing a lot of this season.

Before that, we will recap how all the 2015 Division II draft picks ended their professional seasons! I know I promised that sometime during the MLB playoffs, but life happened, and it will instead happen before we preview the 2016 season.

This year, we are looking forward to following along with another spectacular season of baseball, possibly handing out some player of the week awards, and continuing our match-up of the week segments.

Additionally, we will be rolling out a dedicated Division II baseball Twitter account for the blog, serving as an aggregate for the Division II baseball world, interesting results and musings, and using that as our main outlet for links to our newest posts. That will be introduced very soon!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable off-season, and keep checking in on new posts in the coming weeks!

2015 D-II Draft Pick Updates (Through 7/31)

Long time, no talk everyone! I wanted to take this time to update everyone on how all of the NCAA Division II 2015 MLB Draft Picks are doing through the month of July, and rank the top 10 in order of their performances so far this season!

2015 MLB Draft Division II Recap

The 2015 MLB Draft has come and gone, and Division II had a great showing, having 84 players drafted by the top baseball teams in the world. In this post, we have a complete list of all Division II players who were drafted over the three-day event in one spot for you to peruse.

2015 MLB Draft - Update Through Two Days

The 2015 MLB Draft is through two of its three days of picks, and NCAA Division II has been well-represented in the first 315 picks. Below, we give you a comprehensive list of the Division II players who have been drafted through the first two days, all in one spot.

2015 Division II MLB Draft Preview

The 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft begins on Monday (June 8) with the opening two rounds at 7 p.m. Eastern, while Tuesday (June 9) is rounds 3-10 at 1 p.m. Eastern and Wednesday (June 10) concludes the draft with rounds 11-40 at noon Eastern. Monday's action can be seen on MLB Network, while the final two days will be available on MLB.com. In this post, we preview the 100 Division II players who are included in the MLB's draft prospects list.

Tampa Wins 2015 National Championship

Everyone should have known better. The Spartans struggled through the middle part of the season, and weren't even in the regional picture in the first regional rankings released. But everyone should have known better. Tampa went on the run that Tampa is known for going on, all the way to an undefeated national finals tournament and their second national title in three years.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - Title Day Preview

It is the final day of the 2015 NCAA Division II baseball season, and there is a national championship on the line. For Tampa, they are looking to capture their seventh title in school history and second in the last three years. For Catawba, who needs a doubleheader sweep today, it will be their first opportunity to claim the national crown.

2015 Finals 5/29 Recap

And it was down to two. Cal Poly Pomona and Catawba waged battle again on Friday in an attempt to advance to the national title game, and it was the Indians of Catawba who came away with the back-and-forth victory, putting them in the championship series on Saturday (May 30) against Tampa.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - 5/29 Preview

There is only one game on today's docket in Cary, and it is a big one. Cal Poly Pomona, who dominated Catawba yesterday, has to try and do it again today in the winner-take-all national semifinal game at 3 p.m. Eastern.

2015 Finals 5/28 Recap

Another team left the town of Cary on Thursday with their team flag in tow, as Tampa upended Henderson State to end the Reddies' season. However, on the other side of the bracket, Cal Poly Pomona kept their season alive with an impressive performance against Catawba to force a winner-take-all game on Friday.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - 5/28 Preview

The semifinals of the 2015 D-II baseball finals are upon us, and today is the first of what a couple teams are hoping two straight days of the same schedule. Henderson State has to beat Tampa twice in the next two days to advance to the title game, while Cal Poly Pomona has to do the same against Catawba.

2015 Finals 5/27 Recap

It was a pair of elimination games going on today at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, as the semifinals were set and the field was cut in half. One team continued their immaculate run through the postseason, while the other three teams remaining seem to be a bit of what was expected coming in to the tournament.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - 5/27 Preview

A pair of elimination games loom on Wednesday (5/27) at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, as another pair of flags will be taken down and the field is officially at the halfway point come Wednesday night as we drill down to the final four in the nation.

2015 Finals 5/25 and 5/26 Recap

We already had to say goodbye to a couple teams down in Cary over the last couple days, as the flags around the rotunda have lost two representatives. It is starting to get down to crunch time, and we are left with a bevy of teams that have a great chance at taking home the title.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - 5/25 and 5/26 Preview

With the opening weekend of the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals in the books, we move on to crunch time in Cary, as the elimination games begin. Below is the schedule for the next two days of action, as Monday (5/25) and Tuesday (5/26) each feature both a winner's bracket game and an elimination game, as flags will start to be taken down from the USA Baseball National Training Complex rotunda.

2015 Finals 5/23 and 5/24 Recap

The opening weekend of the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals are in the book. We had a few interesting results, some spectacular performances, and we move on to the elimination portions of the tournament starting with Monday, Memorial Day.

2015 D-II Baseball National Finals - 5/23 and 5/24 Schedule and Links

The 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals get under way from the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday (5/23) and Sunday (5/24), and I have taken the liberty of listing the relevant information and links below for each of the first four games. I will try and do one of these posts for each round so everyone has the links in one spot somewhere besides on the NCAA bracket.

Previewing Cary: Cal Poly Pomona vs Tampa

Leading up to Saturday's opening day at the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals, we will look at the first-round match-ups, give a bit of a preview, and share our thoughts with the regional tournament results and what is ahead. I will be doing my best to put up a recap post following each day in Cary, and a preview post for the next day's action.

Previewing Cary: Truman State vs Mercyhurst

Leading up to Saturday's opening day at the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals, we will look at the first-round match-ups, give a bit of a preview, and share our thoughts with the regional tournament results and what is ahead. I will be doing my best to put up a recap post following each day in Cary, and a preview post for the next day's action.

Previewing Cary: Wilmington vs Catawba

Leading up to Saturday's opening day at the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals, we will look at the first-round match-ups, give a bit of a preview, and share our thoughts with the regional tournament results and what is ahead. I will be doing my best to put up a recap post following each day in Cary, and a preview post for the next day's action.

Previewing Cary: Henderson State vs Angelo State

Leading up to Saturday's opening day at the 2015 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals, we will look at the first-round match-ups, give a bit of a preview, and share our thoughts with the regional tournament results and what is ahead. I will be doing my best to put up a recap post following each day in Cary, and a preview post for the next day's action.

2015 Division II Atlantic Region 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.

2015 Division II Central Region 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.

2015 Division II East Region 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.

2015 Division II Midwest Region 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.

2015 Division II South Region 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.

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.

2015 Division II South Central 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.

2015 Division II West 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.

A Lot of Bubbles Ready to Burst This Weekend

We have a special conference and regional tournament preview for this week, as we look at all of the new regional rankings and how they could be impacted by the conference tournaments taking place this weekend. We give an overview of some of the regions as a whole and preview each of the conference tournaments that will be getting under way.

More Conference Tournament Winners Crowned

About half the country's conference tournaments were completed this past weekend, with fewer surprises than we got in last weekend's results. In this post, we take a look at how those conference tournaments went (or are going, in some cases) before the newest set of regional rankings come out.

Conference Tournaments Get In To Full Swing This Weekend

We have a very eventful weekend coming up in the world of Division II baseball, as about half of the country's conferences will be conducting their conference tournaments. The PSAC Baseball Tournament most likely takes center stage, holding five of the Atlantic region's top eight regionally-ranked teams.

Three At-Large Regional Spots Lost After First Weekend of Conference Tournament Play

We had an extremely eventful first weekend of postseason action this past weekend, as three conference tournament champions were crowned, none of which were the favorites, setting up some dire situations for a few teams going forward.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; Mercyhurst vs Seton Hill

Our Marquee Match-Up of the Week for this weekend takes us to the PSAC, where first place in the conference is on the line in the last weekend of play in the regular season, as well as the driver's seat for the top spot in the Atlantic region. We focus on #17 Mercyhurst (30-4, 20-4 PSAC), #1 in the Atlantic Region and #4 Seton Hill (37-7, 20-4 PSAC), #3 in the Atlantic Region.

Regional Ranking Match-Ups Abound This Weekend

The NCAA released its first set of official regional rankings this week, and it has set up a fantastic weekend of games, as we have 11 match-ups between regionally ranked squads and another that will have some big implications. All of those games are listed below, so strap in for a weekend that will see some major shake-ups going forward!

Another New #1 On the Horizon? Colorado Mesa and Franklin Pierce Continue to Dominate

We are starting to head in to the home stretch of the 2015 regular season in Division II baseball, with two conferences actually hosting their conference tournaments this week (Conference Carolinas and South Atlantic Conference). Additionally, could there be a new #1 team this week? Colorado Mesa and Franklin Pierce thrived, while Nova Southeastern was tagged with a pair of losses. All of that and more inside this past week's recap!

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; Tampa @ Florida Tech

Yet again, our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" takes us to the Sunshine State Conference where, in a rare occurrence most years, #9 Tampa (27-11, 9-6 SSC) is looking up in the standings at their opponent, #17 Florida Tech (33-7, 13-6 SSC). Not only is this a series which will heavily influence the South regional rankings, but it is a series that both teams need to sweep to have a chance to keep up with Nova Southeastern.

A Host of D-II Match-Ups Between Conference and Regional Contenders This Weekend

The Division II baseball schedule is a little light this weekend on Top-25 match-ups, with only one between a pair of teams in the rankings. That series will be our Marquee Match-Up of the Week, while a host of other series' around the country will be contested between teams fighting for either regular season conference titles or regional tournament berths.

Conference Races Everywhere Still Undecided; Also: 41-20!?

We are starting to get towards the end of the Division II baseball for some teams. A few conferences have only two weeks left of conference play, and only a few leagues around the country have a runaway winner. There were a few mild upsets this past week around the nation, and we also take a look at one of the most absurd baseball box scores in recent history, the 41-20 contest between Minnesota State and Bemidji State.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; St. Edward's @ St. Mary's

Our Marquee Match-Up of the Week for this weekend should be a great one. We are focusing on a huge tilt, as #15 St. Edward's (27-8, 13-2 Heartland) travels to #8 St. Mary's (26-7, 13-2 Heartland), with the winner of the series placing themselves in the driver's seat to take the Heartland Conference regular season championship and in a position to snag a top-three seed in the South Central Region come the end of the year.

Top Two in Heartland Conference Go At It, More SSC Craziness Coming

It seems there is never an off weekend in the world of Division II baseball, as there is still a wealth of very interesting match-ups to keep your eye on this weekend, including a trio of huge ones between top 25 teams. Only one will earn our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" honors, however, and it is a series that should put someone in the driver's seat for a regular season conference championship and the top team in the region going forward.

Tampa Swept for First Time Since 2011; Seton Hill Puts a Firm Grip on Top Ranking

There will certainly be a different look to the rankings this Wednesday from Nick Herfordt at PerfectGame, mostly thanks to Tampa being swept for the first time since 2011 at the hands of Nova Southeastern over this past weekend. Seton Hill has now rolled to 17 straight victories, while Franklin Pierce and Colorado Mesa continue putting up gaudy records.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; Tampa @ Nova Southeastern

Boy, do we ever have a doozy of a match-up to highlight this weekend. It doesn't get much better than a pair of national championship contenders out of the same conference doing battle during the regular season, and that is what we have as #2 Tampa (24-7, 7-2 SSC) travels to #9 Nova Southeastern (26-6, 7-2 SSC) this weekend for the biggest Division II set of the year to date.

Five Top-25 Match-Ups Highlight Upcoming Weekend's Action

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.

Huge Winning Streaks Replaced by a New RMAC Contender? Plus, Where has the Midwest Gone?

We have another week of exciting Division II action to recap, as we look at the impressive run coming from Colorado State-Pueblo, a couple huge winning streaks coming to an end, Alabama-Huntsville dominating the Marquee Match-Up of the Week over North Alabama, and the immense struggles that the entire Midwest region is facing so far this season.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; Alabama-Huntsville @ North Alabama

Our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" this weekend is a sizable tilt down in the Gulf South Conference, with ramifications that should be seen come the end of year regional tournament rankings. We will preview the match-up as #6 Alabama-Huntsville (19-4-1, 11-4-1 GSC) travels to North Alabama (21-5, 10-4 GSC) in a battle that should put one team or the other in the driver's seat going in to the home stretch of the conference season.

New Squads Make an Appearance, Potential Regional Seedings Up for Grabs This Weekend

We have some new blood appearing in the Division II weekly preview today, and some usual contenders going up against each other. We announce our "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" and highlight some of the top action that will be hitting the diamond across the Division II landscape, including a couple battles for conference leads and a few match-ups that could have some big implications on the end of season regional tournament rankings.

Tampa Looking Human, St. Cloud State Pushes to 20-0

This week, we have three teams at or near the 20-straight wins mark. St. Cloud State has started their season 20-0, albeit with a fairly weak schedule, while Colorado Mesa (19) and St. Mary's (17) are nearing the 20-straight win plateau. In addition to that, it is looking more and more like Tampa may not have the stranglehold on the #1 spot that they have had all season up to this point.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week; Angelo State @ Texas A&M-Kingsville

We head south for our choice of the biggest Division II series of the week, highlighting a huge Lone Star Conference tilt as #9 Angelo State (18-4, 8-3 LSC) ventures towards the Gulf to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville (15-7, 9-2 LSC) as the two squads battle for first place in the conference and the driver's seat position.

Previewing a Weekend of Conference Leaders Facing Off Against Each Other

It will be yet another exciting week in the world of Division II baseball, as some leaders in some of the most competitive conferences in the country will take each other on, while in other conferences, teams are looking for sweeps to get back in to the race against top-notch competition. We will also point out in the post who this week's "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" will be.

Defending Champs Swept Over the Weekend, Mesa Pushes Winning Streak to 15

Could it be that Tampa is showing themselves to be human? The Spartans wore a rare two-game losing streak last week, but should still be the team to beat in the country, although there are quite a few squads with gaudy records who are continuing to roll. The defending champs appear to be on the ropes after a four-game conference sweep, as well. A lot to cover in this week's recap!

Marquee Match-Up of the Week - Pt. 2; Florida Tech @ Saint Leo

For the second week in a row, Saint Leo is in the middle of a series with national implications. Last weekend, the Lions were on the wrong end of a sweep at the hands of Nova Southeastern in a huge SSC conference tilt, and this week the SSC takes center stage again with #16 (19-1) Florida Tech traveling to take on #17 (19-4) Saint Leo.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week - Pt. 1; Emporia State vs Washburn

In highlighting the first of two landscape-forming Division II match-ups this weekend, we will take a look at a huge MIAA series, as undefeated Washburn (14-0, 8-0 MIAA) will take on #7 Emporia State (10-3, 4-3 MIAA) in a split series. The first and last games of the four-game series will take place at Emporia, while a doubleheader on Saturday will take place at Washburn.

Saint Leo Taking on Another Buzzsaw, MIAA Favorites to Face Off

I was hoping to limit my "Marquee Match-Up of the Week" previews to one a week going forward, but yet again, there are two spectacular series that will be going on this weekend in the land of Division II baseball. Below, I give some capsules on the biggest match-ups of the upcoming weekend and let you know which two will be highlighted in-depth a little later on tonight.

Nova & UCSD Sweep Marquee Match-Ups; APU Tosses No-No; LEC Plates 31

Yet another incredible weekend of Division II baseball has wrapped up, and there is a lot to recap. Nova Southeastern dominated Saint Leo in one of our "Marquee Match-Ups of the Week", while UC San Diego rolled over Chico State in the other. Azusa Pacific threw the third no-hitter of the Division II season, while Lake Erie College scored an absurd 31 runs in a single game.

Marquee Match-Up of the Week - Pt. 2; Chico State @ UC San Diego

In part two of our weekly in-depth previews, I will head to the entire opposite side of this continental United States as we take a look at not only one of the West Coast's fiercest D-II baseball rivalry, but a top-25 match-up, as #17 Chico State (6-4) travels to #25 UC San Diego (13-7).

Marquee Match-Up of the Week - Pt. 1; Nova Southeastern @ Saint Leo

This will be the first time I get in to some in-depth details for a series on the blog, and to kick off the first installment, we get a dandy of a match-up in the Sunshine State Conference, as a top-20 match-up will be on the docket as #16 Nova Southeastern (13-3) travels to #10 Saint Leo (17-1).

Another Eventful Week in D-II Baseball as Conference Play Gets Started

Another week, another spectacular slate of games in Division II. This week, we will switch things up a little bit to get some more content up. I'll be listing below a bunch of very notable D-II match-ups happening this weekend, and tomorrow we will go in-depth on a couple of them to highlight the details of those match-ups and, who knows, maybe give some predictions.

Lander and Nova SE Toss No-Hitters; Tampa > Phillies

The world of Division II baseball must be feeding off the basketball mantra of March Madness, because we are already seeing some exciting developments around the country. We had a Division II team take down an MLB squad, a couple no-hitters to highlight, and some incredible action between top regional teams to begin the season.

Pair of One-Hitters Highlights Friday's Action

Usually I don't make a post until after the weekend's games are done, but I felt obligated to do so with the performances that a couple pitching staffs had on Friday (Feb. 27) afternoon. Both Tampa (against Stillman) and UC San Diego (against Cal State East Bay) tossed one-hitters, with UCSD's coming from a single stellar outing, while Tampa had two pitchers combine in their gem.

Running at Full Capacity Starting This Weekend

The Division II landscape should be running at full capacity after this weekend, barring weather concerns, as most teams who have not played yet will begin their season on their spring break. The next couple weeks will be spread throughout the country, as many Northern teams will be traveling to the RussMatt Invite in Florida, Clearwater Invite, or out to Arizona to start their season beginning this weekend.

One notable match-up that we will be denied this week is the four-game set between #10 Emporia State and Central Missouri, as that series has been wiped out due to weather.

Here are some of the notable match-ups for this weekend and early next week:

Not Much Settled Three Weeks in to the Season

More upsets graced the Division II landscape this past week, and nobody knows anything, still. It has been an interesting beginning of the year, with many of the top teams suffering some unexpected losses, even multiple, but then rebounding to balance out their ranking, while teams that were rolling to begin the year are now coming back down to Earth. A few more weeks, and we should have a good idea of where everyone stands, but until then, let's hold tight with what we've got!

Regional Contenders Face Off in Week Three

We head in to the third week of the Division II baseball season, and we are almost running at full capacity now. There will only be a couple notable teams left to hit the field after this weekend.

The D-II baseball world will be denied what would have been the top match-up of the weekend. #9 Grand Valley State was scheduled to head to Evansville to take on #4 Southern Indiana for the second straight year, but some bone-chilling winter weather has wiped that entire series off the docket. That gives the Screaming Eagles some more time to rebound from an emotional opening series with Tampa, and it pushes GVSU's season-opener all the way back to early March when they head to the RussMatt. GVSU will be one of the last teams in the country to kick off its season.

Despite that, there are plenty of huge match-ups taking place this weekend between a bevy of teams who will find themselves in the mix for a spot in their respective regional tournaments.

Tampa Takes Biggest Series So Far; Newcomers Making Noise

Your weekly recap of Division II action is here! My apologies for being a day or so late. Today's post will be a recap of this past week's action, while this week's "preview" will take place on Wednesday or Thursday. I would like to see what kind of rankings Nick Herfordt at Perfectgame.org puts out this week. It will be the first weekly rankings now that a few more teams are starting to hit the diamond. That will probably be the usual schedule going forward. A recap early in the week and a preview after the newest rankings are released.

With that said, here we go in an eventful weekend in the Division II world.

Week Two: An Appetizer to a Big Week

First, a little schedule update going forward. Currently, I plan on posting just once a week in these recap styles. However, once the entire country gets their season started, I plan on putting up multiple posts a week. Right now, it is mostly the southern schools playing and most of the NE/MW teams have not gotten started, and won't until early March. At that time, you can expect more in-depth posts from me.

With that said, we can get in to week two action!

Opening Weekend Produces Some Big Numbers

The 2015 Division II baseball season got underway this past weekend, and although there were no big surprises in the results, we did see that a few teams appear to already be on top of their game.

There were some gaudy numbers put up down south to open the year. #1 Tampa rolled Bentley 5-1, 13-5, 15-2. They will face Georgia College in a three-game set this weekend. The big match-up will come in the weekend after, when defending champion Southern Indiana comes to town.

Introduction to the "Road To Cary" Blog

Congratulations on stumbling upon the newest blog in the world of NCAA Division II baseball. I will be your tour guide on your excursion as we traverse the world of D-II baseball together. It is my belief that Division II baseball does not yet have the media representation that I believe it should. It may never match the attraction given to football, but the talent and competition is there and the success at the next level is there to the point where I believe the star players and complete teams deserve more recognition than they get.

With that said, a little introduction. My name is Kyle Schwerin and I worked in media relations for a couple NCAA Division II institutions in the Midwest Region for seven years, serving as the official scorer and media contact for both schools during my time there. I had the opportunity to be the official scorer at multiple Division II baseball conference tournaments, a Midwest Regional Tournament and had the distinct honor of traveling to Cary for the Division II Baseball National Finals twice, my greatest professional moments so far in my career.

Baseball is my favorite sport and Division II is my favorite level, so here I am now beginning what will hopefully be a successful Division II baseball blog. As someone who has traveled the country watching a plethora of successful Division II baseball programs, I hope to have some good insight to add as the 2015 season begins and I hope to be a resource that people can use to get some information as the season goes on.

I have a healthy respect for what the current media members of Division II baseball currently do, particularly the work of Nick Herfordt, formerly of College Baseball Lineup and now part of Perfect Game USA. I enjoy his analysis of teams in his weekly rankings and believe them to be the most accurate every year. Additionally, his work in the Division II world when it comes to recognition and beginning the Tino Martinez and Brett Tomko Awards are admirable. D2BaseballNews.com is a solid resource for information and I enjoy their composite rankings that are released each week. When it comes to polls and rankings, I will always give my respect to them in this order: Herfordt's weekly list at PG, NCBWA, ABCA, D2BaseballNews. That is not a knock on any particular poll, I just agree more with the methodology that Herfordt uses in his rankings. He is not on the extreme end of the spectrum like I believe D2BaseballNews sometimes is. If Tampa loses three of four in a week, odds are they won't fall out of the top five in any respectable ranking, and I believe Herfordt accurately reflects that. He is even keel, doesn't make overly-reactive decisions, and recognizes the relative talent of baseball in each region.

I figured I would get that all out of the way before we even begin, so everyone knows where I stand. I may begin my own bit of weekly rankings, we'll see, but right now I believe that there are enough ranking lists out there where the market is a little saturated currently and as a whole, they do a great job of painting the D-II landscape accurately.

My goal for this blog is to hopefully put up weekly posts from around the different regions and on a national landscape, point out notable accomplishments, and follow the run to the postseason.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I will prove to be a valuable resource to the Division II baseball landscape.