With all that said, here is our first full review of Top 25 Division II baseball action. Additionally, I throw in a few teams who are unranked but have gotten off to a good start, and I explain this year's new NCAA Division II baseball tournament bracket, which has been upped to 56 teams.
#1 St. Cloud State (3-0): The bats are already alive for the top pre-season team. The Huskies traveled to Minute Maid Park to take part in the Houston Winter Invitational, which is one of the best opportunities in Division II baseball outside of traveling to Cary, IMO. SCSU was the class of the field, going 3-0 over St. Mary's (14-10), Tarleton State (12-3) and Central Missouri (2-1). Brandon Arnold led the way on offense, going 6-for-8 with a pair of doubles, a home run and six RBI in two games of play. The performance of the weekend was by pitcher Sheldon Miks, who threw a complete game 3-hitter in his first outing, allowing one run with 12 strikeouts in a victory over UCM. Unfortunately, the Huskes are now off for a full month before heading to Tucson to take on a variety of other Midwestern schools.
#2 Franklin Pierce (0-0): The Ravens begin their season at the end of the month when they head to South Carolina for five games.
#3 Millersville (3-1): The Marauders went 3-1 in their opening weekend, winning a series at Winston-Salem State, a team that could be a regional tournament contender at the end of the season. They picked up victories of 3-0, 4-3 and 4-2, but fell in the second game of the series (and first of a doubleheader), 4-2. The bats were cold all weekend, as Millersville hit only .237 in the series, led by Ted Williams going 5-for-10 and Mitch Stoltzfus going 3-for-10. Everyone else was below .300 on the weekend. The Marauders shined on the mound, though, notching a team ERA of 1.91, including 6.2 innings of 1-hit ball from Brandon Miller, who struck out 9 in his victory. Millersville has this weekend off before going back to North Carolina for the Riverside Spring Classic against a few fellow PSAC teams.
#4 St. Edward's (3-3): The Hilltoppers didn't quite get off to the start they hoped for, I'm guessing. SEU won a season-opening series from Harding with 3-0 and 11-0 wins sandwiched around a 5-1 loss on opening weekend. They traveled to Canyon, Texas to partake in the West Texas A&M Tournament, however, and went 1-2, falling to SW Oklahoma State and the host Buffs before beating Colorado Mines to wrap up the tournament. SEU is putting up good numbers, batting .272 as a team so far, and J.D. Arrowood hasn't quite found his stroke yet, but is tied for the team lead with four RBI already. On the mound, Cameron Stanton is already looking stellar, allowing only one earned run in 12 innings of work so far with 10 strikeouts. The 'Toppers will take on Houston-Victoria in a three-game series this weekend to try and buoy their record.
#5 Colorado Mesa (0-0): The Mavericks start their season this weekend with three games against Nebraska-Kearney at home.
#6 Tampa (6-0): I'm still thinking the defending champions didn't much appreciate their pre-season ranking by PerfectGame. The Spartans have rolled their way to a 6-0 start, scoring 54 runs in the process. If replacing offense was their issue, well, they are hitting .342 as a team and already have a favorite for Player of the Year in J.D. Osborne, who is batting .348 with 3 homers and 9 RBI in 6 games. If it was finding some pitching, which Tampa struggled a bit with last year...well...they have a team ERA of 2.89 so far and a heck of a rotation to go to in Brad Hencke (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 8 K in 10 IP), Michael Calkins (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 10 K in 8 IP) and David Heintz (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 15 K in 8 IP). Already, the Spartans are a team you do not want to mess with. Tampa continues their season this weekend with three games at West Florida.
#7 Quincy (0-0): The Hawks don't start their season until the end of the month, when they start their season with a tough match-up at Trevecca Nazarene on the 26th to begin a TNU-hosted tournament.
#8 Missouri Southern (0-0): The Lions begin their season this week with a four-game series at home against Bemidji State.
#9 Minnesota State (0-0): Another set of Mavericks gets under way this weekend as well, with MSU traveling to take on Arkansas-Monticello for a three-game set this weekend.
#10 West Florida (1-2): The Argos got off to a bit of a rough start in a shortened weekend, dropping two of three to Florida Southern. FSC took game one 6-4 on a day where there was a doubleheader scheduled, but rain ended the day after only six innings. On the next day, the Argos split, winning the opener 12-0 before falling 6-5 in the nightcap. JT Granat threw five shutout innings in that opener, striking out six with only two hits allowed to get the victory. This week will be a test for UWF, as they take on Mobile on Tuesday before welcoming Tampa in to town for three games this weekend.
#11 Florida Tech (2-3): FIT had high expectations coming in, but so far have only posted a 2-3 record. The Panthers won their first two games, 6-1 and 4-3 at Rollins, before falling in the final game of the series, 4-3. This past weekend, the Panthers fell to Wingate (4-3) and Valdosta State (8-7) in a pair of tight games. So while they have not had any crushing losses, they have to be thinking they could easily be 5-0 right now. Reid Neal is living up to his pre-season accolades, batting .400 with a pair of doubles, a homer and a team-leading 6 RBI through five games. Ty Cohen is doing the same on the mound, going 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings through his first two starts. The Panthers will head to Flagler for a mid-week game before hosting Catawba (twice) and Valdosta State in a three-team invite this weekend.
#12 Cal Poly Pomona (3-1): The Broncos went 3-1 in their opening weekend, beating Concordia in a four-game split series. CPP took the first two games, 9-8 and 3-0, before splitting on the road in Irvine, losing 4-3 and winning 12-3. The Broncos are being led by 3 huge bats in their lineup, as Caleb Romo (.462, 1 HR, 4 RBI), Jared James (.444, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and Chris Stratton (.286, 1 HR, 7 RBI) are all mashing so far. Ryan Olson's pre-season All-American pick has, through one start, gone as advertised. Olson threw 5.1 innings of one-hit ball with 5 strikeouts to pick up a victory. Teammate Max Bethell was just as good, striking out nine and allowing two hits in five innings of work. The Broncos have a heavy weekend coming up, as they face Cal State-San Bernardino on Friday and take on UT-Permian Basin in a doubleheader on Saturday, before heading to La Jolla to take on UC San Diego in a non-conference tilt on Sunday.
#13 Mercyhurst (3-1): The Lakers, a much-higher pre-season ranked team elsewhere, got off to a solid start in their quest to get back to Cary. Mercyhurst went 3-1 against Stillman in the opening weekend. That may not seem impressive on the surface, but Stillman will be one of the favorites in the SIAC, setting themselves up to sneak in to the #7 seed in the South regional tournament at the end of the year which would help out Mercyhurst's seeding for their own region when the time comes. The Lakers hit .305 in the series, led by Hank Morrison (.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Jimmy Latona (.308, 2 2B, 4 RBI). Colin McKee didn't pick up a victory in his opening start, but he did strike out 10 in five innings of shutout ball in the opener. As a matter of fact, three of the four Mercyhurst starting pitchers gave up three hits or less and went at least four innings. They will be off this weekend before heading to Virginia to take on a fairly easy four-game schedule next weekend.
#14 Cal Baptist (2-1): CBU had a solid start to their season, winning a three-game series against Cal State-Los Angeles. The Lancers fell in their season opener, 8-2, but rebounded to take the series, 5-4 and 2-0. The bats weren't overly-productive, but the pitching for the Lancers was stellar. Dylan Stowell threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts, while Patrick Gonzales didn't allow a hit in three innings of relief over the weekend. They'll be back at it against another CCAA opponent this weekend with three games against Cal State-Dominguez Hills.
#15 Southern Arkansas (2-2): The Muleriders split a four-game weekend in Texas to begin their season. They dropped their first two games of the year, 7-6 to Cameron and 5-1 to Washburn, before rebounding for a sweep on the second day with a 7-1 win over East Central and a 4-3 payback to Washburn. Kenneth Tabor threw six shutout innings with three hits allowed and eight strikeouts in his season debut to earn a victory, while another stellar relief performance was turned in by Larsen Makenzy, who didn't allow a hit in four innings of work. SAU has a busy week coming up, traveling to a great NAIA team in LSU-Shreveport on Tuesday before hosting the SAU Invitational this weekend with games against Central Missouri, Oklahoma Christian, Central Oklahoma and Washburn (again).
#16 Nova Southeastern (3-4): NSU got off to a rough start to their season in the opening weekend, dropping their first three games of the year against Tusculum (13-2), Newberry (8-4) and Catawba (5-2). However, the Sharks rebounded in a big way with a series victory this past weekend at Alabama-Huntsville, a team that should compete for a spot in the regional tournament. NSU swept the opening doubleheader (11-8 and 4-2), then split the second DH (7-4 win, 10-5 loss). Outside of Dylan Woods (.391, 1 HR, 7 RBI), NSU has struggled to find their footing at the plate, hitting just .239 as a team so far. On the mound, things have been rough to say the least, so far. Staff ace Alex Mateo has an ERA near 5 thus far, but has struck out 11 in 11 innings. If he can find his way and Woods can get some help at the plate, I am confident the Sharks will put themselves back in the regional discussion. NSU faced Colorado Christian this week, but that's it for this week's slate.
#17 West Alabama (2-1): The Tigers got their season off to a 2-1 start with a series victory over up-and-coming Palm Beach Atlantic. PBA won the first game, 2-1, but UWA took the doubleheader on day two, 13-1 and 7-2. Nick Delgado (.636) is crushing it at the plate right now, but the Tiger pitching staff has done the best work, carrying a 1.38 team ERA through the series. Josh Jones picked up a win with six one-hit innings of baseball for their best performance of the weekend on the mound. UWA is at home this weekend, facing East Central in a four-game series.
#18 Columbus State (2-1): The Cougars, a team that had high expectations last season but couldn't quite put it together, started their season 2-1 with a series victory over Erskine. The Flying Fleet took the first game, 7-4, but CSU swept Saturday's doubleheader, 9-8 and 15-2. Ryan Ihle (.667, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Blake Edwards (.545, 2 2B, 5 RBI) mashed all weekend, but the pitching staff couldn't find much success outside of Brandon Koehler (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 7 IP, 6 H, 3 K in a win). CSU faces Albany State in a mid-week game before welcoming Lynn in to town for a three-game series this weekend.
#19 St. Leo (3-0): SLU had the toughest sweep of the year so far, sweeping Montevallo in a trio of one-run games last weekend. 9-8 (11 inn.), 6-5, and 6-5 again (and again 11 innings) was how the Lions began their year. Troy Sieber has gotten off to a solid start (.417, 3 2B, 3 RBI) to lead the offense, but the starting pitching is going to have to find their way. The relief staff turned in 18.1 innings of relief with only two earned runs on the weekend, but the starters surrendered 11 runs in 12.2 innings of work. Saint Leo will head out for the rare, but luxurious, five-game trip to Hawaii Pacific this week. One game each on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with a doubleheader on Saturday.
#20 Ashland (0-0): Ashland doesn't start their season until the end of the year in Evansville, where they'll face a stiff schedule in Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Indiana and St. Joseph's to begin the year.
#21 Catawba (1-2): Last year's national runners-up had a 1-2 start to the 2016 season, dropping games to Barry (12-7) and Lynn (6-4) before picking up a victory against Nova Southeastern (5-2). As mentioned in an earlier post, pre-season Player of the Year candidate Will Albertson is already making his case for the award, hitting two home runs in the first three games of the year. On the mound, Russ Weiker pitched his way to the only victory of the opening weekend for Catawba, throwing six shutout innings against NSU. The Indians had this past weekend off, but will travel to Florida Tech for the FIT Tournament against the host Panthers twice, sandwiched around a tilt with Valdosta State.
#22 Southern Indiana (0-0): The Screaming Eagles will open their season next weekend with their annual "50-50 shot this actually gets played" three-game series against Grand Valley State in Evansville.
#23 Southern New Hampshire (0-0): SNHU will begin their season at the end of the month down in South Carolina with a five-game weekend.
#24 Minnesota-Duluth (0-0): The Bulldogs are scheduled to begin their season next weekend with four games at Pittsburg State.
#25t Lee (3-0): The Flames dominated in their opening weekend of play, crushing Albany State in a three game sweep (12-0, 4-0, 9-1). Much like Mercyhurst, this may not seem like much, but Albany State is another favorite in the SIAC that could win that conference and sneak in to the #7 spot in the South regional tournament at the end of the year, which would deem this past weekend as a very important set of victories. Lee will welcome Tiffin in to town this weekend for a three-game set.
#25t East Stroudsburg (0-0): ESU will begin their season next weekend with a three-game series at Chowan.
On the unranked side, a few teams that have gotten off to great starts and may be finding themselves ranked sooner rather than later...
West Georgia (4-0): The Wolves didn't face great competition, but they have handled their opponents so far, beating Emmanuel (17-0) before sweeping Pfeiffer in a three-game series (5-4, 3-2, 12-0). They will try and keep it going with a mid-week game against Young Harris and a pair of games against Stillman this weekend.
UC San Diego (2-0): It wasn't against D-II competition, but the Tritons beat The Master's College in a pair of games (3-2 and 4-3) and will ratchet up that competition quickly this week with a busy six-game schedule. They'll face UT-Permian Basin for three games on Thursday/Friday, face Cal State-San Bernardino in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, then cap off the week with a single game against Cal Poly Pomona (again, non-conference) on Sunday, all at home.
Embry-Riddle (5-1): ERAU is in their first season of D-II baseball and are therefore not eligible for the postseason, but the former NAIA powerhouse has begun their foray in to the NCAA on good terms. They took two of three against Palm Beach Atlantic last weekend (2-0 and 6-1 wins, 18-12 loss), then swept through three games against Florida Memorial (5-3, 4-3, 4-0). Their lone game this week is against Auburn-Montgomery, but we will have to wait until next Wednesday to get a decent gauge on them when they face up-and-coming Flagler.
Newberry (4-1-1): The Wolves had the best opening weekend of the year when they beat Lynn, Nova Southeastern and Barry to claim superiority over the SSC for a few days, but then had a true series split with Belmont Abbey this past weekend. Newberry beat Abbey 4-3, lost 6-2, then tied 1-1 in the rubber match. They'll face North Greenville in an intriguing mid-week match-up before hosting their own tournament this weekend where they'll face Brevard, King and Young Harris.
Cal State-Monterey Bay (5-0): When it comes to a combination of both record and strength of schedule so far, the Otters might lead the way. CSMB swept a doubleheader from Holy Names (13-1, 5-4), beat Fresno Pacific (5-2) and then swept Sonoma State (7-6, 7-6). Kevin Davidson (.400, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI) is the leader on offense so far, while the pitching staff has gotten two great starts from Jared Koenig (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 10 K in 5 IP) and Gabe Katich (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 7 K in 6 IP) has held his own, as well. The schedule doesn't get any easier this weekend, either, as the Otters head to Azusa Pacific for a four-game weekend. If they can make it through that unscathed, we might be looking at a top-15 team.
Chico State (6-0): Another CCAA team that has set themselves up in a great early-season position, the Wildcats have swept through Menlo (1-0, 12-11, 8-1) and Point Loma (4-0, 3-2, 3-1), and will have a chance to cement themselves as a contender if they can keep it rolling this weekend in three games against Academy of Art. The Chicago State bats have been effective, but small, batting .313 thus far, but with only one home run and a .393 slugging percentage. The pitching staff, however, has been fantastic. Clayton Gelfand has started a pair of games, surrendering only 7 hits in 13 innings with no runs allowed and 9 strikeouts. Dalton Erb (1-0, 0.82 ERA, 11 IP, 8 H, 9 K) has made it a wonderful 1-2 punch so far, and the team as a whole is carrying a 1.45 staff ERA with a .220 batting average against. Point Loma was no slouch, either. Chico and the aforementioned Otters of CSMB could be meeting up here for a CCAA series at the end of the month with some pretty huge implications already.
Dixie State (4-0): This is a team that is highly-ranked in some other publications, and the Red Storm are off to a blistering start. They swept CCAA's Cal State-San Bernardino in a four-game set over the weekend (5-3, 8-2, 14-2, 10-2), with the bats taking center stage. DSU hit .388 as a team in the series, including FIVE starters who hit .467 or better on the weekend. The pitching was equally as good, racking up a team ERA of 1.32. Dylan File struck out eight and allowed only two hits in his five innings of work, but was the only starter to not earn a victory. The bullpen gave up only six hits and zero earned runs in 13 innings of work with six strikeouts. The Red Storm will look to keep things rolling this weekend with a pair of games against Northwest Nazarene and a pair against Montana State-Billings.
Finally, let's take a look at the new format for the Division II postseason beginning this year.
The NCAA has opted to increase the number of teams making the postseason from 48 (8 regions of 6) to 56 (2 regions of 8, 4 regions of 7, 2 regions of 6). The number of regional teams is based off the number of baseball-playing schools in those regions. Therefore, the Central and Midwest regions, which boast the highest number of teams, will each expand their regions to 8 teams each. The Atlantic, East, South and Southeast will expand to 7 teams, while the South Central and West will stay at 6 teams since they have the fewest number of baseball-playing schools in them.
#2 Franklin Pierce (0-0): The Ravens begin their season at the end of the month when they head to South Carolina for five games.
#3 Millersville (3-1): The Marauders went 3-1 in their opening weekend, winning a series at Winston-Salem State, a team that could be a regional tournament contender at the end of the season. They picked up victories of 3-0, 4-3 and 4-2, but fell in the second game of the series (and first of a doubleheader), 4-2. The bats were cold all weekend, as Millersville hit only .237 in the series, led by Ted Williams going 5-for-10 and Mitch Stoltzfus going 3-for-10. Everyone else was below .300 on the weekend. The Marauders shined on the mound, though, notching a team ERA of 1.91, including 6.2 innings of 1-hit ball from Brandon Miller, who struck out 9 in his victory. Millersville has this weekend off before going back to North Carolina for the Riverside Spring Classic against a few fellow PSAC teams.
#4 St. Edward's (3-3): The Hilltoppers didn't quite get off to the start they hoped for, I'm guessing. SEU won a season-opening series from Harding with 3-0 and 11-0 wins sandwiched around a 5-1 loss on opening weekend. They traveled to Canyon, Texas to partake in the West Texas A&M Tournament, however, and went 1-2, falling to SW Oklahoma State and the host Buffs before beating Colorado Mines to wrap up the tournament. SEU is putting up good numbers, batting .272 as a team so far, and J.D. Arrowood hasn't quite found his stroke yet, but is tied for the team lead with four RBI already. On the mound, Cameron Stanton is already looking stellar, allowing only one earned run in 12 innings of work so far with 10 strikeouts. The 'Toppers will take on Houston-Victoria in a three-game series this weekend to try and buoy their record.
#5 Colorado Mesa (0-0): The Mavericks start their season this weekend with three games against Nebraska-Kearney at home.
#6 Tampa (6-0): I'm still thinking the defending champions didn't much appreciate their pre-season ranking by PerfectGame. The Spartans have rolled their way to a 6-0 start, scoring 54 runs in the process. If replacing offense was their issue, well, they are hitting .342 as a team and already have a favorite for Player of the Year in J.D. Osborne, who is batting .348 with 3 homers and 9 RBI in 6 games. If it was finding some pitching, which Tampa struggled a bit with last year...well...they have a team ERA of 2.89 so far and a heck of a rotation to go to in Brad Hencke (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 8 K in 10 IP), Michael Calkins (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 10 K in 8 IP) and David Heintz (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 15 K in 8 IP). Already, the Spartans are a team you do not want to mess with. Tampa continues their season this weekend with three games at West Florida.
#7 Quincy (0-0): The Hawks don't start their season until the end of the month, when they start their season with a tough match-up at Trevecca Nazarene on the 26th to begin a TNU-hosted tournament.
#8 Missouri Southern (0-0): The Lions begin their season this week with a four-game series at home against Bemidji State.
#9 Minnesota State (0-0): Another set of Mavericks gets under way this weekend as well, with MSU traveling to take on Arkansas-Monticello for a three-game set this weekend.
#10 West Florida (1-2): The Argos got off to a bit of a rough start in a shortened weekend, dropping two of three to Florida Southern. FSC took game one 6-4 on a day where there was a doubleheader scheduled, but rain ended the day after only six innings. On the next day, the Argos split, winning the opener 12-0 before falling 6-5 in the nightcap. JT Granat threw five shutout innings in that opener, striking out six with only two hits allowed to get the victory. This week will be a test for UWF, as they take on Mobile on Tuesday before welcoming Tampa in to town for three games this weekend.
#11 Florida Tech (2-3): FIT had high expectations coming in, but so far have only posted a 2-3 record. The Panthers won their first two games, 6-1 and 4-3 at Rollins, before falling in the final game of the series, 4-3. This past weekend, the Panthers fell to Wingate (4-3) and Valdosta State (8-7) in a pair of tight games. So while they have not had any crushing losses, they have to be thinking they could easily be 5-0 right now. Reid Neal is living up to his pre-season accolades, batting .400 with a pair of doubles, a homer and a team-leading 6 RBI through five games. Ty Cohen is doing the same on the mound, going 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings through his first two starts. The Panthers will head to Flagler for a mid-week game before hosting Catawba (twice) and Valdosta State in a three-team invite this weekend.
#12 Cal Poly Pomona (3-1): The Broncos went 3-1 in their opening weekend, beating Concordia in a four-game split series. CPP took the first two games, 9-8 and 3-0, before splitting on the road in Irvine, losing 4-3 and winning 12-3. The Broncos are being led by 3 huge bats in their lineup, as Caleb Romo (.462, 1 HR, 4 RBI), Jared James (.444, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and Chris Stratton (.286, 1 HR, 7 RBI) are all mashing so far. Ryan Olson's pre-season All-American pick has, through one start, gone as advertised. Olson threw 5.1 innings of one-hit ball with 5 strikeouts to pick up a victory. Teammate Max Bethell was just as good, striking out nine and allowing two hits in five innings of work. The Broncos have a heavy weekend coming up, as they face Cal State-San Bernardino on Friday and take on UT-Permian Basin in a doubleheader on Saturday, before heading to La Jolla to take on UC San Diego in a non-conference tilt on Sunday.
#13 Mercyhurst (3-1): The Lakers, a much-higher pre-season ranked team elsewhere, got off to a solid start in their quest to get back to Cary. Mercyhurst went 3-1 against Stillman in the opening weekend. That may not seem impressive on the surface, but Stillman will be one of the favorites in the SIAC, setting themselves up to sneak in to the #7 seed in the South regional tournament at the end of the year which would help out Mercyhurst's seeding for their own region when the time comes. The Lakers hit .305 in the series, led by Hank Morrison (.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Jimmy Latona (.308, 2 2B, 4 RBI). Colin McKee didn't pick up a victory in his opening start, but he did strike out 10 in five innings of shutout ball in the opener. As a matter of fact, three of the four Mercyhurst starting pitchers gave up three hits or less and went at least four innings. They will be off this weekend before heading to Virginia to take on a fairly easy four-game schedule next weekend.
#14 Cal Baptist (2-1): CBU had a solid start to their season, winning a three-game series against Cal State-Los Angeles. The Lancers fell in their season opener, 8-2, but rebounded to take the series, 5-4 and 2-0. The bats weren't overly-productive, but the pitching for the Lancers was stellar. Dylan Stowell threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts, while Patrick Gonzales didn't allow a hit in three innings of relief over the weekend. They'll be back at it against another CCAA opponent this weekend with three games against Cal State-Dominguez Hills.
#15 Southern Arkansas (2-2): The Muleriders split a four-game weekend in Texas to begin their season. They dropped their first two games of the year, 7-6 to Cameron and 5-1 to Washburn, before rebounding for a sweep on the second day with a 7-1 win over East Central and a 4-3 payback to Washburn. Kenneth Tabor threw six shutout innings with three hits allowed and eight strikeouts in his season debut to earn a victory, while another stellar relief performance was turned in by Larsen Makenzy, who didn't allow a hit in four innings of work. SAU has a busy week coming up, traveling to a great NAIA team in LSU-Shreveport on Tuesday before hosting the SAU Invitational this weekend with games against Central Missouri, Oklahoma Christian, Central Oklahoma and Washburn (again).
#16 Nova Southeastern (3-4): NSU got off to a rough start to their season in the opening weekend, dropping their first three games of the year against Tusculum (13-2), Newberry (8-4) and Catawba (5-2). However, the Sharks rebounded in a big way with a series victory this past weekend at Alabama-Huntsville, a team that should compete for a spot in the regional tournament. NSU swept the opening doubleheader (11-8 and 4-2), then split the second DH (7-4 win, 10-5 loss). Outside of Dylan Woods (.391, 1 HR, 7 RBI), NSU has struggled to find their footing at the plate, hitting just .239 as a team so far. On the mound, things have been rough to say the least, so far. Staff ace Alex Mateo has an ERA near 5 thus far, but has struck out 11 in 11 innings. If he can find his way and Woods can get some help at the plate, I am confident the Sharks will put themselves back in the regional discussion. NSU faced Colorado Christian this week, but that's it for this week's slate.
#17 West Alabama (2-1): The Tigers got their season off to a 2-1 start with a series victory over up-and-coming Palm Beach Atlantic. PBA won the first game, 2-1, but UWA took the doubleheader on day two, 13-1 and 7-2. Nick Delgado (.636) is crushing it at the plate right now, but the Tiger pitching staff has done the best work, carrying a 1.38 team ERA through the series. Josh Jones picked up a win with six one-hit innings of baseball for their best performance of the weekend on the mound. UWA is at home this weekend, facing East Central in a four-game series.
#18 Columbus State (2-1): The Cougars, a team that had high expectations last season but couldn't quite put it together, started their season 2-1 with a series victory over Erskine. The Flying Fleet took the first game, 7-4, but CSU swept Saturday's doubleheader, 9-8 and 15-2. Ryan Ihle (.667, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Blake Edwards (.545, 2 2B, 5 RBI) mashed all weekend, but the pitching staff couldn't find much success outside of Brandon Koehler (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 7 IP, 6 H, 3 K in a win). CSU faces Albany State in a mid-week game before welcoming Lynn in to town for a three-game series this weekend.
#19 St. Leo (3-0): SLU had the toughest sweep of the year so far, sweeping Montevallo in a trio of one-run games last weekend. 9-8 (11 inn.), 6-5, and 6-5 again (and again 11 innings) was how the Lions began their year. Troy Sieber has gotten off to a solid start (.417, 3 2B, 3 RBI) to lead the offense, but the starting pitching is going to have to find their way. The relief staff turned in 18.1 innings of relief with only two earned runs on the weekend, but the starters surrendered 11 runs in 12.2 innings of work. Saint Leo will head out for the rare, but luxurious, five-game trip to Hawaii Pacific this week. One game each on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with a doubleheader on Saturday.
#20 Ashland (0-0): Ashland doesn't start their season until the end of the year in Evansville, where they'll face a stiff schedule in Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Indiana and St. Joseph's to begin the year.
#21 Catawba (1-2): Last year's national runners-up had a 1-2 start to the 2016 season, dropping games to Barry (12-7) and Lynn (6-4) before picking up a victory against Nova Southeastern (5-2). As mentioned in an earlier post, pre-season Player of the Year candidate Will Albertson is already making his case for the award, hitting two home runs in the first three games of the year. On the mound, Russ Weiker pitched his way to the only victory of the opening weekend for Catawba, throwing six shutout innings against NSU. The Indians had this past weekend off, but will travel to Florida Tech for the FIT Tournament against the host Panthers twice, sandwiched around a tilt with Valdosta State.
#22 Southern Indiana (0-0): The Screaming Eagles will open their season next weekend with their annual "50-50 shot this actually gets played" three-game series against Grand Valley State in Evansville.
#23 Southern New Hampshire (0-0): SNHU will begin their season at the end of the month down in South Carolina with a five-game weekend.
#24 Minnesota-Duluth (0-0): The Bulldogs are scheduled to begin their season next weekend with four games at Pittsburg State.
#25t Lee (3-0): The Flames dominated in their opening weekend of play, crushing Albany State in a three game sweep (12-0, 4-0, 9-1). Much like Mercyhurst, this may not seem like much, but Albany State is another favorite in the SIAC that could win that conference and sneak in to the #7 spot in the South regional tournament at the end of the year, which would deem this past weekend as a very important set of victories. Lee will welcome Tiffin in to town this weekend for a three-game set.
#25t East Stroudsburg (0-0): ESU will begin their season next weekend with a three-game series at Chowan.
On the unranked side, a few teams that have gotten off to great starts and may be finding themselves ranked sooner rather than later...
West Georgia (4-0): The Wolves didn't face great competition, but they have handled their opponents so far, beating Emmanuel (17-0) before sweeping Pfeiffer in a three-game series (5-4, 3-2, 12-0). They will try and keep it going with a mid-week game against Young Harris and a pair of games against Stillman this weekend.
UC San Diego (2-0): It wasn't against D-II competition, but the Tritons beat The Master's College in a pair of games (3-2 and 4-3) and will ratchet up that competition quickly this week with a busy six-game schedule. They'll face UT-Permian Basin for three games on Thursday/Friday, face Cal State-San Bernardino in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, then cap off the week with a single game against Cal Poly Pomona (again, non-conference) on Sunday, all at home.
Embry-Riddle (5-1): ERAU is in their first season of D-II baseball and are therefore not eligible for the postseason, but the former NAIA powerhouse has begun their foray in to the NCAA on good terms. They took two of three against Palm Beach Atlantic last weekend (2-0 and 6-1 wins, 18-12 loss), then swept through three games against Florida Memorial (5-3, 4-3, 4-0). Their lone game this week is against Auburn-Montgomery, but we will have to wait until next Wednesday to get a decent gauge on them when they face up-and-coming Flagler.
Newberry (4-1-1): The Wolves had the best opening weekend of the year when they beat Lynn, Nova Southeastern and Barry to claim superiority over the SSC for a few days, but then had a true series split with Belmont Abbey this past weekend. Newberry beat Abbey 4-3, lost 6-2, then tied 1-1 in the rubber match. They'll face North Greenville in an intriguing mid-week match-up before hosting their own tournament this weekend where they'll face Brevard, King and Young Harris.
Cal State-Monterey Bay (5-0): When it comes to a combination of both record and strength of schedule so far, the Otters might lead the way. CSMB swept a doubleheader from Holy Names (13-1, 5-4), beat Fresno Pacific (5-2) and then swept Sonoma State (7-6, 7-6). Kevin Davidson (.400, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI) is the leader on offense so far, while the pitching staff has gotten two great starts from Jared Koenig (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 10 K in 5 IP) and Gabe Katich (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 7 K in 6 IP) has held his own, as well. The schedule doesn't get any easier this weekend, either, as the Otters head to Azusa Pacific for a four-game weekend. If they can make it through that unscathed, we might be looking at a top-15 team.
Chico State (6-0): Another CCAA team that has set themselves up in a great early-season position, the Wildcats have swept through Menlo (1-0, 12-11, 8-1) and Point Loma (4-0, 3-2, 3-1), and will have a chance to cement themselves as a contender if they can keep it rolling this weekend in three games against Academy of Art. The Chicago State bats have been effective, but small, batting .313 thus far, but with only one home run and a .393 slugging percentage. The pitching staff, however, has been fantastic. Clayton Gelfand has started a pair of games, surrendering only 7 hits in 13 innings with no runs allowed and 9 strikeouts. Dalton Erb (1-0, 0.82 ERA, 11 IP, 8 H, 9 K) has made it a wonderful 1-2 punch so far, and the team as a whole is carrying a 1.45 staff ERA with a .220 batting average against. Point Loma was no slouch, either. Chico and the aforementioned Otters of CSMB could be meeting up here for a CCAA series at the end of the month with some pretty huge implications already.
Dixie State (4-0): This is a team that is highly-ranked in some other publications, and the Red Storm are off to a blistering start. They swept CCAA's Cal State-San Bernardino in a four-game set over the weekend (5-3, 8-2, 14-2, 10-2), with the bats taking center stage. DSU hit .388 as a team in the series, including FIVE starters who hit .467 or better on the weekend. The pitching was equally as good, racking up a team ERA of 1.32. Dylan File struck out eight and allowed only two hits in his five innings of work, but was the only starter to not earn a victory. The bullpen gave up only six hits and zero earned runs in 13 innings of work with six strikeouts. The Red Storm will look to keep things rolling this weekend with a pair of games against Northwest Nazarene and a pair against Montana State-Billings.
Finally, let's take a look at the new format for the Division II postseason beginning this year.
The NCAA has opted to increase the number of teams making the postseason from 48 (8 regions of 6) to 56 (2 regions of 8, 4 regions of 7, 2 regions of 6). The number of regional teams is based off the number of baseball-playing schools in those regions. Therefore, the Central and Midwest regions, which boast the highest number of teams, will each expand their regions to 8 teams each. The Atlantic, East, South and Southeast will expand to 7 teams, while the South Central and West will stay at 6 teams since they have the fewest number of baseball-playing schools in them.
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