Last Weekend of Regular Season on the Docket

We roll on to yet another weekend of both regular season play and conference tournament action. With four conference tournament champions already crowned, three more conferences begin their tournaments this weekend, while the rest of the country will begin their conference tournaments in the middle or end of next week. Additionally, we had our first national awards name their semifinalists as we head towards the big hardware being handed out.


PerfectGame.org's Nick Herfordt released his semifinalists for both the Tino Martinez Award (Hitter of the Year) and Brett Tomko Award (Pitcher of the Year) in Division II baseball, and there are a bevy of obscene numbers in both lists to check out.

So here we are, in our last weekend of regular season action. And for the first time this year, we head to the Midwest region for our Marquee Match-Up of the Week:

Southern Indiana (30-16, 17-7 GLVC) at Indianapolis (31-15, 16-8 GLVC)
Game One: Friday, 5/6, 2:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Two: Friday, 5/6, 4:30 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Three: Saturday, 5/7, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Four: Saturday, 5/7, 3:30 PM ET (Live Stats)

Projected Pitching Match-Ups
Game One: USI Colin Nowak (5-2, 2.09) vs UIndy Matthew Kaplanis (8-0, 3.50)
Game Two: USI Lucas Barnett (5-4, 3.93) vs UIndy Jake Shaw (5-3, 3.42)
Game Three: USI Devin Williams (5-3, 1.95) vs UIndy Connor Mailloux (3-5, 3.93)
Game Four: USI Austin Krizan (4-0, 2.57) vs UIndy Michael Schalasky (3-2, 5.65)
(Projected pitching match-ups are based exclusively on prior series' rotations and should not be considered official in any way.)

For the first (and only) time this season, our Marquee Match-Up of the Week heads to the Midwest region, where the #3 and #4 teams in the regional rankings do battle to not only further figure out regional positions, but to most likely determine a big portion of the GLVC regular season championship.

It doesn't get much more balanced than these two stalwarts in the Midwest region. They are comparable in nearly every way. UIndy has a .310 team batting average while USI has a .309 team batting average. USI holds a definite advantage in the pitching staff numbers, where they have a 3.34 team ERA compared to UIndy's 4.22 team ERA.

Despite UIndy's higher team ERA, they do boast one of the top relievers in the region in Dylan Stutsman (5-1, 1.77 ERA, 24 app., 11 SV, 35.2 IP, 38 K, .191 BAA) and a pair of starters who could be considered aces in Shaw and Kaplanis. For USI, their team ERA advantage is helped immensely by their top two starters this year in Williams and Nowak. They have a stud reliever of their own as well in T.J. Decker (2-0, 2.52 ERA, 19 app., 5 SV, 25 IP, 26 K, .174 BAA).

When it comes to offense, both teams compare well to each other. They each have six starters hitting over .300, with USI led by Kyle Kempf, seemingly in his 13th year with the team, batting .360 with 16 doubles, 37 RBI, a .509 slugging percentage and a .444 on-base percentage. Kyle Niemeier (.357, 10 2B, 30 RBI, .449 OBP) and Ryan Bertram (.353, 12 2B, 36 RBI, .471 SLG, .423 OBP) are great support pieces for him, and there is a wealth of experience on this team considering Kempf, Bertram, Hamilton Carr and Trent Gunn were all in the starting lineup when USI won the national title in 2014, and they are all in the starting lineup right now. They might not end up being the top seed in the region, but this is a team that knows how to flip that switch when the postseason starts.

For the Greyhounds, the story is much the same in terms of offensive support. There is no big bat, but rather an entire lineup that can get on base and score at any time. There are no down times for opposing pitchers anywhere in the order. Anthony Asalon (.379, 10 2B, 8 HR, 33 RBI, .558 SLG, .434 OBP) leads the team in hitting, while Colin Hawk (.373, 22 2B, 5 HR, 37 RBI, .596 SLG, .430 OBP) leads the team in most every other category.

With these two teams being right next to each other in both the GLVC standings and Midwest regional rankings, this was an easy pick for our top series of the week around the world of Division II baseball.

#5 Colorado Mesa (38-8, 28-5 RMAC) at Colorado Mines (26-12, 19-6 RMAC)
Game One: Friday, 5/6, 8:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Two: Saturday, 5/7, 3:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Three: Sunday, 5/8, 2:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)

Azusa Pacific (29-18, 24-9 PacWest) vs #6 California Baptist (37-10, 27-6 PacWest)
Game One: 4-3 APU Win (Box Score)
Game Two: Friday, 5/6, 9:00 PM ET at CBU (Live Stats | Video)
Game Three: Monday, 5/9, 3:00 PM at APU
Game Four: Monday, 5/9, 5:30 PM at APU

#19 Central Missouri (31-12, 29-7 MIAA) at Washburn (31-15, 26-10 MIAA)
Game One: Friday, 5/6, 6:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio)
Game Two: Saturday, 5/7, 5:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio)
Game Three: Sunday, 5/8, 2:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio)

Texas A&M-Kingsville (32-14, 22-10 LSC) at West Texas A&M (32-15, 20-12 LSC)
Game One: Friday, 5/6, 8:30 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Two: Saturday, 5/7, 3:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)
Game Three: Saturday, 5/7, 5:30 PM ET (Live Stats | Video)

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament
Champions: Chowan (26-23)

Mountain East Tournament
May 12-15

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament
May 8-11
#E1 Millersville (Atlantic #1)
#W1 Mercyhurst (Atlantic #3)
#E2 West Chester (Atlantic #2)
#W2 Seton Hill (Atlantic #6)
#E3 East Stroudsburg (Atlantic #4)
#W3 Gannon (Atlantic #8)
#E4 Shippensburg
#W4 California

Great American Conference Tournament
May 6-8, 12-14
#1 SW Oklahoma State (Central #4)
#2 Arkansas-Monticello (Central #7)
#3 SE Oklahoma State
#4 Henderson State
#5 Southern Arkansas
#6 East Central
#7 Harding
#8 Arkansas Tech

Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament
May 12-15

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament
May 11-14

Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 12-15

East Coast Conference Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 12-15

Northeast-10 Conference Tournament
May 10-14

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
May 12-15

Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament
May 12-15

Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament
May 11-14

Gulf South Conference Tournament
May 7-10
#1 West Florida (South #2)
#2 Delta State (South #5)
#3 West Alabama (South #4)
#4 West Georgia (South #7)
#5 Alabama-Huntsville (South #9)
#6 Lee

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
Champion: Claflin (24-27)

Heartland Conference Tournament
May 12-14

Lone Star Conference Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 12-14

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 12-14

Conference Carolinas Tournament
Champion: Mount Olive (29-19)

Peach Belt Conference Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 11-15

South Atlantic Conference Tournament
Champion: Catawba/Tusculum Co-Champions
Auto-Bid: Catawba (34-18)

California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament (No tournament page available yet)
May 11-14

Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament
May 12-13

Here is the review/preview of all the teams in this week's PerfectGame.org Division II Top 25:

1. Millersville (44-4): The Marauders' romp over the PSAC continued with a perfect 4-0 weekend over Kutztown to end their PSAC season at 25-3, and they capped off their regular season with a victory over Wilmington. They begin PSAC Tournament play on Sunday with a game against California (Pa.).

2. Tampa (36-7): The Spartans rolled Palm Beach Atlantic last weekend, outscoring the Sailfish 32-5 in the three-game series. They have two weekends left in the regular season, including three games this week on the road at Eckerd. The Spartans currently have a 0.5 game lead over Nova Southeastern in the Sunshine State Conference standings.

3. St. Edward's (37-10): The Hilltoppers swept a three-game series from Texas A&M-International and have a three-game lead in the Heartland Conference with only three games to play. They'll face Newman this weekend and need to win only one to claim the regular season crown.

4. Franklin Pierce (44-4): Matching Millersville for the best overall record in Division II baseball, the Ravens have accomplished that by winning 16 straight. They just finished their regular season with a three-game sweep of Merrimack, a single win over Saint Anselm, and a three-game sweep of Saint Michael's, winning those last four games by a combined score of 44-6. They will await the NE-10 Tournament that begins on May 10th.

5. Colorado Mesa (38-8): The Mavs split a doubleheader with Metro State early this week, and will finish their regular season with three games at Colorado Mines this weekend. They already wrapped up the regular season conference title with a 28-5 record and will have the top seed in the tournament that starts on Thursday.

6. Cal Baptist (37-10): After sweeping all four games last week against Fresno Pacific, the Lancers began their last series of the regular season with a loss to Azusa Pacific on Thursday. They'll have three more games with the Cougars this weekend before heading to the regional tournament, which they may very well end up hosting. Azusa would have to sweep the last three games of the weekend to force a tie atop the PacWest standings.

7. Columbus State (39-11): The Cougars ended their regular season by winning two-of-three against UNC Pembroke and will now prepare for the postseason. They claimed the Peach Belt title with a 23-7 conference record.

8. Nova Southeastern (33-14): The Sharks took two-of-three from Florida Southern in our Marquee Match-Up of the Week last weekend, and will end their regular season this week with three on the road at Florida Tech. The Sharks have a chance to move in to the lead in the Sunshine State Conference, currently sitting only 0.5 games behind Tampa for the top spot in the conference. However, Tampa has six games left to play against Nova's three.

9. West Florida (33-13): UWF won the only game of the weekend they could play against Lee, ending their regular season as the Gulf South champions and getting the right to host the conference tournament this weekend. They'll host Lee again in the 1 vs 6 match-up on Saturday.

10. St. Cloud State (36-6): SCSU split a four-game series with Northern State and then swept a gigantic double-header from Minnesota-Duluth. They'll end their regular season this weekend with four games at Minot State. They currently sit 2.5 games behind UMD in the NSIC standings, all of which are a product of being five games behind in the win column. The NSIC Tournament will kick off on Wednesday.

11. USC Aiken (35-14): The Pacers finished their regular season with a pair of wins over Southern Wesleyan (21-1 and 11-2), and will end their regular season with a single non-conference tilt against Catawba on Saturday. The Pacers are third in the Peach Belt and will be a big factor in the conference tournament that starts on Wednesday.

12. Quincy (34-11): QU took three-of-four from Rockhurst last weekend and picked up a single-game victory over NW Missouri State early this week. They'll end their regular season with four games on the road at William Jewell this weekend. They lead their GLVC West division by two games and are tied with Southern Indiana for the conference lead at 17-7.

13. Lander (36-12): The Bearcats ended their regular season with a 6-3 victory over Erskine on Wednesday and will now await the Peach Belt tournament, where they should be the #2 seed.

14. Mercyhurst (38-10): The Lakers ended their regular season on an eight-game winning streak after sweeping four games from Indiana (Pa.) and picking up a single-game win over Fredonia. They will begin the PSAC Tournament with a game against Shippensburg on Sunday.

15. Southern New Hampshire (41-5): The main threat to Franklin Pierce in the region, the Penmen have won four of their last five, beating Saint Anselm in one game, taking two-of-three from Stonehill and beating Saint Michael's in a single game. They'll end their regular season on Saturday with a game at Chestnut Hill. Beyond that, they will await the NE-10 Tournament that begins on Tuesday and will hopefully end with a collision course with FPU.

16. Florida Southern (28-15): The Mocs are five games out of the Sunshine State Conference lead with six to play, so their hopes for a conference title are grim, but they need to rack up as many wins in their final six games as they can, beginning with three this weekend at Barry, to keep their regional hopes alive, as they currently sit eighth in the region.

17. West Alabama (35-13): UWA took two-of-three from Alabama-Huntsville to end the regular season, and are now preparing for the Gulf South tournament, where they earned the 3-seed and will face West Georgia to begin the tournament on Saturday.

18. Cal Poly Pomona (32-14): CPP has gotten on track with seven straight victories after sweeping all four from Cal State-San Bernardino last weekend and beginning their weekend series with Cal State-Dominguez Hills with a 6-2 victory. They'll take on the Toros three more times this weekend before heading to the CCAA Tournament on Wednesday, where they should be the top seed.

19. Central Missouri (31-12): The Mules swept all three games from Missouri Western last weekend , and need only a single victory over Washburn to wrap up the MIAA regular season title, as they currently lead by three games with three to play this weekend. They'll be the top seed for the MIAA Tournament that begins on Thursday.

20. Minnesota-Duluth (33-11): UMD leads the NSIC despite a doubleheader sweep at the hands of St. Cloud State on Wednesday. The Bulldogs swept four games from Minot State last weekend, however. They have four games remaining, all against Mary this weekend, with a great chance to lock up the regular season NSIC crown and #1 tournament seed for the tournament which begins Wednesday.

21. Chico State (30-16): The Wildcats split four games with San Francisco State last weekend but are only a 0.5 game out of the CCAA North lead behind Cal State-Monterey Bay. Chico will face Stanislaus State in four games this weekend, the bottom team in the CCAA North, while CSU-MB will be taking on East Bay, the #3 team in the CCAA North.

22. Missouri Southern (31-16): The Lions rolled in three games over Lincoln last weekend, and wrap up their regular season with three games on the road at Northeastern State this weekend. MSSU is only fifth in the MIAA standings, and aren't ranked in the Central regional rankings yet, but it would not be a surprise if they ended up winning their way in to the regional tournament, anyway.

23. East Stroudsburg (35-14): The Warriors ended the regular season on a down note, dropping three-of-four to West Chester. They are the East's #3 seed in the PSAC Tournament and will begin that venture this weekend with an opening-round game against Seton Hill on Sunday.

24. Lubbock Christian (32-15): LCU dropped two-of-three to Oklahoma Christian over the weekend, but still sit second in the Heartland Conference, three games behind St. Edward's. The Chaps will face Texas-Permian Basin in three games this weekend to end their regular season.

25. Dixie State (38-12): The Trailblazers ended their regular season by taking three-of-four from Concordia, and at #2 in the West regional rankings, are firmly in the top half of the regional tournament when it starts in a few weeks.