It is turning in to our favorite time of the year! The season's first official NCAA Division II regional rankings were released earlier this week, clearing up what was a foggy regional picture. In addition to that, we have conference tournament play already this weekend! Conference Carolinas, South Atlantic Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are already staging their conference tournaments, and the first two both include a couple teams that can be found in the Southeast regional rankings. For the SIAC, it will mean a regional bid that eliminates one of the auto-bids from the South region as none of the SIAC schools are close to being ranked in the region.
Shortly after the regional rankings came out, I gave a very short opinion on each region on our Twitter account. Here is a little bit of an expanded look at each of those:
Atlantic: Millersville seems to have a stranglehold on this region and should be the host barring a collapse. I'm a little surprised Mercyhurst is down at #4, I thought they would be #2 or #3. I think you will find your serious contenders for the regional crown all in the top four here.
Central: Despite what you could call recent "struggles" for the Huskies, they still claim the top spot. I'm a little surprised Minnesota-Duluth wasn't #2, but they are solidly in at #3. Central Missouri all the way down at #9 in the opening rankings doesn't bode well for the Mules going forward. They can't afford more than 1 or 2 more losses if they want to make the field. They have a serious shot at claiming the MIAA auto-bid, though.
East: SNHU at #1 and Franklin Pierce at #2 is a runaway from the rest of the region, and those spots might already flip after FPU picked up a win over SNHU earlier this week. One of these teams will be representing the region in Cary.
Midwest: This is a mess of a region so far. Nobody is breaking away from the pack, but it is all the usual regional suspects in contention outside of Hillsdale, who is crashing the party at #6 right now.
South: This is a stacked region. The top seven teams here might all be part of the top 10 or 15 teams in the country. Tampa leads the way, to be expected, but it is a logjam the rest of the way down and I think teams #2 through #7 are all pretty interchangeable.
South Central: Colorado Mesa is running away with the top seed here yet again. St. Edward's all the way down at #4 is a shock, I thought they would be #3 at the worst, more likely at #2.
Southeast: A little surprising that Lander is ahead of Columbus State, although they are both great teams. There is no injustice here, just a little surprising. Erskine doesn't seem to be getting to much respect either in polls or in these regional rankings, despite being the top team in the Conference Carolinas this year.
West: Cal Baptist, I believe, has a pretty comfortable hold on the top spot here, although Dixie State is only two behind in the loss column. With no PacWest conference tournament, I think CBU will hold serve here and be the hosts. The CCAA is the place to watch, as they occupy the #3-#5 spots in the rankings, and one of their better teams, UC San Diego, is all the way down at #8 in the first edition.
And here is our list of series' to watch this weekend, led by our Marquee Match-Up of the Week, which includes the same team FOR THE THIRD WEEK IN A ROW. Kudos to you for surviving this grind of a schedule towards the end of the year, Mocs:
#9 Nova Southeastern (31-13, 14-4 SSC, #2 South) at #15 Florida Southern (27-13, 9-6 SSC, #7 South)
Game One: Friday, 4/29, 6:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Two: Saturday, 4/30, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Three: Saturday, 4/30, 4:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Projected Pitching Match-Ups
Game One: NSU Alex Mateo (6-3, 3.03) vs FSC Ben Richardson (9-2, 4.29)
Game Two: NSU Matt Hardy (7-1, 4.47) vs FSC Logan Browning (3-3, 5.93)
Game Three: NSU Julian Loret de Mola (5-2, 2.72) vs FSC A.J. Smith (0-1, 6.21)
(Projected pitching match-ups are based exclusively on prior series' rotations and should not be considered official in any way.)
Here we are again, Mocs. For the third straight week, FSC is part of our Marquee Match-Up of the Week. FSC has been in an absolute grind for the last three weeks, first taking on USC Aiken, who was a top-20 team nationally at the time, and then last week taking on Tampa, both of which were on the road. This time, they at least get to play on their home field against yet another ranked squad.
Yet again, it is much the same story for FSC. A whole lot of offensive firepower, still led by Sam Machonic (.391, 11 2B, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 17/20 SB, .467 OBP, .639 SLG) and Mitch Reeves (.373, 7 2B, 7 HR, 40 RBI, .439 OBP, .576 SLG). The pitching staff is still carrying quite a hefty team ERA, but Richardson in particular is still turning in quality starts against spectacular competition. The inflated ERA's are a little bit of a cause for concern considering NSU is facing the same competition for the most part, but it is still something to consider.
For Nova Southeastern, it is some huge bats leading the way, with the ringleader being Brandon Gomez and his 17 home runs this season. He's batting .343 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 62 RBI and a team-leading .727 slugging percentage in the middle of a very potent lineup. He is flanked by Daniel Zardon (.329, 11 2B, 11 HR, 34 RBI, .615 SLG, .426 OBP), Andres Visbal (.304, 9 HR, 38 RBI, .547 SLG) and the contact guys in Dylan Woods (.371, 5 HR, 26 RBI, .448 OBP) and Kevin Suarez (.346, 10 2B, 22 RBI, .417 OBP, 16/19 SB). As a team, the Sharks have out-homered their opponents 67-29.
On the mound, NSU holds the advantage in this match-up, with Alex Mateo being one of the best starting pitchers in the nation. He is joined in the rotation by very capable teammates in Julian Loret de Mola and Matt Hardy. In the back end, Devin Raftery (0-1, 1.42 ERA, 9 SV, 49 K in 31.2 IP, .188 BAA) and Alex Kline (1-1, 2.61 ERA, 19 K in 20.2 IP, .208 BAA) combine to form one of the best late-game tandems in Division II.
This series should have some pretty big regional implications as Florida Southern almost *needs* a series victory to keep themselves in the race for a regional birth, while Nova Southeastern is attempting to run down Tampa for the top spot in the region.
Here are the other Division II series' to keep an eye on this weekend, all of which boast regional implications:
#17 West Alabama (33-12, 21-9 GSC, #4 South) at Alabama-Huntsville (30-16, 20-10 GSC, #9 South)
Game One: Saturday, 4/30, 3:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Two: Saturday, 4/30, 6:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Three: Sunday, 5/1, 2:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
#18 East Stroudsburg (34-11, 17-7 PSAC, #2 Atlantic) vs West Chester (29-10, 17-7 PSAC, #3 Atlantic)
Game One (at WCU): Friday, 4/29, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Two (at WCU): Friday, 4/29, 3:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Three (at ESU): Saturday, 4/30, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Four (at ESU): Saturday, 4/30, 3:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
#22 Minnesota-Duluth (29-9, 22-4 NSIC, #3 Central) at #6 St. Cloud State (32-4, 17-4 NSIC, #1 Central)
Game One: Wednesday, 5/4, 5:00 PM ET
Game Two: Wednesday, 5/4, 7:00 PM ET
Missouri Western (31-14, 23-11 MIAA, #2 Central) at #24 Central Missouri (29-12, 27-7 MIAA, #9 Central)
Game One: 11-10 UCM Win (Box Score)
Game Two: Friday, 4/29, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio | Video)
Game Three: Friday, 4/29, 4:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio | Video)
Hillsdale (28-14, 16-8 GLIAC, #6 Midwest) at Grand Valley State (24-12-1, 15-5 GLIAC, #3 Midwest)
Game One: Saturday, 4/30, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Two: Saturday, 4/30, 4:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Three: Sunday, 5/1, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
Game Four: Sunday, 5/1, 4:00 PM ET (Live Stats)
West Florida (32-13, 23-7 GSC, #3 South) at Lee (30-15, 18-10 GSC)
Game One: Friday, 4/29, 6:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio)
Game Two: Saturday, 4/30, 1:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio | Video)
Game Three: Saturday, 4/30, 4:00 PM ET (Live Stats | Audio | Video)
Conference Carolinas Tournament (April 28-May 1)
#1 Erskine (#5 SE), #2 North Greenville, #3 Belmont Abbey (#3 SE), #4 Mount Olive, #5 Barton, #6 Pfeiffer
South Atlantic Conference Tournament (April 28-May 2)
#1 Catawba (#7 SE), #2 Carson-Newman, #3 Tusculum (#8 SE), #4 Lincoln Memorial, #5 Newberry (#6 SE), #6 Wingate, #7 Coker, #8 Lenoir-Rhyne
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament (April 28-May 1)
#1E Albany State, #1W Stillman, #2E Paine, #2W Miles, #3E Claflin, #3W Kentucky State, #4E Benedict, #4W Tuskegee
Here is our weekly recap/preview of every school found in this week's PerfectGame.org Top 25:
1. Millersville (39-4): The Atlantic #1 seed right now, the Marauders are 17-0 at home after going 3-1 against Shippensburg last week, including a DH sweep (2-0 and 16-2) on Sunday. They are finishing their regular season this week with four PSAC games against Kutztown and a single contest against Wilmington on Monday.
2. Tampa (33-7): The Spartans are #1 in the South currently and went 2-1 against Florida Southern last weekend in our Marquee Match-Up of the Week, dropping the opener 7-6 before winning the Saturday doubleheader, 11-3 and 7-6. They will take on Palm Beach Atlantic three times at home this weekend.
3. St. Edward's (34-10): The Hilltoppers sit at #4 in the South Central region right now and went 3-1 last week, dropping a single game at home to Texas A&M-Kingsville before sweeping Panhandle State in three games (9-0, 16-2 and 11-4). They are back in conference action this weekend with three games on the road at Texas A&M-International.
4. Franklin Pierce (37-4): FPU was at #2 in the East region this week, but picked up a mid-week win over #1 Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday, 7-1. The Ravens had swept through three games at Assumption last weekend (5-1, 15-2, 4-1) and they ended their week with an 8-4 win over Saint Anselm. This week they have seven games to wrap up their regular season, as they finish their home schedule with three games against Merrimack, then hit the road for a single game at Saint Anselm on Tuesday and three games at Saint Michael's on Wednesday and Thursday.
5. Colorado Mesa (37-7): The Mavericks are running away with the top seed in the South Central region after sweeping all three games against Colorado Christian (5-4, 25-8, 15-4) last weekend. CMU keeps RMAC play going with three games at Metro State this weekend.
6. St. Cloud State (32-4): The Huskies had only a doubleheader this past week, and they swept through it against Bemidji State (4-2 and 11-2) and claim the top spot in the Central region right now. They have six games on the docket this week, as they take on Northern State four times before setting up a showdown with Minnesota-Duluth as they look to claim the top spot in the NSIC.
7. Cal Baptist (36-9): Another #1 seed, this time in the West, the Lancers went 5-1 last week after going 2-1 against Point Loma (4-0, 6-7, 10-5) and have began their series against Fresno Pacific with three straight victories (3-1, 5-2, 6-1). They have one more game against the Sunbirds on Friday before starting a series with Azusa Pacific on Thursday.
8. Columbus State (37-10): The Cougars, #2 in the Southeast right now, are riding a 15-game winning streak after sweeping Armstrong State (8-6, 12-2, 13-8) and picking up a mid-week victory over Point (7-2). They finish their regular season with their final Peach Belt series at home against UNC Pembroke this weekend.
9. Nova Southeastern (31-13): The Sharks find themselves at #2 in the South region right now, after they swept through upstart Embry-Riddle (11-5, 10-8, 6-0) over the weekend. This weekend, they head to Florida Southern for three Sunshine State games.
10. West Florida (32-13): The Argos are #3 in the South region, and winners of their last five. UWF swept all three from Shorter last weekend (10-2, 9-6, 12-2) and picked up a single win at Spring Hill, 4-1. They wrap up Gulf South play this weekend on the road with three games at Lee.
11. Southern New Hampshire (37-4): The Penmen were #1 in the East in the first regional rankings, but dropped a mid-week game to #2 Franklin Pierce which might be enough to shake up the rankings next week. SNHU went 5-0 before that, sweeping a DH from Southern Connecticut (11-0 and 7-5) and then sweeping three games from Merrimack (20-14, 5-3, 12-2). They finish their season this week with a single game Friday at Saint Anselm before coming home for four straight, three against Stonehill on Saturday and Sunday and the season finale against Saint Michael's on Tuesday.
12. USC Aiken (33-14): The Pacers are #4 in the Southeast region currently, but have dropped four of their last five. The Pacers last weekend dropped two of three to Flagler on the road (12-11, 4-6, 5-7) to finish out PBC play. They'll face Southern Wesleyan twice this weekend and have only one game left on their schedule next weekend against Catawba.
13. Lander (35-12): The Bearcats got the honor of being the #1 seed in the first Southeast rankings after having last weekend off. They finish out their regular season with a single game against Erskine on Wednesday.
14. Quincy (30-10): Our first (and only) ranked Midwest team, the Hawks are currently at #1 in the region after going 3-1 last weekend against Marysville (10-11, 6-1, 13-2, 16-6). This weekend they are home for four games against Rockhurst and then head to Northwest Missouri State for a single game on Tuesday.
15. Florida Southern (27-13): The Mocs have some work to do, sitting at only #7 in the South rankings, but picked up one victory in their three games at Tampa last weekend, winning the opener 7-6 before falling 11-3 and 7-6 in the series doubleheader. They are set up for a big conference series this weekend at Nova Southeastern.
16. Mercyhurst (33-10): The Lakers clock in at #4 in the Atlantic region currently and went 3-1 against California (Pa.) last weekend (11-1, 3-6, 12-2, 19-3) before dominating Malone in a 16-1 victory on Tuesday as Mercyhurst brought out the big sticks. They finish their regular season this week with four PSAC games against Indiana (Pa.) and a doubleheader against Walsh on Wednesday.
17. West Alabama (33-12): The Tigers are #4 in the uber-competitive South region, and went 2-1 last weekend against West Georgia (15-3, 5-12, 7-5). They'll finish their regular season with three games on the road at Alabama-Huntsville this weekend.
18. East Stroudsburg (34-11): ESU sits at #2 in the Atlantic region and used their prolific offense to sweep four games from Mansfield last weekend (10-1, 12-1, 14-1, 7-4). They'll finish their regular season with four PSAC games against West Chester this weekend.
19. Lubbock Christian (32-14): The Chaps had a bit of a rough week, as the South Central's #2 team went 2-1 against Rogers State (5-1, 2-4, 9-3) before dropping a single game to Wayland Baptist (3-4) ans splitting a doubleheader with Oklahoma Christian on Thursday (5-6 and 13-3). They'll finish their series with Oklahoma Christian on Friday in a single game.
20. Chico State (28-14): The Wildcats are the West's #3 team currently, and went 3-1 last weekend at home against Sonoma State (10-6, 6-7, 3-1, 6-0). They are on the road this weekend for four games at San Francisco State.
21. Cal Poly Pomona (28-14): The Broncos have some work to do, sitting at only #5 in the West regional rankings. They went 3-1 against Cal State-Los Angeles last weekend (13-7, 4-6, 12-2, 2-0), and began their series against Cal State-San Bernardino with a 2-0 victory on Thursday. They have three more games left with San Bernardino this weekend.
22t. Missouri Southern (28-16): A little bit shockingly, the Lions were unranked in the opening regional rankings. They won two-of-three against Fort Hays State (5-2, 18-2, 5-6) over the weekend and then took another pretty bad loss against Pittsburg State (4-5) on Wednesday. They'll try to right the ship this weekend with three games at home against Lincoln.
22t. Minnesota-Duluth (29-9): The Bulldogs claim the #3 spot in the Central region right now, sitting among the NSIC leaders and winners of 14 straight. They crushed Bemidji State in a four-game sweep last weekend (10-4, 20-8, 4-3, 10-6) and swept a DH from Upper Iowa (7-1 and 6-3) to go 6-0 last week. They have four NSIC games on the schedule this weekend against Minot State before facing St. Cloud State in a Wednesday doubleheader.
24. Central Missouri (29-12): UCM is currently out of the regional picture, sitting at #9 in the Central rankings after dropping two-of-three to Northeastern State last weekend (10-8, 7-9, 6-10). They picked up a mid-week victory over Southwest Baptist (9-0) and began their series against Missouri Western with an 11-10 victory on Thursday. They have two more games against Missouri Western on the schedule for this weekend.
25t. Belmont Abbey (34-12-1): The Crusaders are #3 in the Southeast rankings currently, and split a doubleheader on the road at Mount Olive last weekend, dropping an 8-4 game before picking up a 3-2 victory in the nightcap. They actually are already in to Conference Carolinas play, where they fell in the opener to Mount Olive on Thursday, 7-2, and will play the winner of Erskine/Pfeiffer on Friday in an elimination game for the Crusaders.
25t. Dixie State (35-11): The Trailblazers are #2 in the West region after going 3-1 against Hawaii Pacific last weekend (4-3, 11-4, 10-2, 4-6). They finish out their regular season with four games on the road at Concordia-Irvine this weekend.
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