Explore every episode of the podcast The Podcast About Division-III Baseball

Welcome to Episode 126 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! WE'RE BACK! FINALLY! While our real life jobs made it difficult to find time to do our usual research ahead of the season, we didn't wanna just disappear. Our first episode of 2024 takes a closer look at the 25 teams in the latest Top 25 poll, and offers some bonus thoughts on several conferences and familiar contenders from the last few seasons. In order:

• Shenandoah
• Endicott
• Baldwin Wallace
• Salisbury 
• East Texas Baptist
• Denison
• UW-La Crosse
• Aurora
• Johns Hopkins
• Rowan + NJAC thoughts
• Birmingham-Southern
• Trinity (Texas)
• Salve Regina
• La Verne
• Lynchburg
• Pomona-Pitzer
• Misericordia
• Christopher Newport
• Benedictine
• Mary Hardin-Baylor
• North Carolina Wesleyan
• Chapman + SCIAC thoughts
• Arcadia
• Kalamazoo
• UW-Whitewater
• Quick thoughts on Wheaton (MA), Cortland, Webster, Marietta, UW-Stevens Point, Eastern Connecticut, Ithaca
• go listen to the NWC pod
• BIAS BALL: WashU Bears are looking GOOD but in a very different way

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Welcome to Episode 125 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We did it, friends -- we made it to Cedar Rapids. Together. Okay, not really, we aren't in Iowa, but we are here in podcast form to preview what should be a very fun World Series. We preview the eight teams competing for a national title, in order:

• Johns Hopkins (at 3:20)
• Misericordia (at 7:15)
• Endicott (at 13:35)
• Baldwin Wallace (at 17:00)
• Salisbury (at 19:20)
• East Texas Baptist (at 23:35)
• Lynchburg (at 27:40)
• UW-La Crosse (at 31:15)

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 124 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We begin with our quick reactions to the regional weekend and which moments stood out the most. Then, we preview all eight super regionals. In order:

• Wheaton (MA) at Johns Hopkins (at 2:55)
• Ithaca at Endicott (at 8:50)
• Misericordia at Marietta (at 14:15)
• Baldwin Wallace at Aurora (at 17:45)
• UW-Stevens Point at UW-La Crosse (at 21:05)
• Shenandoah at Lynchburg (at 24:20)
• La Verne at East Texas Baptist (at 30:10)
• Rowan at Salisbury (at 35:10)

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 123 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We begin with our reaction to the field of 60 and how we felt about our projections, and the surprising exclusion of UW-Whitewater (but also why it made sense). Then, we discuss all 16 regionals, with each regional covering seeds 1, 4, 2, 3 in that order:

• Baltimore (11:38)
  • Johns Hopkins, PSU-Altoona, Randolph-Macon, St. John Fisher
• New London (19:52)
  • Wheaton (MA), Husson, Tufts, Mitchell
• Cortland (32:43)
  • Cortland, St. Joseph's (L.I.), Ithaca, Eastern Connecticut
• Bridgewater (42:48)
  • Endicott, Bridgewater State, Middlebury, Johnson and Wales
• Marietta (49:46)
  • Marietta, Adrian, Mary Washington, Case Western
• Dallas (57:19)
  • Salve Regina, Keystone, Misericordia, Washington and Jefferson
• Granville (1:06:28)
  • Denison, Beloit, Baldwin Wallace, Spalding
• Aurora (1:13:55)
  • Aurora, John Carroll
• La Crosse (1:18:58)
  • UW-La Crosse, Bethany Lutheran, Buena Vista, Bethel
• Stevens Point (1:24:50)
  • UW-Stevens Point, Augustana, Webster, Loras
• Winchester (1:32:16)
  • Shenandoah, TCNJ, Christopher Newport, Immaculata
• Rocky Mount (1:39:52)
  • Lynchburg, Lebanon Valley, North Carolina Wesleyan, Elizabethtown
• Birmingham (1:45:35)
  • Birmingham-Southern, Lewis and Clark, La Verne, Franklin
• Marshall (1:51:56)
  • East Texas Baptist, Cal Lutheran, Pacific, Trinity (TX)
• Glenside (1:59:00)
  • Arcadia, Susquehanna, Rowan, Brockport
• Harrisburg (2:03:57)
  • Salisbury, PSU-Harrisburg

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 122 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we do our best to project which teams will receive the 19 at-large bids to the 60-team 2023 NCAA tournament field. We perform a mock selection of all the teams just as the national committee will do ahead of the official selections at noon ET on Monday, May 15. This is never an easy task but we hope we at least made sense while making our selections! We look forward to seeing how wrong we are.  

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Welcome to Episode 121 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The third and final public regional rankings were released, giving us one final look at how the committee views the best teams in each region. Some regions deserve far more conversation than others, but we touch on all the teams we deem at-large relevant during our bubble talk at the end. In order:

• Region I - New England (at 1:20)
• Region II - New England (at 1:50)
• Region III - New York (at 2:25)
• Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 3:25)
• Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 4:50)
• Region VI - South (at 6:00)
• Region VII - Mideast (at 12:00)
• Region VIII - Central (at 13:40)
• Region IX - Midwest (at 15:35)
• Region X - West (at 18:15)

Finally and most importantly (at 25:15), we go through and present where we believe the bubble currently stands if we assume all the favorites win their conference tournaments and which teams are in best position to claim the 2 Pool B and 17 Pool C at-large bids. 

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Welcome to Episode 120 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The second regional rankings were released and this time they are actually in a real order instead of alphabetical! We provide some caveats about how we go about this exercise projecting the at-large picture at this stage before discussing all 10 regions and the teams ranked within. In order:

• Region I - New England (at 1:50)
• Region II - New England (at 3:40)
• Region III - New York (at 5:30)
• Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 8:30)
• Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 11:20)
• Region VI - South (at 14:00)
• Region VII - Mideast (at 20:35)
• Region VIII - Central (at 22:30)
• Region IX - Midwest (at 24:35)
• Region X - West (at 28:40)

At the end (32:45), we go through and present where we believe the bubble currently stands if we assume all the favorites win their conference tournaments. It's VERY early to attempt this but we did our best to paint a realistic picture of which teams are in best position to claim the 2 Pool B and 17 Pool C at-large bids. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 119 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first regional rankings were released and while they aren't in a particular order, the teams included are the ones we know are in best position to receive at-large bids should they not win the conference tournament. We set the stage for this year's postseason picture before discussing each of the 10 regions. In order:

• Region I - New England (at 9:10)
• Region II - New England (at 12:30)
• Region III - New York (at 17:00)
• Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 19:50)
• Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 24:15)
• Region VI - South (at 32:30)
• Region VII - Mideast (at 40:20)
• Region VIII - Central (at 46:40)
• Region IX - Midwest (at 53:40)
• Region X - West (at 1:00:35)

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 118 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This week, we take a look at the latest Top 25, sharing our thoughts on every team in the poll, how much we believe in each team long-term, and where we had them roughly ranked in our personal Top 25s. We then hit some of the other teams just outside the current Top 25 including UW-Stevens Point, Cortland, NC Wesleyan, Salve Regina, North Central (IL), Buena Vista, East Texas Baptist, and a few others. Finally, we discuss the frustrating challenges of evaluating teams in the Northwest Conference and why no one is really right or wrong in terms of the discourse surrounding those teams. Then we say goodbye.

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Welcome to Episode 117 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This week, we take our first look at the Top 25, sharing our thoughts on every team in the poll and where we had them roughly ranked in our personal Top 25s. We then discuss the hot starts of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Lewis & Clark and the challenges of judging West region teams early in the season. Finally, we shoutout the hitters off to the hottest starts in 2023: Alma's Avery Carnicom, Claremont's Julian Sanders, and Lewis & Clark's Jack Thomson. Then we say goodbye. 

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Welcome to Episode 116 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time for the second of two New England preview pods, this one covering Region 2. Preview finale! In order:

• CCC (at 1:00)
  • Endicott might be the most (re-)loaded team in the region if not the country and is primed for a World Series run
  • Salve Regina looks more impressive on offense than on the mound for the first time in a while but they should still be balanced enough to challenge the Gulls
  • Roger Williams may have missed their window with a ton of talent graduating but we still expect them to be good
  • Suffolk has one of the more fascinating players in the entire region
• LEC (at 13:40)
  
  • THE CHAMPS Eastern Connecticut are coming off one of the more remarkable D-III seasons ever and will have to perform the encore with a new head coach and practically entirely new pitching staff
  • Rhode Island College has an impressive offense mostly intact but has some important innings to replace
  • UMass-Boston is looking ready to return to the postseason for the first time in a weirdly long time for them (4 years lol)
  • Southern Maine has the talent to bounce back from a rare season missing the regionals
• MASCAC (at 31:50)
  • Bridgewater State came outta nowhere with one of the best starting rotations in D-III and the cool thing is all those arms are back
  • Westfield State can always be counted on to be in the mix atop this conference
• NECC (at 37:30)
  • Mitchell is good but it is very goofy that this 4-team conference still has an AQ *sigh*
• UAA (at 42:10)
  • Brandeis has built their program up to respectability but has a lot of offense graduating

We conclude (at 43:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 115 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second Mid-Atlantic preview pod, as we dig into the teams in Region 4. In order:

• CUNYAC (at 2:00)
  • This isn't a relevant conference as long as they don't have an AQ but they are still playing baseball and that's cool
• MAC Freedom (at 5:35)
  
  • Arcadia had one of the more surprising dominant seasons in recent D-III history and look poised to be a regional contender once again
  • Misericordia finally got knocked off their MACF throne but look ready to re-claim it
  • Stevens might be able to ride their always-excellent pitching staff back to the postseason but have a lot of offense to replace
• NJAC (at 18:00)
  • William Paterson finally won the NJAC with one of the nation's best offenses despite extremely poor run prevention; they should be tremendously entertaining again in 2023
  • Rowan is as solid as it gets but may need to rely on some transfers on the mound to stay at the top of this loaded conference
  • Montclair State can bang with the best of 'em but will need some pitching depth to step up to make noise in a regional
  • Kean had a down year but still boasts some of the best pitching in a suddenly offense-friendly conference
  • TCNJ leads the rest of the pack of several teams that could reasonably make noise in this annual gauntlet
• UEC (at 43:30)
  • Penn State-Harrisburg has a loaded lineup coming back but a ridiculous amount of innings to replace that could make a title defense challenging
  • Salute to Ryan McCarty but it's somewhat unclear what to expect from Abington moving forward
• UAA (at 53:55)
  • NYU continues to baffle us but we can usually expect them to be solid even if the SOS is blah

We conclude (at 57:10) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 114 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. If you can make it in Region 3, you can make it anywhere. We do a random tangent on the Netflix series "Blown Away" and then we preview the four conferences in the New York region, in order:

• Empire 8 (at 4:00)
  • St. John Fisher should continue to dominate this league with an elite offense that is mostly intact from 2022
• Liberty (at 10:26)
  
  • Ithaca re-emerged as a legit regional contender and has an intriguing player returning to their roster in 2023
  • Rochester was also a strong regional team last year and has a good chunk of that team returning as well
  • Keep an eye on Skidmore as a program trending up that could challenge the Bombers and Yellow Jackets sooner rather than later
• Skyline (at 27:55)
  • St. Joseph's (Long Island) looks like the team to beat in this conference but we've seen a bunch of different teams come out on top in recent years so who knows?
• SUNYAC (at 41:30)
  • Cortland has a lot of familiar faces to replace but we know they have the talent to do just that and make the postseason for the bajillionth year in a row
  • Oswego State is gonna need a whole new lineup but at least almost the entire pitching staff is back!
  • Brockport finally broke through and returned to the postseason in 2022 and now has one of the oldest rosters in D3 gunning for a SUNYAC title

We conclude (at 55:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 113 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's way too cold to start playing baseball in the Midwest Region (Region 9) but that's not gonna stop us from previewing all the D-III baseball teams within it. In order:

• ARC (at 2:40)
  • Loras was definitely good but not "16-0" to start the year good; how will they keep the momentum going after a breakout season?
  • Buena Vista can mash but will need some arms to step up
  • Coe are the defending champs despite a bizarre season and have a lot of experience to replace
  • Luther leads the rest of the pack within a very balanced conference on the whole
• MIAC (at 15:30)
  
  • Bethel dominated in 2022 and has basically everyone back ready to do it again -- watch out for this squad
  • Gustavus Adolphus and Saint John's (MN) are the likeliest to push the Royals
  • Remember the name Kiefer Lord!!! (even if he isn't pitching in the MIAC anymore)
• MWC (at 29:10)
  • We've seen a few different teams challenge for this conference title and the latest team on top was the Lawrence Vikings, who return an excellent lineup led by one of 2022's national HR leaders
  • basically everyone else in this conference is solid, we'll see if UChicago can finally get over the hump
• UMAC (at 37:30)
  • Crown was one of the best stories of 2022 and now has plenty back to defend their UMAC title
  • Don't forget about Northwestern (MN), though, even if they have a ton of impact talent lost to transfer/graduation
• WIAC (at 45:50)
  • UW-Stevens Point loudly re-established themselves back atop the D-III baseball world and look like the favorite again
  • UW-Whitewater will need a ton of inexperienced arms to fill in a lot lost to graduation but the offense should roll again
  • UW-La Crosse was ultra-young a year ago and might be ready to jump back into contention
  • UW-Oshkosh was disappointing in 2022 but still has a good amount of talent to get back in the mix atop this conference
  • Don't sleep on Eau Claire; that's a program clearly on the rise

We conclude (at 1:01:10) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link 

Welcome to Episode 112 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of two New England preview pods -- we begin with Region 1. In order:

• GNAC (at 1:55)
  • St. Joseph's (ME) is usually a good bet to win 30 games but has a lot of offense to replace 
  • Anna Maria has some All-Region returning talent that could push the Monks for 1st place
  • Johnson & Wales has won two conference tourneys in a row despite underwhelming records so we're done being surprised by their success
• NAC (at 11:24)
  
  • Husson might be slowly building a legitimate regional contender up in Bangor
• NESCAC (at 20:20)
  • Middlebury just had a monster season and has basically the whole squad back ready to do it again; will they steal 200 bags?
  • Tufts has some high-end talent but lost a bunch of impact hitters so will need some younger players to step up
  • Colby has forced their way into the conversation atop this conference and we love to see it
  • Keep an eye on Hamilton to lead the rest of the pack if not climb even higher
• NEWMAC (at 33:35)
  • Wheaton (MA) lost a RIDICULOUS amount of talent but we're not in the business of betting against the Lyons, we'll just have to see what it looks like
  • Babson has its entire stellar pitching staff back and that could be a real strength as they try to return to the postseason
  • There's usually a strong third team in this conference but we're not sure who it's gonna be yet

We conclude (at 43:05) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 111 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Central region AKA Region 7,  previewing all the favorites in each conference. In order:

• CCIW (at 1:25)
  • North Central (IL) looks to bounce back with another loaded squad after an injury-plagued 2022
  • Augustana is going to Florida two different times?! and also looks pretty damn good, especially on the mound
  • Millikin should be solid again, we trust this program
• HCAC (at 14:30)
  
  • Earlham are the defending champs and also one of our new favorite teams for understandable reasons
  • Franklin should be good again but have some elite talent to replace
  • Rose-Hulman and Transylvania should be competing in a very balanced middle of this conference
• NACC (at 29:15)
  • Aurora continues to mystify us in some ways but we think they'll be pretty awesome again
  • Benedictine has some good pieces back, including a big HR threat
  • MSOE looks to defend their title with some elite pitching
• SLIAC (at 42:30)
  • Webster is as good a regional bet as any in all of D-III and now looks more offense-heavy than pitching for the first time in a while
• UAA (at 55:37)
  • It was tough to follow the 2021 World Series team but we're hoping (and believing) the 2022 campaign was just a down year for the WashU Bears

We conclude (at 1:02:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 110 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Mideast Region, now known as Region 7 and home to some of the best teams in the nation. In order:

• AMCC (at 2:40)
  • Mount Aloysius looks to defend their title with one of the best two-way players in the entire region
  • Penn-State Behrend has a deep staff and a solid offense that should challenge the Mounties for the title again
  • La Roche what happened?!?!?!
• MIAA (at 10:10)
  • THE OLDEST CONFERENCE IN AMERICAN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS finally has some real competition at the top, with Hope and Kalamazoo now legitimately challenging Adrian who ran the show for over a decade
• NCAC (at 19:20)
  
  • Denison has a ton to replace but still looks capable of being a legit regional contender
  • Wooster also lost a lot to graduation but the offense should be elite once again
  • Wittenberg continues to ascend and should be in the mix at the top of this conference sooner rather than later
• OAC (at 32:18)
  • Marietta just had one of the most dominant seasons in D-III history and now has to replace almost the entire lineup; good thing the entire rotation is back!
  • Baldwin Wallace is loaded again and may be primed for another World Series run
  • The rest of this conference has seen some serious shuffling recently making it very difficult to know who the next batch of teams will be pushing for spots in the conference tournament
• PAC (at 46:20)
  • Washington & Jefferson continues to be the class of this conference
  • don't you dare sleep on Grove City, though!!!
  • Allegheny comes in from the NCAC and should compete right away
  • LET'S TALK ABOUT WAYNESBURG ALUM MASON MILLER
• UAA (at 58:50)
  • Case Western has some extremely exciting young talent and has most of the offense back; they should challenge for another UAA title and have a great chance to get back to the postseason

We conclude (at 1:03:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 109 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Before we go conference-by-conference (at 2:00), we address the newest team in Region 5 -- just a little program called SALISBURY -- and why we think they were moved into this region from the South and what it means for the region moving forward. Then we proceed with the rest of the region, in order:

• AEC (at 4:50)
  • Cabrini won 31 games last year but will need to replace their best player
  • Immaculata has a ton of talent back and is looking like the favorite
  • Marymount can be counted on to contend atop this conference
  • Marywood leads the rest of the pack
• Centennial (at 11:10)
  
  • Can we just have A NORMAL SEASON IN THIS CONFERENCE ALREADY?!
  • Franklin & Marshall has the most talent back of last year's contenders and will obviously be motivated 
  • Johns Hopkins will have a lot of new faces but we know they can be really good
  • Swarthmore is still very talented despite losing half their team to Villanova (slight exaggeration)
  • We could see a lot of moving and shaking up and down the rest of this conference with some coaching changes and intriguing talent on every other team
• CSAC (at 27:45)
  • Well, well, well, look at Wilson winning 31 games, we love to see it
  • Keystone is always something of a mystery but it's cool that now they have real competition in this conference
• Landmark (at 34:20)
  • What does the encore look like for Catholic after the best year in program history?
  • Scranton, Moravian and Elizabethtown all have some legit top-end talent but will need a lot more depth to step up to challenge the Cardinals
• MACC (at 43:15)
  • Lebanon Valley has climbed to the top of this conference in a hurry and has a ton of exciting talent back, even with their top two arms from the '22 team gone
  • York (PA) is always good but have a ton of offense to replace

We conclude (at 53:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 108 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second of ten 2023 regional preview pods as we head to the South, home to some of the strongest teams in D-III. We review them all, in the following order:

• C2C (at 5:30)
  • An enormous percentage of the Salisbury team that has made back-to-back championship series is back in 2023 as the Sea Gulls look like a juggernaut once again
    
    • IMPORTANT NOTE: We were informed after recording this episode that Salisbury is actually now in Region 5, one of the two Mid-Atlantic regions. We will discuss the ramifications of that move on the Region 5 preview pod but it doesn't change much about how we feel about the actual team so we left the Sea Gulls convo in the pod as is. 
  • Christopher Newport's pitching staff can rack up the strikeouts but they'll need more offensive firepower to really elevate into the elite tier of teams this season
• ODAC (at 21:00)
  
  • Lynchburg lost some key pieces but still has multiple All-Region-types on the roster that could carry them for another deep postseason run
  • Shenandoah's lineup was already going to be loaded and now they get one of the best players in America back from injury
  • Roanoke is a balanced squad that is extra motivated after being snubbed from the postseason in 2022
  • Randolph-Macon's young team in 2022 was better than expected -- can they compete with the older rosters atop this loaded conference?
• SAA (at 37:30)
  • Birmingham-Southern should have an elite offense again but will need some arms to step up big time
  • Count on Rhodes, Hendrix and Berry to challenge the Panthers atop this conference
• USA South (at 45:50)
  • NC Wesleyan is now in great position as the favorite of this shrunken conference
  • Methodist, Pfeiffer and William Peace are all solid and could benefit from extremely old rosters
• Collegiate Conference of the South (at 50:15)
  • Few teams as many total bases to replace as LaGrange but they still have one of the best hitters in the country back and a good amount of top-end pitching, making them the favorite
  • Belhaven might just step right in from the SCAC and become LaGrange's biggest challenger, but keep there are a lot of solid programs in this newly formed conference: Huntingdon, Maryville (TN), Piedmont, Brevard, Covenant
• UAA (at 59:35)
  • Emory has been solid recently but still looking to rediscover its incredible peak from a decade ago

We conclude (at 1:02:00) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Support us on Patreon -- this will never be behind a paywall but we appreciate any support to help cover our podcasting hosting fees and all the hours we put into making these pods possible! https://patreon.com/user?u=87461961&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link 

Welcome to Episode 107 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's the sixth season we're doing this and we're busier than ever but as excited as ever to get to do this ridiculous exercise all over again. We give our usual caveats about how we plan to preview each region before previewing the West. In order:

• ASC (at 3:33)
  • It may finally be East Texas Baptist's time to shine -- they look loaded
  • UT-Dallas has a lot to replace on offense but we still trust this program to be good
  • Mary Hardin-Baylor has impressive pitching depth but will need some bats to step up
  • Adios, Belhaven -- keep an eye on Hardin-Simmons 
• SCAC (at 17:05)
  
  • Trinity (TX) has some huge bats to replace but should still rake while the pitching remains a question mark
  • Texas Lutheran has a strong offensive core returning even if their best player from 2022 is gone
  • Centenary (LA) has an excellent top of the rotation but will need to find some more thump on offense
  • Shoutout Southwestern (TX) and St. Thomas (who came to D-III instead of leaving it like the MN school smh smh)
• SCIAC (at 28:37)
  • Chapman's pitching should be elite again and have some ultra-exciting young hitters
  • Pomona-Pitzer is trending up in a huge way and could have one of the best offenses in the country
  • Cal Lutheran has a solid returning lineup but some questions on the mound
  • We can always count on La Verne to compete
• NWC (at 42:00)
  • Pacific (OR) has most of their main dudes back for what looks like another potential postseason run 
  • If Pacific Lutheran had posted their roster by the time we recorded this we'd feel a lot better about how good they were going to be
  • Every other team in this conference could realistically make some noise; look for Lewis & Clark to keep trending up and Whitman to bounce back

We conclude (at 49:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 106 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! Another season in the books. The Eastern Connecticut State Warriors are your 2022 D-III national champions. We give  hearty salute to all of the eight teams who competed in Cedar Rapids last week, with broad thoughts on their seasons before celebrating the incredible season that Eastern Connecticut was able to complete in spectacular fashion. We discussed the teams in this order:

• Catholic
• Marietta
• UW-Stevens Point
• Baldwin Wallace
• Trinity (TX)
• LaGrange
• Salisbury
• Eastern Connecticut

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Welcome to Episode 105 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! We did it, friends. It's World Series time. Only 8 teams remain, and we're gonna talk about 'em: 

• 1. Marietta (at 5:10)
• 8. Catholic (at 10:50)
• 4. Salisbury (at 16:40)
• 5. UW-Stevens Point (at 24:25)
• 2. Eastern Connecticut (at 28:40)
• 7. Baldwin Wallace (at 36:10)
• 3. LaGrange (at 42:10)
• 6. Trinity (TX) (at 51:10)

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Welcome to Episode 104 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! After a wild weekend of regional action, only 16 teams remain. We preview all 8 super-regional match-ups and make our picks for who we think will advance to the World Series in Cedar Rapids. In order (hosts in bold): 

• Oswego State vs. Marietta (at 2:30)
• UW-Stevens Point vs. UW-Whitewater (at 7:49)
• Catholic vs. Ithaca (at 16:00)
• Trinity (TX) vs. Birmingham-Southern (at 22:15)
• Baldwin Wallace vs. Endicott (at 29:10)
• Wooster vs. Salisbury (at 34:20)
• Rowan vs. Eastern Connecticut (at 41:20)
• Chapman vs. LaGrange (at 45:40)

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 103 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we talk for three hours about all 60 teams in the 2022 D-III baseball tournament. You know, as people do. First we offer our general takeaways from the bracket reveal and our biggest surprises and disappointments with the selections and the process. Then, we discuss all 16 regionals in the following order, with each regional covering seeds 1, 4, 2, 3 in that order:

• Arcadia (at 8:00)
  • Arcadia, Husson, Oswego State, Elizabethtown
• Marietta (at 20:50)
  • Marietta, Kalamazoo, Christopher Newport, Mount Aloysius
• Whitewater (at 33:55)
  • UW-Whitewater, MSOE, Aurora, Augustana
• Stevens Point (at 43:00)
  • UW-Stevens Point, Lawrence, North Central (IL), Coe
• Immaculata (at 55:30)
  • Immaculata, Keystone, Montclair State, Ithaca
• Shenandoah (at 1:04:10)
  • Shenandoah, St. Joseph's (L.I.), Catholic, Stevens
• Lynchburg (at 1:13:50)
  • Birmingham-Southern, Earlham, Lynchburg, Salve Regina
• UT-Dallas (at 1:31:30)
  • Trinity (TX), UT-Dallas
• Cortland (at 1:37:10)
  • Cortland, Bridgewater State, Endicott, St. John Fisher
• Brockport (at 1:46:20)
  • Wheaton (MA), Johnson and Wales, Baldwin Wallace, Brockport
• Denison (at 1:57:50)
  • Denison, Penn-State Harrisburg, Salisbury, William Paterson
• Webster (at 2:08:50)
  • Webster, Crown, Wooster, Bethel
• Rochester (at 2:23:00)
  • Eastern Connecticut, Swarthmore, Rochester, Middlebury
• Lebanon Valley (at 2:33:20)
  • Rowan, Mitchell, Washington & Jefferson, Lebanon Valley
• Chapman (at 2:43:00)
  • Chapman, Pacific, Pomona-Pitzer, Cal Lutheran
• LaGrange (at 2:52:20)
  • LaGrange, Centenary (LA)

We conclude (at 3:00:30) with our rapid-fire picks for all 16 regionals which will surely be incorrect!

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Welcome to Episode 102 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! In this episode, we do our best to project which teams will receive the 19 at-large bids (really just 18 Pool C bids since Salisbury is definitely getting the Pool B) to the 60-team tournament field. We perform a mock selection of all the teams just as the national committee will do ahead of the official selections at noon ET on Monday, May 16. This was extremely difficult but we did our best! Good luck, everyone!!!  Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.  Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com Subscribe/follow + rate/review on Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uk8q4iUrMUZRriKM1Akfx?si=3ed6cccd25d44c2a 

Welcome to Episode 101 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball! Before we dive into the bracketology based on the latest regional rankings, we had to address two things. First (at 2:20), the end of Ryan McCarty's season, one of the greatest D-III seasons of all time and why it's ridiculous that people are hating on it. Next (at 6:40), we address the complete debacle that was the Centennial Conference tournament cancellation and why nobody wins whatsoever, including Swarthmore. Then (at 12:30) we move onto the fun stuff, which is a breakdown of the at-large picture as we record on Thursday afternoon with just 10 of the AQs clinched, discussing which teams are in best shape to snag one of the 18 Pool C at-large bids come selection day on May 16. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 100 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball!!! 100 podcast episodes about D-III baseball!!! They said it couldn't be done!!!!!!!

Jake is back and the second regional rankings were released and this time they are actual rankings and not just alphabetical! We discuss how we go about analyzing these rankings and what they can tell us about the likelihood of teams being selected at-large. We begin with a quick Pool B discussion (at 5:55) before going rapid-fire through all 10 regions (at 7:10) in order with some general thoughts on which conferences have the best chance to receive multiple bids. Then, we present THE BUBBLE as it currently stands (at 18:30), discussing which teams are in best shape to snag one of the 18 Pool C at-large bids come selection day on May 16. Then we say goodbye. 

(minor correction: I said 40 automatic qualifiers at the end of the episode but that was a mistake, it's 41)

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 99.5 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake had jury duty (no, seriously) which meant that I had to take this one solo! The first regional rankings were released and they...aren't actually rankings! Still, there is a decent amount to be gleaned from the teams included. I provide some caveats for discussing the rankings at this point, and then I went region-by-region and discussed how I think the teams are currently lined up and which teams are in best shape to get in at-large. In order:

• Region I - New England (at 4:40)
• Region II - New England (at 7:25)
• Region III - New York (at 10:30)
• Region IV - Mid-Atlantic (at 12:50)
• Region V - Mid-Atlantic (at 16:50)
• Region VI - South (at 19:35)
• Region VII - Mideast (at 22:15)
• Region VIII - Central (at 26:20)
• Region IX - Midwest (at 28:40)
• Region X - West (at 31:40)

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Welcome to Episode 99 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time once again to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. For the first time in 2022, we start to turn our attention to the postseason picture and which teams in the Top 25 are in best position to receive an at-large bid should they not win the conference based on the current SOS rankings. Discussions include:

• Cortland is in good shape to make its 473rd postseason appearance in a row even if they don't win the SUNYAC tourney
• We're already worried about North Central (IL) again but it's been good to see them winning lately
• UW-Whitewater's resume could be lighter than normal
• Salisbury vs. CNU vs. the top of the UAA will be a fascinating Pool B race
• Could the NJAC get 3 teams in? 4?
• UT-Dallas will probably need to win the ASC
• Arcadia's resume is going to be nearly impossible to deny
• Tufts is legit but how good is the NESCAC? We don't know yet
• The SCIAC always deserves 2 bids talent-wise but the SOS might not allow for it this season
• UW-Stevens Point's resume doesn't look as good as we would've expected when we looked at the schedule before the season
• Trinity (TX) should have a much more convincing at-large case than last year...but keep an eye on TLU, too
• and more!

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Welcome to Episode 98 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time once again to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 1:40) in order including discussions on:

• What did LaGrange do with their weekend off?
• Baldwin Wallace establishing themselves as the 2nd elite OAC team
• North Central (IL) with a much-needed series sweep
• Kean's pitching is amazing
• Arcadia continues to prove to be legit
• CNU should be getting way more respect
• UW-Stevens Point could definitely challenge UW-Whitewater
• La Verne looks like the best team in the SCIAC but we're still not sure
• Is Oswego State better than Cortland? We'll find out soon! 
• Other teams outside the Top 25 we are watching closely: Roger Williams, Denison, Brockport!!!, UMass-Boston, Texas Lutheran, Catholic

Then (at 33:30) we take a look at the statistical leaderboards to project who some possible All-Americans, including another insane Ryan McCarty update and a Misericordia HBP update. Finally, we shoutout an exciting return for a hitter on Jake's WashU Bears. 

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Welcome to Episode 97 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First, we apologize for our missing a week due to our real job covering MLB. Then it's time to run through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 1:30) in order including discussions on:

• LaGrange should be closer to #1 than #4
• North Central (IL) is still good but their future will depend on the return of Rob Marinec
• Baldwin Wallace is super legit and deserves respect
• We're not worried about Salisbury but they probably can't lose too many more games if they are Pool B
• Super disappointing and weird weekend for UT-Dallas
• Kean confuses us
• Tufts' offense is elite, if the pitching is also good they could be super dangerous
• The SCIAC might be super loaded but we still can't quite figure it out
• Stevens Point is back in the mix
• Other teams outside the Top 25 we are watching closely: Wheaton (MA), CNU, Hendrix, La Verne, UMass-Boston, Babson, NYU

Lastly (at ), we have a brief discussion about the utility of MasseyRatings and Boyd's World rankings to assess the best teams in D-III baseball. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 96 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First, we announce our new D-I baseball podcast that we promise will not interfere with our D-III baseball podcast. The bulk of this pod is spent running through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 3:00) in order including:

• Marietta being clearly #1
• Our minor concerns about North Central (IL)
• Confusion over LaGrange being so low
• Respect for Baldwin Wallace's hot start
• Shenandoah's offense is still amazing
• Who is the best team in the SCIAC?
• Loras' incredible undefeated start
• Why isn't Oswego State ranked?
• and more!

Then (at 41:20), we bounce around a few other topics including:

• Ryan McCarty Double Watch
• The national team HBP race between the mighty favorites Misericordia and the other early strong contenders
• Stockton's 7-inning perfecto

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 95 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The first half of this pod is spent running through all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll. We touch on all 25 teams (at 2:30) in order but the discussion includes:

• Why we still have North Central (IL) at #1
• Thoughts on Salisbury, Southern Maine, and Johns Hopkins after seeing them in person
• Lynchburg is the real deal + Grayson Thurman WOW
• Takeaways from the UW-Whitewater/Trinity (TX) series
• Wheaton (MA) is still underrated
• Why we like Shenandoah but didn't rank them
• The NJAC pecking order and why Willy P deserves more respect
• The teams that have piled up wins but aren't climbing the rankings just yet -- East Texas Baptist, Hendrix, Marymount, Arcadia
• and more!

Next (at 42:00), we do some shoutouts for some other standout series and performances over the last week, including:

• An offensive explosion for Kalamazoo in their first series (Blake Bean omg)
• Ryan Dominick at Wisconsin Lutheran
• The Lancianese twins at Earlham
• Ryan McCarty DOUBLE WATCH
• Jake Stank at Anderson
• CJ Willis at Western New England
• FINLANDIA WON THREE GAMES IN A ROW, let's talk about the Lions and their incredibly challenging circumstances

Finally (at 50:28), we are joined by Brett Loftis, the voice of the Piedmont Lions, who tells us about his journey as a broadcaster, why he's so passionate about what he does, and what makes Carter Ballstadt the best D-III player in the country. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 94 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of a hopefully weekly series of podcasts reviewing all the teams in the latest Top 25 poll as well as discussing any other things that have caught our attention in the D-III baseball world. We give some broad thoughts on the poll and our own personal votes before running through (at 4:10) all 25 teams in order from the latest poll. Then (at 32:20) we talk about some of the D-III action we've seen in person over the last few weeks, including our stop at Johns Hopkins and (at 38:00) the insane game between Montclair State and Catholic that Jordan witnessed. Next (at 44:50) we do some shoutouts to some of the early statistical leaders across the country before wrapping up with a look ahead to the weekend slate. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 93 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 1:45) with our thoughts on the upcoming Johns Hopkins opening weekend pod (which we hope to be at), before getting into the second of two New England preview pods, this one covering Region 2. Preview finale! In order:

• CCC (at 3:50)
  • Salve Regina has one of the best pitching staffs in the region and could really make some noise if some bats emerge
  • Conversely, Endicott has multiple All-Region bats returning but will need some pitching to step up for them to contend
  • Roger Williams is a clear #3 in this conference and have some very experienced players on both sides of the ball returning
• LEC (at 14:09)
  
  • Southern Maine is playing a completely outrageous schedule (which we love) and will need some hitters to step up so that Cam Seymour doesn't get walked 150 times (they'll still be awesome, though)
  • Eastern Connecticut is the favorite and will look to bounce back after a relatively tough end to their 2021 season; they have more than enough talent to do so
  • UMass-Boston will surely be eager to be back playing a normal full schedule and have some serious dudes returning, especially on the mound
  • Why you should keep an eye on Keene State in the coming years
• MASCAC (at 34:18)
  • Westfield State looks like the favorite once again...
  • ...even though Salem State is the defending champs
• NECC (at 39:10)
  • Mitchell is very good but the rest of this conference is barely still around; do they even still have an AQ?
• UAA (at 46:00)
  • Brandeis has a bunch of Year 5 guys back so maybe we shouldn't be sleeping on them so hard
  • NYU FINALLY HAS STUFF ON THEIR WEBSITE so we talk about them briefly

We conclude (at 51:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 92 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is the first of two New England preview pods -- we begin with Region 1. In order:

• GNAC (at 1:55)
  • Johnson & Wales won the GNAC last year but were under .500 overall and are losing a good amount to graduation
  • Anna Maria seems primed to take a step forward as the clear favorite with multiple All-Region candidates
  • St. Joseph's (ME) shouldn't be counted out, especially since they used to run this conference for a long time
• NAC (at 11:15)
  
  • Husson is legit
• NESCAC (at 15:06)
  • Tufts had a bizarre 2021 but are returning a ton and could be one of the more talented teams in the entire region
  • Amherst is technically the defending champs and have some key pieces returning
  • It's hard to tell who else will be in the mix here considering everyone else played so few games
• NEWMAC (at 29:00)
  • Wheaton (MA) is a clear top-10 team in the country for us and we're not sure why they didn't get more pre-season poll love
  • Babson might be moving on to a new generation of Beavers but they'll definitely still be good
  • MIT was pretty awesome the last time they played but that was quite a while ago

We conclude (at 37:54) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 91 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 1:10) with a brief note about the strange career of Lakeland's Nathan Hemmerling before getting into the suddenly loaded Midwest Region. In order:

• ARC (at 3:00)
  • Coe won a ton of games last year but lost in the conference tourney and were left out at-large; good thing they've still got two of the best two-way players in D-III
  • Luther are the defending champs and have most of the squad coming back
• MIAC (at 11:54)
  
  • Gustavus Adolphus had an excellent resume last year but were left out of the field; now they've got some key pieces to replace
  • Saint John's has two super studs coming back and the best SOS in the conference
  • Saint Mary's won the conference last year but are losing a huge chunk of their offense so we're not sure what to expect
  • St. Scholastica comes in from the UMAC looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017
  • Bethel was solid in 2021 but could take a real step forward this year and make some noise atop this conference
• MWC (at 27:30)
  • Illinois College has some big boppers but will need to prove it against better competition
  • Beloit won a bunch of games last year and has several All-Region candidates returning
• WIAC (at 33:40)
  • Whitewater is loaded once again on offense but has a ton of innings to replace
  • La Crosse might be a legit contender but we don't know for sure because THEY DON'T HAVE A ROSTER UP (to be fair none of these WIAC teams do but it's most crucial for the Eagles)
  • Stevens Point has slowly been building back up to a postseason contender and might be ready to compete if their pitching improves
  • Oshkosh is Jordan's huge pick to click with the essentially the entire squad returning and some legit All-American candidates
• UMAC (at 50:35)
  • Northwestern (MN) was one of the best stories of 2021 and have enough pieces back to go on another run this year
  • CROWN STORM DARK HORSE ALERT

We conclude (at 1:00:25) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 90 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 3:10) with some unfortunate news about one of the top players in the country. Next (at 4:05), some thoughts on the last weekend of action, including our actual in-person visit to see Catholic vs. Cabrini, the Birmingham jamboree featuring Birmingham-Southern, Trinity (TX), WashU, and Lynchburg, plus a couple other notes. Then we preview the New York region. In order:

• Empire 8 (at 7:05)
  • St. John Fisher is the heavy favorite again but they will have to replace a ton, including POY Adam Zebrowski
  • This conference has had a ton of turnover -- will they keep the AQ moving forward?
• Liberty (at 15:30)
  
  • Rochester has risen to the top and has a bona fide All-American candidate in the outfield
  • Union, Ithaca, RPI are probably the ones to watch in terms of challenging the Yellowjackets
• Skyline (at 24:10)
  • Merchant Marine was one of our favorite stories of 2021; can they keep the magic going in 2022? 
  • Old Westbury, St. Joseph's (L.I.) have also regularly been in the mix atop this conference
  • Yeshiva has a J. Mintz, we're amped about that
• SUNYAC (at 33:35)
  • Cortland looks to keep its historic postseason streak alive and is already off to a great start
  • Oswego State should have one of the more experienced lineups in the country; will that be enough to dethrone the Red Dragons?
  • BROCKPORT?!?!?! Could this be the year they finally make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2011??? We hope so!!!

We conclude (at 44:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 89 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's our second Mid-Atlantic pod, as we dig into the teams in Region 4. In order:

• CUNYAC (at 1:45)
  • We really aren't sure what to make of this conference at this point but it seems like they will still be playing baseball in 2022, so that's good
• MACF (at 5:30)
  
  • Misericordia will look to continue their epic streak atop this conference with their super clean style of baseball and HBP superpower
  • DeSales and Stevens will look to finally dethrone the Cougars
• NJAC (at 16:35)
  • Rowan is losing a good amount of offense from last year's World Series team but might have the best pitching staff in the region
  • William Paterson really jumped up into the upper echelon of this conference and are in good shape to stay there
  • Kean was definitely disappointing in 2021 but have been too good recently to stay down for long
  • Montclair State is a 3x national champion but hasn't been this good in a while
  • TCNJ and Ramapo should all be much better than last year
• UEC (at 35:10)
  • Penn State-Harrisburg lost an absolute legend in Bret Williams but still is loaded and ready to defend their conference title
  • Ryan McCarty is chasing some D-III records for Penn State-Abington
• UAA (at 46:14)
  • NYU...has nothing on their website so we don't know much other than they will be playing baseball and are in the UAA which means we will be paying close attention to them

We conclude (at 49:05) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 88 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the traditionally loaded Mideast Region, now known as Region 7, which is still basically the same minus the HCAC. In order:

• AMCC (at 2:20)
  • We finally got a new champ in this conference as Penn State-Behrend won it last year and are the favorite again 2022
  • La Roche should still be contenders but a lot of new faces are gonna have to step up
• MIAA (at 12:10)
  • Adrian is way more loaded on offense than on the mound, which is a little different than usual for the Bulldogs
  • Kalamazoo, Hope, and Calvin should definitely challenge Adrian in THE OLDEST CONFERENCE IN AMERICAN SPORTS
• NCAC (at 23:30)
  
  • Denison looks to defend its conference title with one of the best pitching staffs in the region but have a lot of offense to replace
  • Conversely, Wooster should have one of the best offenses in the country (again) but will need a lot of arms to step up
  • Allegheny and Wittenberg should be solid as well
• OAC (at 37:20)
  • Marietta is fully back to juggernaut status with an outrageously deep lineup and two of the best pitchers in the region
  • Mount Union has their entire squad back after a breakout '21 and could challenge the Pioneers
  • Baldwin Wallace looks the strongest among the rest of the conference, but keep an eye on Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, and John Carroll
• PAC (at 48:10)
  • Washington & Jefferson look excellent once again and we're eager to see them compete out of conference again
• UAA (at 55:50)
  • Case Western looks as balanced as they've been in a while and might be playing THE toughest schedule in the country

We conclude (at 1:03:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 87 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. It's time to talk about the Mid-Atlantic -- well, half of what we've been used to being the Mid-Atlantic. We discuss (at 1:17) the changes to the region from last season before previewing all the favorites by conference. In order:

• AEC (at 3:57)
  • Marymount won the first ever AEC title and look primed to defend their title
• Centennial (at 11:05)
  
  • Johns Hopkins is loaded again but will be tested even more with a full schedule and traditionally ridiculous SOS 
  • Swarthmore is back and we're excited to see if they can challenge Hopkins immediately after a full year off
  • F&M, Haverford, and Washington College can all be expected to be in the mix
• CSAC (at 32:17)
  • Keystone runs this conference and probably always will...
  • ...but could Wilson actually make a run at the Giants? We'd love to see it!
  • Huge shoutout to Alexia Jorge at St. Elizabeth
  • Shoutout to brand new program Rosemont
• Landmark (at 40:30)
  • Scranton won it all last year and has some exciting young talent returning
  • Catholic seems primed to take a huge step forward with some bona fide All-Region talent
• MACC (at 47:30)
  • York (PA) is gonna be FASCINATING with two All-American sluggers that might combine for 40 HR but a TON else to replace
  • Lebanon Valley could definitely challenge the Spartans, though

We conclude (at 56:48) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 86 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. First (at 1:00) we shoutout Pacific Lutheran as the standouts of the opening weekend. Next (at 2:15) we make a very important announcement -- er, clarification -- about our "D-III College Gameday" idea that we tweeted about. Then (at 5:00) it's time to talk about the Central and the changes to the region from last season before previewing all the favorites by conference. In order:

• CCIW (at 7:00)
  • North Central (IL) got screwed last year being left out of the postseason and are now super duper loaded and ready to come back better than ever
  • Augustana had maybe the quietest 35-win season in D-III history and should be very good again
  • Millikin actually won this conference last year and have a good amount back to defend their title
• HCAC (at 23:20)
  
  • Transylvania has an elite two-way player in Trent Youngblood but has a ton of other offense to replace
  • Franklin used to hit a bajillion homers a year but those guys are gone now
  • Rose-Hulman is gonna be trending back up soon with new head coach Adam Rosen
• NACC (at 32:00)
  • Let's talk about Aurora for 10 minutes because we have A LOT OF THOUGHTS
  • Benedictine could definitely challenge the Spartans, though
  • We'd love to see Concordia-Chicago get back in the mix
• SLIAC (at 45:55)
  • Webster looks strong as always but will have to replace the legendary Matt Mulhearn on the bump; their SOS is completely ridiculous, mad respect
• UAA (at 58:18)
  • Jake's WashU Bears are definitely going to be good again but most of the World Series team is gone so there are going to be a ton of new faces

We conclude (at 1:06:20) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 85 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We head to the South, home to some of the strongest teams in D-III, including the defending champs. We have a quick discussion about what Pool B is (at 3:50), why the C2C teams are now in it, and how that impacts the postseason field before previewing all the favorites in the South (Region 6). In order:

• C2C (at 8:45)
  • Salisbury seems as good a bet as any in recent memory to repeat as national champs, but that's much easier said than done
  • Christopher Newport is playing a loaded schedule, as they'll need to in Pool B, but will need some younger guys to step up to win enough games against all that top-tier competition
• ODAC (at 22:50)
  
  • Lynchburg is being super underrated by the pre-season polls and has the talent to make a legit World Series run
  • Shenandoah has a ton of experience coming back and is always good
  • Roanoke has almost their entire pitching staff back and enough offense to compete
  • We always trust Randolph-Macon to be good but they lost a huge chunk of their team to graduation so a lot more question marks this year
  • Other teams like Hampden-Sydney, Bridgewater, and Washington & Lee should compete for spots in the conference tourney
• SAA (at 44:45)
  • Birmingham-Southern is one of the best programs left in D-III without a title; could this be the year?
  • Rhodes should always be taken seriously
  • Berry was so good in 2021 but have a lot to replace this season
• USA South (at 54:15)
  • NC Wesleyan ascended in a big way in 2021 and look primed for another huge season
  • LaGrange is still trying to get over the regional hump and certainly has the talent to finally do it in 2022
  • This conference is enormous so there are a ton of other teams that could be in the mix
• UAA (at 1:03:55)
  • Emory has been trying to get back to contender status for a while now; maybe this is the year1

We conclude (at 1:06:50) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 84 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We are extremely excited to be back for another season and the games are just around the corner. We begin with some general info about how this year will be back to relatively normal, the 60-team postseason field, the return of super regionals, the restructured regions (mostly just NE and Mid-Atlantic) and a few other minor notes (at 2:30). Then we give our usual caveats about how we plan to preview each region before previewing the West. In order:

• ASC (at 5:16)
  • The UT-Dallas Comets could have one of the best offenses in the country
  • The East Texas Baptist Tigers are always near the top of this league; can they finally reach the postseason this year?
  • The Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders might be ready to compete even sooner than we thought
  • Other teams like Concordia (TX) should also be in the mix 
• SCAC (at 17:40)
  
  • The Trinity (TX) Tigers should rake as always; how will their pitching staff shake out?
  • The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs have graduated a bunch but still have some All-Region talent that should keep them in contention
  • The Centenary (LA) Gents are basically always good, and have one of the best two-way players in the region
  • Look for Southwestern (TX) to also contend 
• SCIAC (at 32:45)
  • The Chapman Panthers had a semi-real season in 2021 and are always great but are losing some key contributors
  • The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen have more starters returning than Chapman but less experience overall
  • The La Verne Leopards broke out in a big way in 2019; can they contend again in 2022?
  • Redlands also played but seem a tick below the top 3; none of the other teams played in 2021 so who knows what they'll be?
• NWC (at 41:20)
  • The Pacific Boxers have a ton of talent returning and are looking to bounce back after a tough exit in last year's regionals
  • The Pacific Lutheran Lutes have two All-American Candidates and some strong depth behind them
  • The Willamette Bearcats HIT DINGERS SO MANY DINGERS but can they do the other things necessary to win baseball games? We think so!

We conclude (at 53:10) with some other notable players to watch, our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 83 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake is driving home from Cedar Rapids, but we wanted to check in before the championship series and give our thoughts about St. Thomas and Salisbury, as well as give a final farewell to the Bears after a remarkable season. 

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Welcome to Episode 82 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Jake is actually in Cedar Rapids, so he gave us a general World Series vibe check before we break down all the action from Day 1 in reverse-chronological order:

• Cortland vs. Salisbury (at 4:40)
• Wheaton (MA) vs. Rowan (at 10:20)
• St. Thomas vs. Adrian (at 15:47)
• Johns Hopkins vs. WashU (at 22:30)

Then, we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 81 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We made it to the World Series. Wow. What a time to be alive. In this pod, we do a recap (at 3:00) of all the crazy regional action (in order: High Point, Marietta, Decatur, Auburn, Hartford, Whitewater, Collegeville, St. Paul) and give each regional a letter grade based on how entertaining it was. Then we preview our 8 World Series contenders:

• WashU Bears (at 26:10)
• Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (at 35:30)
• Adrian Bulldogs (at 42:35)
• St. Thomas Tommies (at 48:05)
• Rowan Profs (at 52:27)
• Wheaton (MA) Lyons (at 56:30)
• Salisbury Sea Gulls (at 1:00:28)
• Cortland Red Dragons (at 1:03:55)
• We make our official World Series picks (at 1:08:00)

Then, we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

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Welcome to Episode 80 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Regionals are here. This is a big one -- here's the agenda with timestamps so you can jump around and listen to the regional of your choice. Each regional is discussed in order of match-ups, so we talk about the teams in this order of seeding: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4. Enjoy!

• We begin with a discussion of the at-large selections and our frustration with the process and one of the selections (first 10 minutes)
• Hartford (at 10:00)
• Marietta (at 23:05)
• Auburn (at 35:00)
• St. Paul (at 50:15)
• Decatur (at 1:05:10)
• High Point (at 1:24:30)
• Whitewater (at 1:36:00)
• Collegeville (at 1:51:30)
• Our picks for who is gonna win each regional (at 2:04:00)

Then, we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759 

Welcome to Episode 79 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The bracket will be announced soon, so we hopped on to give our projected at-large bids. Here's the agenda:

• Explaining the 4-5 teams we believe to be locks (WashU, Eastern Connecticut, St. Thomas (MN), North Central (IL), Oswego State)
• A look at the bubble and the various ways it could shake out between Trinity (Texas), Gustavus Adolphus, Augustana, Shenandoah, NC Wesleyan, Berry and Babson.
• Note: sorry the audio got cut off at the end but the main takeaway is that Jake thinks Gustavus Adolphus will get the last spot and Jordan thinks Trinity (Texas) will get the last spot but it's really close, we'll see!!!!

Then, we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759 

Welcome to Episode 78 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. The third regional rankings were released on Wednesday afternoon so we wanted to hop on and talk about those before the last weekend of the regular season. Here's the agenda:

• an overview of what the postseason is going to look like AS FAR AS WE KNOW (because there is still somehow no championship manual)
• 48 teams, 42 AQs, it doesn't look like there will be any Mid-Atlantic or West teams hosting regionals so there could be some wacky movement in terms of where teams get shipped
• breaking down where the at-large bubble stands right now heading into the last weekend of conference tournaments and 23 auto-bids still up for grabs
• why we're 100% confident about WashU and the LEC loser, 60% confident about the MIAC & CCIW loser, and way less confident about basically everyone after that: Trinity (TX), NC Wesleyan, Berry, Babson, Cortland
• which conference tournament favorites we feel best about getting in if they don't win this weekend (Adrian, Rowan, Salisbury, UW-Whitewater, Webster, Oswego State, Shenandoah, Marietta)
• and a few other scattered thoughts!
• we're doing our best please don't be mad at us!!!!

Then, we say goodbye. 

Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ. 

Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to thed3baseballpodcast@gmail.com

Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759