First article of the season for me, as I will bring you all the excitement from the Central, South, Southeast, and West Regions.
Teams showcased their depth, with powerhouse programs asserting their dominance and rising contenders making strong statements. In this breakdown, we highlight the top three team performances from each region, as well as other standout squads that made their mark. From offensive explosions to shutdown pitching, here’s a look at who stood out over the weekend.
As always, check out the latest schedule: https://www.diviibaseball.com/daily-schedule
All Stats and Records are as of 8 AM Tuesday, February 25.
CENTRAL REGION:
Winner #1:
Harding (13-1, 6-0) has ripped off an 11-game win streak and has looked outstanding in the first 12 games, including a 3-game sweep against then 8-2 SWOSU. They may have one the best 3-man rotations in the country. Maddox Long (1.08 ERA, 0.80 WHIP in 25 IP), Merritt Jay (0.82 ERA, 1.14 WHIP in 22 IP), and Preston Tabor (1.74 ERA, 1.02 WHIP in 20.2 IP) all went 5+ innings, allowing 1 run or less, and 7+ strikeouts this weekend.
Winner #2:
Oklahoma Baptist (8-5, 3-3) won a home series against a ranked Arkansas-Monticello squad, scoring 19 runs in the series finale. DJ Van Atten, who was the GAC Player of the Year for Southern Nazarene in 2023, is once again looking like a candidate to take that crown again. He went 5-for-12 in the series with a home run and 5 RBI. He’s hitting .451 on the season with a 1.167 OPS with 16 RBI in 13 games. Lucas Schaefer had 5 hits that all went for extra bases (2 2B, 3B, 2 HR) and also has 16 RBI on the season.
Winner #3:
Rogers State is off to a great start with an 8-1 record to start the year, including sweeping Colorado Christian in their 3-game set. The Hillcats allowed just five runs the entire series. In that mix was Christopher Spry, who struck out 9 and allowed just 6 hits over 7 innings in the 2nd game of the doubleheader. Spry (3.60 ERA in 15 IP) and Colton Anderson (1.13 ERA in 16 IP) are a good 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. They’ll travel to Northeastern State this weekend.
Other Winners;
Ouachita Baptist (8-5, 5-1) extended their win streak to 5 games after a road sweep of East Central. Tag Pacot has become a key component of this Tiger bullpen. He didn’t allow an earned run in the 4 innings of work over the weekend. In 16.1 IP, he’s struck out 24 batters and carries a 1.65 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Wesley Scott had a 7-for-13 series with a HR and 5 RBI. He leads the team in AVG (.304), HR (3), and RBI (11).
Arkansas Tech (5-7, 4-1) swept its home series against NWOSU. Simon Murray went 5-for-12 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, and 5 runs in the series. In four starts, he’s hitting .412. Kirby Jenkins had 6 RBI in the series and leads the team with 13 RBI.
RV Minnesota State (2-0, 2-0) opened its season with a doubleheader sweep over Northern State Monday (2/24). The series will conclude Tuesday (2/25) and Wednesday (2/26). How about Nathan Culley, returning from injury in nearly two years to get the nod? He struck out 11 and allowed 3 hits over 5 innings in the opening day win.
Minnesota-Crookston (4-3, 3-1), who quietly (somehow) went 28-10 in NSIC play last year, starts off 3-1 in conference play after a road series win against Wayne State (NE). Josh Dykhoff was masterful in his start, throwing a 7-inning shutout, allowing 2 hits with 10 strikeouts. He hasn’t walked a batter in his 11 innings of work. Sawyer Satrom went 7-for-15 with 8 runs in the series. He leads the team in runs (12), RBI (10), and is second in batting average (.393) behind Dylan Debilzen (.409).
No.3 Central Missouri(8-2, 3-0) swept its road series at Missouri Western, including a 3-2 win in the series finale. What stood out to us the most was the impressive relief performance of Chris Massey, who faced 11 batters and struck out 9 to close out the sweep and oh, Chase Heath did too, going 8-for-15 in the series and is hitting .487 in 10 games.
No.12 Missouri Southern (10-2, 3-0) swept Northwest Missouri State at home. The first game was a one-run affair, but the next two games were won by the Lions by 5 or more runs. Four different players had 6+ RBI on the weekend. One of those players is Ethan Clark, who is on a different level right now. His 7-for-15 weekend with a HR and 7 RBI puts him as the leader in AVG (.451), HR (2), and RBI (18).
Fort Hays State welcomed UAFS to the MIAA by sweeping them, including two opposite ends of a one-run win, one by the score of 2-1 and another by the score of 13-12. FHSU is now 8-4. Trey DeGarmo provided a spark on offense in the series, going 7-for-15 with a pair of home runs and 9 driven in. Tony Moore drove in 5 in his 11 at-bats. Both Moore (.395) and DeGarmo (.370) lead the team in hitting.
Northeastern State (6-5, 3-0) swept Newman and scored double digit runs in each game of the series. Eleven players recorded at least one RBI. Holden Yoder impressed by going 8-for-12 with a home run and 5 driven in. He’s hitting .421 in 11 games.
SOUTH REGION:
Winner #1:
No.19 Delta State (11-3, 6-0) had quite the week to enter our rankings. First, they traveled to a ranked UAM team and beat them 2-1. Then, they hosted Union and swept them, scoring 44 runs in the 3-game set. There were a TON of contributors, as 14 different players recorded an RBI last week. Brendan McCauley got his opportunities and went 7-for-12. He’s hitting .400 in 6 games. Brett Burrell went 6-for-14 with 5 RBI on the week, he’s hitting .463 on the season! Drake Fontenot was once again excellent, going 6 shutout innings with 3 Ks in his start. He has a 1.09 ERA and WHIP in 24.2 IP.
Winner #2:
RV Embry-Riddle (8-2, 3-0) had a strong road sweep against Barry in one of our series to watch picks and a midweek win against Edward Waters. All 4 games were won by 5 or more runs. Max Kops had a weekend. He went 8-for-19 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI on the week. He’s hitting an impressive .413 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. Matthew Coker went 8-for-20 with 6 RBI on the week, he has 13 RBI to go with a .366 average. Freshman Gregory Bruno got an opportunity and shined, as he started and went 5 innings without allowing an earned run and just two hits with two strikeouts.
Winner #3:
No.1 Tampa (10-2, 3-0) displayed dominance in terms of big innings in their weekend sweep of Lynn. Speaking of dominance, Jordan Williams went 5-for-12 this past weekend with a trio of RBI and SEVEN stolen bases, including 4 in one game. He had 5 in one game earlier this season. On the season Williams is hitting .425 with 3 HR and 17 RBI to go with 20 stolen bases! My goodness. He’s a catalyst at the top of that Spartan lineup. Another catalyst is Cole Russo, who’s hitting .421 on the season.
Other Winners:
No.13 Florida Southern (11-2, 2-1) won its series against Florida Tech on the road. Grant Thoroman has been tearing the cover off the ball, he went 5-for-12 with 5 RBI and is hitting .449 on the season with a team-leading 20 RBI.
RV Montevallo (9-5, 4-2) had an exciting 3-1 weekend, as Connor Crowson’s walk-off home run gave the Falcons the series win against Mississippi College. Crowson is hitting .367 with 8 home runs in 14 games. Adiel Melendez once again delivered on the mound, going 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts, allowing just 5 hits. Matthew Bullard didn’t allow a run over 4.1 IP. Melendez is 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA over 22.2 IP. Bullard hasn’t allowed an earned run over six appearances (10.1 IP).
RV Nova Southeastern (9-5, 3-0) gets some votes after a road sweep against Eckerd where they averaged over 10 runs per game. Roylan Quevedo was the key cog, going 9-for-14 with a homer and 4 RBI, he’s hitting .412 with a pair of homers and 15 RBI in 13 games this season. Keyler Gonzalez struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in his win to go to 2-1 with a 3.77 ERA over 28.2 IP.
Albany State (9-4, 5-1) won 3 of their 4 games on the week, taking two of three against Lane and winning a midweek against Quincy. Landon Kiefer threw 5 innings of two-run ball with 9 strikeouts in his win. In 22 innings, Kiefer has a 1.64 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP.
Edward Waters (10-4, 6-0) completed a home sweep against Kentucky State in conference play after dropping a midweek to Embry-Riddle.Torry Jones has been unreal so far, hitting .365 with 7 homers and 28 RBI in just 14 games!
Lee (9-5, 3-3) capped off a 4-0 week, which included run-ruling then unbeaten Carson-Newman and a 3-game home sweep of Alabama Huntsville, which also included two games winning by 10 runs. Luke Collier (9-for-14, 4 RBI), JJ Williams (9-for-18, 2 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI), and Ashton Simmons (8-for-13, 1 HR, 1 RBI) all excelled this past week. Williams leads the team with 4 HR and 18 RBI, while Collier leads the team with a .442 average. Will Baker threw well on the bump in his start, going 6 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 earned runs, and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts.
Miles (9-4-1, 4-1) went 4-1 after a midweek doubleheader win over Tougaloo and a series win over Morehouse. Gavin Millians had 3 hits and 6 RBI over the past week. Millians leads the team with a .353 average.
Spring Hill (7-7, 5-1) had a great week, beating West Florida on the road in a midweek game before taking two of three against Savannah State in conference play. The combo of both Seth Williams and Jackson Bell have been a force for the Badgers. Williams is hitting .500 in 12 starts with 4 homers and 18 RBI while Bell is hitting .449 in 14 starts with a homer and 8 RBI.
Valdosta State (8-9, 4-1) swept its weekend series against Trevecca Nazarene. Hunter Booth threw 7 shutout innings and struck out 4 in his start to drop his ERA to 3.27. Marcos Sevillano had a 6-for-12 week to raise his average to .467 in 30 at bats on the season.
West Alabama (8-7, 4-2) swept a weekend set at home vs Auburn Montgomery. Blake Vineyard was on top this past week, going 6-for-14 with a homer and 6 driven in. He’s up to a team-lead .378 average. Bryant Quimby struck out 11 over 5 innings while allowing just 3 runs in his start.
SOUTHEAST REGION:
Winner #1:
In one of our series to watch selections, No.4 North Greenville (14-1,5-1) takes care of business and sweeps the series against then-ranked UNCP, including coming back from a 6-0 deficit in the final game of the series. Landon Shaw collected a hit in each game of the series, going 6-for-11 with 3 doubles, a HR and 5 RBI.Bryce Roddey also went 6-for-11 with a HR and 4 RBI in the series. Josh Foulks went 3-for-6 with a 2B, a HR, and 6 RBI. The bullpen was excellent in the series, allowing just 1 run over 12 2/3 innings. This North Greenville team now sits 14-1 while beating their opponents by an average of over 7 runs. That's a formula of a team who makes deep runs into the postseason.
Winner #2:
USC Aiken (7-7, 0-0) shined as they took three of four against a then-Top 10 ranked IUP team, scoring 37 total runs in the series win. That also included a 20-4 win in Game 2 of the series. The two key cogs in the offense on the weekend were Capers Molinaroli and Hunter Thompson. Molinaroli (.362, 5 HR, 19 RBI) went 7-for-17 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI while Thompson (.357, 3 HR, 15 RBI) went 5-for-18 with a home run and 8 RBI.
Winner #3:
Lander (9-5, 0-0) earned a weekend sweep over Chowan and a midweek win over now RV Belmont Abbey. The Bearcats have won 7 straight and it’s not without the performance of Jake Larson. He started against Belmont Abbey and went 7.2 IP, carrying a no-hit bid into the 6th. Larson then threw four perfect innings against Chowan to aid in the sweep, going 2-0 on the week. Larson has a 2.25 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP in 16 innings this season. We also have to mention Dominic Puccetti, who struck out 11 over 6 in his win.He carries a 1.44 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 25 innings of work.
Other Winners:
No.7 Catawba (10-4, 5-1) won a midweek against RV Mount Olive and the weekend series at Limestone. Cole Hales in 36 at bats is hitting an impressive .444. Hayden Simmerson has looked the part of an All-American in relief. In six appearances (1 start), he has a 2.87 ERA and has struck out 23 batters to just 4 walks in 15.2 IP.
No.14 Lenoir-Rhyne (12-2, 2-1) won a weekend set at home against Wingate, as this has been an impressive start to the season to jump up to 14 in our rankings. Leading the charge on the mound is Andrew Harlow (1.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP in 27 IP) and William Girardi (1.66, 1.15, in 21.2 IP). Harlow threw 8 innings of two-run ball with 7 strikeouts in his win to improve to 4-0. Mackenzie Wainwright is otherworldly, as he’s hitting .482 with an OPS of 1.458. He has 13 extra base hits, 16 RBI, and 8 steals in 14 games. He’s the type of guy that you need to have your popcorn ready.
No.15 Young Harris (10-4, 5-1) had a 3-1 week starting last Tuesday, beating North Georgia in a midweek before taking two of three on the road at Erskine. Freshman Sam Neal got some WORK in, throwing 10.1 innings across 3 appearances without allowing an earned run and 9 strikeouts.Kade Smallwood leads the team with a .375 batting average, 5 home runs, and 19 RBI.
RV Carson-Newman (12-2, 5-1) in one of our series to watch picks, Carson-Newman turned the tide in the doubleheader, winning both games to win the series two games to one against Newberry, which aged like a fine wine. Kolton Casson pitched a complete game 2-hitter to clinch that series win, excellent job by him. Cole Nathan recorded at least one hit in each game of the series, including 3 RBI, one coming off the go-ahead single in the final game of the series.
Anderson (8-5, 3-3) sweeps its home series against Mars Hill. Walker Noland lowered his ERA to 3.32 with 6 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts, allowing just 3 hits. Ben Bullard had a great series, going 6-for-13 with 7 RBI. He now leads the team with a .390 batting average.
Barton (9-7, 4-2) goes 3-1 after winning a road midweek versus Wingate and winning two of three against Francis Marion. Yariel Diaz went 10-for-20 over the week with a homer and 5 driven in.
Coker (12-4, 3-0) picked up a road sweep against Emory & Henry, which included an extra-inning win to get the sweep.How about the combo of Jaylen Mack and Alex Lazar? Both are hitting over .400 with 10+ RBI and 9+ stolen bases. Lazar gets on base, as he’s walked 13 times to just striking out twice. Cody Chapman threw a 2-hitter with 10 strikeouts to get the complete game shutout in Game 2 of the series.
Flagler (11-3, 0-0) is off to a great start after winning 3 of 4 against AIC this past weekend. Ben Stubbs set another career high in strikeouts this season with 12 over 6.1 IP. Stubbs is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings so far this season. Payton Palladino is unbelievable at the plate, hitting .462 in 14 games. He went 9-for-15 with a pair of RBI in the series.
.
North Georgia (9-5, 0-0) completes back-to-back weekend sweeps, this time against a then-RV Georgia College in non-conference action. They look poised for a fruitful season. It all starts at the top with Andrews Opata, who had 5 hits, 5 runs and stole 5 bases over the weekend. He's hitting .444 on the year. Nicholas Stinson and Phillip Ard each homered twice and had 6+ RBI on the weekend.
UVA Wise (14-3, 4-2) has us a little surprised and excited on how well they are doing to begin the year, as they win their second straight conference series, this time against Lincoln Memorial. It all starts with Jeb Hurst, who is leading the team with .400 average. He had 4 hits with a home run and 5 RBI in the weekend set.
WEST REGION:
Winner #1:
No. 21 Westmont (13-2, 8-0) has been on a TEAR lately. After dropping their opening series, they have won 12 straight, including a 4-game sweep over Chaminade (who beat D1 Wichita State on Monday) this past weekend. Bryan Peck has been his usual dominant self, he went 7 shutout innings, allowing 7 hits, 0 earned runs, and 0 walks, while striking out five. He has a 1.90 ERA in 23.2 IP with 23 strikeouts to just 2 walks. Kade Fujioka pitched great out of the bullpen, going 4 shutout innings with a strikeout in his relief appearance. He has a 1.29 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP across 3 relief appearances.
Winner #2:
RV San Francisco State (7-5, 3-1) opened conference play taking down a ranked Chico State in 3 of 4 games, who was looking like one of the better teams in the West after their gauntlet of a non-conference schedule. Michael Cunningham may have had only 4 hits, but 2 were home runs and another one was a double with 7 total RBI in the series. He’s leading the team in just about every category, with a .400 AVG, 5 HR, and 19 RBI in 12 games. Andrew Silva has been great out of the bullpen, he threw 4 innings across 2 appearances with 5 Ks in the series. Overall, he has a 2.13 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP over 12.2 IP this season.
Winner #3:
No. 10 Point Loma (10-4, 6-2) showed some pop in their series win against Vanguard, scoring 10+ runs in each of their wins. Noah Meffert went 7-for-17 in the series with 3 doubles, a home run, and 8 driven in to bump his average to .280. Jake Schwartz (.306) went 7-for-14 in the series. Luke Reece (2nd on the team with 14 RBI behind Jake Entrekin’s 15) had 6 RBI on the weekend. Point Loma didn’t seem to display dominance early on in their wins (winning by an average of 3 runs in their first 5 wins), but now show dominance (winning by an average of nearly 9 runs in their last 5 wins).
Other Winners:
Biola (7-8, 4-4) dropped the first game to a then-unbeaten Jessup before winning the next 3 games to take the series. The Eagles showed offensive prowess, scoring 45 total runs in their 3 wins, including a 25-4 win in Game 2 of the series. Noah Ruiz and Adiel Torres was at the height of that prowess. Torres went 6-for-9 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI! Ruiz went 9-for-16 in the series with 3 doubles, a home run, and 7 RBI. Ruiz is hitting .397 in 15 games while Torres is hitting .583 in two starts.
Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-6, 3-1) performed well in a road series win against a solid Cal State San Marcos team. Dylan Schumacher seems impossible to get out right now, as he went 8-for-17 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in the series. He’s hitting an impressive .524 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in just 8 starts. Brian Kraft got extended a bit in his relief outing but was excellent, going 3.1 IP, allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out 7 batters. He hasn’t allowed a run in 3 appearances this season.
Cal Poly Pomona (6-7, 3-1) is an interesting team. They opened by beating a now-ranked Westmont team two games to one, lost a series to then-ranked Colorado Mesa, getting swept by NAIA The Master’s before taking three of four against a then-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay. The pieces are there. Dylan Esquival threw a 7-inning shutout, allowing 6 hits and striking out 6 batters. Johnny Pappas (.375) and Marco Malerba (.364) were the key pieces on offense, going 8-for-15 and 7-for-16, respectively. Anthony Gibbons drove them in, with 9 total RBI on the weekend, as he leads the team with 16 RBI.
CUI (6-6, 4-4) went 3-1 this past weekend at home vs Menlo. The Golden Eagles allowed just 2 earned runs over the entire weekend. Who else but Jake Covey? He threw a complete game, striking out 11 over 7 innings and allowing just 2 runs. Matthew Kaiser also impressed with a one-hitter over 6 innings with 10 strikeouts.
Fresno Pacific (9-6, 4-4) earned a 4-game sweep over Hawaii Hilo, allowing just 5 runs all weekend. Connor Semone and Tim Ruiz pitched well again, as both threw at least 6 innings, allowed 5 or fewer hits, 1 run, and struck out at least five. Semone has a 0.94 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP with 2 complete games over 28.2 IP while Ruiz has a 1.35 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP over 20 innings.
Comments