This week in DII sports: What to know about the DII baseball super regionals

Welcome back, DII sports fans. The spring DII festival is underway and DII baseball is heading to the super regionals. The end of the 2024-25 season is in sight, but we have some work left to do. This week we break down the DII baseball super regionals, take a look at the DII women's lacrosse semifinalists and get you caught up on the DII festival. 

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⚾️ The DII baseball super regionals, a breakdown

Sixteen teams remain in the DII baseball championship. Of those teams remaining, six are making their first-ever trip to super regional play. The other 10 are no strangers to the tournament, several of which know Cary, NC all too well. It is quite the blend of powerhouses and the inexperienced, which typically means we can expect the unexpected.

Before action resumes this weekend to decide our eight for Cary, let’s take a quick look at each series.

Atlantic: Indiana (PA) vs. Seton Hill

Well, I picked West Chester to make it to Cary and the Golden Rams were swept out of the tourney in two games. However, I did say Seton Hill was the team to watch that could surprise and make it all the way to Cary. The Griffins showed why, winning a pair of games from nationally ranked Millersville before downing No. 2-seeded and nationally ranked East Stroudsburg in back-to-back games on Sunday. The Griffins had to come from behind, showing the experience this team has in its second-straight trip to the super regionals.

This is a remarkable run for IUP. The Crimson Hawks were 2-35 in 2021 and after two years of slowly rebuilding, they are in the DII baseball championship for the first time since 1990. Just their third trip to the tournament ever, the Crimson Hawks swept through their portion of the region for its first-ever trip to the super regionals. The 36 wins tie the single-season record set back in 2008. IUP and Seton Hill met in April and the Crimson Hawks took the weekend series 3-1 — the Griffins will be looking to settle the score.

Central: Central Missouri vs. Arkansas-Monticello

What a matchup we have here. Historically — especially in the Kyle Crookes era — Central Missouri is one of the winningest programs in DII baseball. The Boll Weevils on the other hand, are making program history, reaching the super regionals for the first time ever.

The Mules offense has been spectacular all season, leading DII baseball in batting average, home runs per game, slugging percentage and runs scored. This lineup has six hitters with a batting average of at least .364 and with 11 home runs all while stealing 185 bases — yet another top-10 mark in DII. The Boll Weevils are simply looking to add to their lore, capturing its first GAC regular-season title since 2019, their first GAC tournament title since 2017 and now the super regionals debut. They certainly have capable hitters, but can a pitching staff with a combined 5.72 ERA and 1.46 WHIP keep the Mules from lighting up the box score? It will be a tough task, but we have seen stranger things in May.

East: Molloy vs. Southern New Hampshire

The Penmen are heading to the super regionals. In other news, water is wet. All joking aside, Southern New Hampshire has dominated the East, now playing for the East Region title for the eighth consecutive season. They’ve won the previous three and look to advance to Cary for a fourth straight year. After sweeping through its East Region pod, SNHU is now 46-26 in the DII baseball championship. The Penmen have won six of their last seven and Jorge Burgos continued his program record-setting season with two homers in the clincher to advance.

The Penmen will face off against Molloy in a rematch of the 2022 super regionals. The Lions have 42 wins, the most in program history and the second time reaching the 40-win plateau since 2022. While the Lions have some big bats, it is the starting rotation that is the big advantage if Molloy hopes to dethrone the Penmen. JC Kiss, Charlie Cucchiara, and Ryan Hynes have combined for a 2.94 ERA thus far in 2024. Each of the big three threw a complete game in the East Region pod.

Midwest: Saginaw Valley State vs. UIndy

What a year it has been for the Cardinals. Just 27-24 a year ago, Saginaw Valley State heads to its first-ever super regionals with 41 wins, a program record. Hayden Jatczak is a big reason for the turnaround — the breakout star hit .466 with a 1.373 OPS, 103 hits, 15 home runs, 27 doubles, 87 runs scored and 77 RBIs. Perhaps more remarkable is that every one of those stats led the GLIAC.

UIndy is back in familiar territory, reaching the super regionals for a second year in a row. Just like last year, the Greyhounds dismantled Maryville in consecutive games to advance, scoring 28 runs in two days for a chance to head to Cary for a second year in a row and fourth time in program history. It’s quite impressive that UIndy is back with all that they lost from last year’s historic run — including three starting pitchers that made a combined 40 starts — but it shows that head coach Al Ready is starting something special in Indianapolis.

South: Tampa vs. Embry-Riddle

Tampa is back in the super regionals once again, looking to add to its national championship total. Head coach Joe Urso added to his illustrious resume, picking up win 1,000 on an Alex Canney complete game masterpiece, in which he struck out 10 and walked none to move on to the supers. The Spartans have looked like the team to beat since Opening Day and are a run-scoring juggernaut that is third in DII with 10 runs per game backed by arguably the best pitching staff in DII with a 3.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, both of which are top-3 marks in the division.

Embry-Riddle is one of the “rookies” at the super regionals this year. The Eagles were 25-23 last year and improved to a 34-win team in 2024, returning to the DII tournament for the first time since 2019. They showed they have the bats to compete, piling up 27 runs in its two regional wins against West Florida, despite not having an elite DII baseball home run slugger. Embry-Riddle lost a three-game set to Tampa earlier this season, so there is plenty of familiarity to keep the Cinderella story going.

South Central: Angelo State vs. Lubbock Christian

The Rams are on an incredible run, now playing in their fourth-straight South Central super regional, fifth-straight South Central championship (there was no super regionals in 2021 due to the abbreviated field) and are now looking to advance to Cary for the fourth year in a row. The defending champs did not have an easy road back here but turned it on in the South Central regional with decisive victories against top-25 West Texas A&M and Colorado Mesa. The pitching isn’t where it was on last year’s national championship run, but the offense is alive and well led by a red-hot Tripp Clark (who has had six multi-hit games in a row) and Jacob Guerrero, who put the Rams ahead for good in last year’s national championship game with a big home run.

Lubbock Christian had quite the memorable regionals. My sleeper for the South Central since the beginning of the season saw their skipper Nathan Blackwood pick up win No. 800 and Brevin McCool hit for the cycle in a 23-5 onslaught of Texas-Permian Basin. The following day, the Chaps poured on 20 more runs and are now super regional bound for the first time in program history. Lubbock Christian and Angelo State faced earlier this season and split a four-game series. Right now, history is on Angelo State’s side, but Lubbock Christian is red hot, riding a 13-game winning streak on its historic run.

Southeast: Catawba vs. Georgia College

As I mentioned in the preview, any team could pull off a surprise in this part of the bracket because the seven teams here were seven of the best teams in the country. I said to watch out for the No. 7-seed Georgia College, which was red hot entering the tournament, and lo and behold, here are the Bobcats, defeating two-time Southeast Region champion North Greenville and then Mount Olive twice — both of which were Power 10 teams for the bulk of the season. Can the Bobcats take down Catawba — currently No. 8 in the Power 10 — to complete one of the more stunning runs to Cary in recent history?

Opposite the Bobcats is a team that has been to the super regionals — and Cary — before. Catawba has been a force since opening day, taking the SAC and owning some of the best metrics in the region. It looked grim for the Indians, who were stunned in the SAC tournament, bounced in the opening round, only to lose the opener of the Southeast Region tourney. But this balanced team — which led the SAC in ERA and WHIP while finishing first or second in several offensive categories — dug deep and did what it has done best all season: win.

West: Point Loma vs. Cal State Monterey Bay

The West will be won in a rematch we’ve been waiting for since the opening month of the season. Point Loma took three of four games from the Otters back in February and really set the tone for the Sea Lions' run through the West. Minus Westmont — which is ineligible for the postseason during its NAIA transition — these have been the best two teams in the West for pretty much the entire season.

Point Loma has won seven in a row and 16 of its last 18, so the Sea Lions are hot. They are looking to go back to Cary for the second time in three years, while the Otters are back in the West super regionals for a second year in a row. The bottom line, these teams are winners and have experience on the big stage. Both teams are very evenly match offensively, so the slight edge may go to Point Loma with a statistically stronger pitching staff and one of the best fielding teams in DII.

One thing (or more) to know about the final four teams in the DII women’s lacrosse championship

The DII women’s lacrosse semifinals are set to begin on Thursday, May 23, from the DII festival in Orlando — and what an interesting field we have. If you go back over the past five tournaments, the semifinals have seen no fewer than two regional No. 1 seeds advance. However, in 2024, nary a regional No. 1 seed remains. Historically speaking, we are looking at a rare field with a very high likelihood (statistically speaking) to see a first-time national champion.

FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT | BRACKET 

Let’s take a quick look at what to know about each of the four teams remaining in the field.

No. 1 Adelphi. The Panthers are the only team remaining that has won a DII women’s lacrosse national championship. In fact, Adelphi has won more national championships than any other DII women’s lacrosse program, looking for the big No. 10 overall in Florida this week. Adelphi handed Pace its first loss of the season to advance, ending the Setters’ run at becoming the first repeat champions since these very Panthers pulled off the feat in 2014-15. The Panthers — who are the second-highest scoring offense among the remaining four — are powered by a trio of scorers in Danielle Marino (49 goals), Kelly-Ann McGrath (51 goals), and Kerrin Heuser (55 goals) that will make things rough on opposing defenses.

No. 2 Tampa. The Spartans are the only team among this bunch that is in uncharted territory. Having to compete with the powerhouse that is Florida Southern in the SSC has been difficult, but Tampa finally moved on with an 11-9 victory over the rival Mocs. Tampa has a balanced attack, with Sarah Hinkle (61 goals) leading four players that have scored at least 40 goals this season. The Spartans’ keeper Alex Walling will have her hands full with that Regis offense, but she should be up to the challenge — Walling posted the sixth-best save percentage in DII this year at .504.

No. 3 Regis (CO). Statistically speaking, you have to like the Rangers’ chances among the remaining field. Regis has the top scoring offense among the semifinalists, averaging 16.75 goals per game, which is also a top-10 mark in DII. The Rangers also own the fourth-best scoring defense in DII at 7.25 goals allowed per game — the best mark among the semifinalists. This is the program’s 25th season, and Regis has never appeared in a DII women’s lacrosse national championship game. Perhaps this well-balanced team will make history in its silver anniversary.

No. 4 East Stroudsburg. On paper, the Warriors are the underdogs, hence the No. 4 seed in the semifinals. They have the lowest scoring offense and the highest-scoring defense among the remaining field. However, Emily Mitarotonda is an unstoppable force. Already East Stroudsburg’s all-time best goal scorer — she set the PSAC single-season record for goals scored in the upset over West Chester — she is currently No. 3 in DII women’s lacrosse this season with 91 goals (nearly five per game), fourth in DII with 6.11 points per game, and is now second all-time in DII history in goals scored. East Stroudsburg showed it is a team that won’t fold, scoring six goals in the fourth period in a thrilling comeback to advance. Plus, the Warriors and mighty Adelphi, its semifinal opponent, met earlier this season and East Stroudsburg won. Keeper Abby Simonetti is DII’s best stopper with a .621 save percentage. Is the upset train ready to keep rolling?

👀 What Wayne's Watching 👀

Adelphi and Lenoir-Rhyne advanced to the DII men’s lacrosse finals. The national championship match will be played on Sunday, May 26, from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. You can see the full preview and my prediction, as well as all the results from the tournament so far, here.

The DII softball championship finals are underway in Florida. While Tuesday, May 21, will see some teams eliminated, I took a look at each of the eight teams and what to know about the field last week. In case you missed it, you can get caught up on some facts and figures about the eight regional champions here.

What else to watch…

The DII baseball championship super regional tournaments begin this weekend. You can follow all the action here.

The DII men’s and women’s golf championships began Tuesday morning at the DII festival and will conclude on Saturday, May 25. You can follow all the finals action for the men here and women here.

Weather caused some shifts to the beginning of the DII men’s and women’s tennis finals, but we are underway at the DII festival. Already through the second day, you can get caught up and follow along to the national championship with the men’s hub here and women’s hub here.

A national champion will be crowned in DII men’s and women’s outdoor track and field this coming weekend from Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas. You can follow the action here.

On the Radar

🚣 DII rowing selections announced May 21

🏆 The 2024 DII Championships Festival (Spring), concludes May 25: This includes men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and softball.  Visit the DII Festival hub.

🥍 DII men’s lacrosse championship, May 26.

🏟 DII baseball championship, June 1-8.

⚾️ 2024 MLB Draft, July 14.

Did I miss someone or something? It sure is possible. Don’t forget to drop me a line at Wayne.Cavadi@WBD.com and get your stars of the week in by every Monday.