This week in DII sports: 8 for Cary — What to know about the DII baseball championship finals

The 2024 DII baseball championship heads to Cary, NC, with a bevy of familiar faces, and NFL players are reporting to OTAs and rookie camps. This week we break down both.

⚾️ What to know about the 8 DII baseball teams in the finals

It is a tradition like few others in college sports. Ice cream sandwiches, hours of rain delays, school flags rising and falling, and for some, a weeklong stay in Cary, NC, for the DII baseball championship.
 
There is a lot of experienced, powerhouse teams in this year’s field — just one team is making its Cary debut — which could make it one of the more memorable fields in recent history. More than half the field is DII baseball elite, as five No. 1 seeds advanced to Cary from their respective regions, while the defending champion Angelo State Rams are the lowest seed to advance, coming out of the South Central as the No. 6 seed.

THE FINALS BY THE NUMBERS

THE FINALS BREAKDOWN

Angelo State. There were a lot of runs scored in an action-packed doubleheader to conclude the South Central super regional, but here we are. I’ve said it a hundred times, and I’ll say it a hundred more — the South Central Region goes through San Angelo, Texas. This is the defending champs' fourth-straight trip to Cary and though they may be a the bottom seed because of an up-and-down season, the Rams are one of the most dangerous teams in the mix. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up against teams like first-round opponent Central Missouri, but Tripp Clark and Jacob Guerrero lead this offense that can put up runs against anybody.
 
Catawba. Catawba returns to Cary for the first time since 2019 and the fourth time overall. The Indians could have a “home field” advantage with its fans less than two hours down the road in Salisbury, NC. When Levi Perrell, Dylan Driver and Sam Hunter are cooking atop the lineup, this team can score a ton of runs quickly. Driver has been particularly hot in the tournament, including a bases-clearing triple in the super regional clincher.
 
Central Missouri. The Mules head to Cary for the 20th time in program history — and first since their national runners-up appearance in 2021. It’s head coach Kyle Crookes' fourth trip since he began his tenure in 2015. This has been one of the best offenses in the country from opening day, and the Mules have not relented in the tournament. Thus far in the DII baseball championship, the Mules are hitting .417 with a 1.180 OPS and 14.3 runs scored per game — all top-3 marks among the 56 teams that entered tournament play.
 
Indiana (PA). This is the best story in DII baseball this year. There are a lot of exciting things happening, but the Crimson Hawks are rewriting their record books every game. They now have the most wins in a season in program history with 38 and are heading to Cary for the first time ever, and oh, by the way, this team had two wins three seasons ago and hasn’t sniffed the DII baseball championship since its last appearance in 1990 and hadn't won a DII tournament game since 1988, which was well before anyone on the current roster was born. Skipper Steve Kline has plenty of championship experience, serving as a coach in the San Francisco Giants organization for all three World Series runs in the 2010s. 
 
UIndy. The Greyhounds are one of three teams returning to the final eight from last year, along with Angelo State and Southern New Hampshire, which have now pretty much taken up residency in Cary. Like last year, UIndy had to go on the road to face the No. 1 seed in the super regional, and like last year, the Greyhounds swept right through. These were two close ballgames, with UIndy winning 12-11 and 11-10. This is an impressive story considering how much they lost from last year. On paper, this team is behind the rest of the finals field in pitching, a spot where they were hurt most in turnover from 2023, so the bats will have to come out swinging against Tampa to have a chance.
 
Point Loma. Before the season opened, I made eight “sleeper” picks to make it to Cary. The Sea Lions were the lone one to make it through. There was a lot of talk about last year’s West Region champ (Cal State San Bernardino) and Cal State Monterey Bay, but in the end, it was Point Loma — which won two series from the Otters this year, including a thrilling super regional where they came back from one game down. The Sea Lions have a lot of offense, so the pitching — which is one of the better staffs remaining — will be key. Ray Cebulski has made two strong starts in the tournament allowing just two earned runs over 14.1 innings.
 
Southern New Hampshire. Give credit to both Jefferson and Molloy. The Rams made it tough for the Penmen in regional play and Molloy took them wire-to-wire in the super regional. But the Penmen are back in Cary for a fourth year in a row, fifth time in the past six tournaments and sixth time since 2012. This team gives new meaning to Beasts of the East. They are coming in hot, winning 13 of their past 15 games and showed a lot of resilience coming from being down 9-3 to win the clinching game in the East — powered by a monster grand slam from Dylan O’Sullivan.
 
Tampa. What can you say about Tampa that hasn’t already been said? The Spartans need one more national championship to tie for the most in the history of the sport, sitting on No. 8 since their most recent 2019 title. They are making their 20th trip to the DII baseball finals. They have DII baseball’s all-time hit leader EJ Cumbo, who had three hits and a home run in each of the super regional wins to advance. On paper, they are the most balanced team remaining with a huge advantage on the mound, statistically speaking. They are also scorching hot in the tournament, hitting .407 with a 1.255 OPS while scoring 15.0 runs per game. This is a crazy strong field, but it’s hard not to like Tampa’s chances of playing in the final game of the season.

👀 What Wayne's Watching 👀

The NFL is gearing up for the 2024 season. Schedules have been released and camps have opened. As DII football fans, there is a lot to watch.
 
Per my numbers (taken from the official rosters listed on NFL.com on May 26) there are 78 DII football alum currently on NFL rosters. Keep in mind, when I say former DII football alum, I am only referring to those players drafted from current DII schools. For example, Austin Reed was indeed a national championship quarterback for West Florida in 2019; however, he was drafted out of Western Kentucky, and thus not part of this list even though he is competing for a backup role in Chicago with DII record-holding quarterback Tyson Bagent.
 
Likewise, there are a lot of reports on X/Twitter and social media of some players being offered a rookie contract or tryout, but do not appear on the NFL roster. Social media is not official, and I only went with what appears on NFL.com.
 
The point is, the 78 is a very fluid number. Because of that, my annual “Former DII players on NFL rosters” feature doesn’t come out until August. That said, here are a few fun facts about the 78 DII alum on NFL rosters as of today.
 
🐬 The Miami Dolphins are the most DII-heavy team in the NFL. They have six former DII football players on their roster headlined by Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) — who led the NFL in receiving yards and tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns last year — and Zach Sieler (Ferris State) who had a breakout 10-sack season in 2024. The Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are right behind them with five each.
 
🏈 The top position among DII football players is defensive back. Kenny Moore II (Valdosta State) of the Indianapolis Colts is one of the better players at the position, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and recording 93 tackles and a career-high two pick-sixes last year. Joshua Williams (Fayetteville State) has been in the NFL for two seasons and has two championship rings as part of the Kansas City Chiefs' secondary rotation.
 
🐶 Ferris State has the most players rostered with five. Right behind the Bulldogs with four apiece are Missouri Western — highlighted by 12-year, one-time All Pro Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein — and West Florida.
 
🏉 Michael Jerrell — the lone DII football player drafted this year — is in camp with the Seahawks, but a slew of other undrafted free agents are playing for roster spots. A few to keep your eyes on are Jerrell’s teammate Mike Rigerman on the Ravens, Blake Larson (Augustana (SD)), C.J. Ravenell (Missouri Western), Casey Bauman (Augustana (SD)), Chris Collier (Lock Haven), David Olajiga (Central Missouri), John Jiles (West Florida), Kameron Johnson (Barton), Kyle Sheets (Slippery Rock), Rico Payton (Pittsburg State), Shon Stephens (Ferris State) and Trey Vaval (Minnesota State).
 
On the radar
 
🏟 DII baseball championship, June 1-8.
⚾️ 2024 MLB Draft, July 14.
🏈 DII football opening day, August 29.
 
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.