Previewing the 2016 D3 Tournament

Weekends like this are why I write. Nine New England baseball teams, who’ve had great seasons just to get this far, are one good weekend away from a trip to the College World Series. There’s just nothing else like it. We’ll take a look at the paths all nine of them have taken after the jump.

Breaking Down the D3 Tournament Selections

Last year, I was pretty charitable to the D3 Selection Committee. I thought deserving teams were left at home, but more as a function of the field being too small than the committee picking the wrong teams to fill it. This year, I’m not so sure. Let’s dig in.

Previewing the 2016 CCC Tournament

As usual, we enjoyed competitive title and playoff races in the CCC, which has set us up with a deep tournament field to enjoy this weekend. Will a surprise team make a run to the title, like Curry in 2015? Or will things look more like the seasons prior, when the top seed took home the title in three of four years? The history, the playoff chase, and team capsules ahead– let’s get to it.

Weekend Roundup — May 2, 2016

What a fun week to round up. Division III took center stage and didn’t disappoint. We saw upsets, walkoffs, records broken, incredible plays, and, of course, our first dogpile. And in D1 and D2, things are coming right down to the wire for playoff spots and league titles. More on all that plus Teams of the Week within.

(One quick programming note: It’s come to my attention that WordPress is showing ads for some folks. That’s their price for giving me free hosting, not my choice, but I still apologize for that, and please let me know if it’s a big issue for you.)

Weekend Preview — April 22-24, 2016

Somehow it’s the last full week of April, and we’ve been blessed with another weekend of sunshine to enjoy some great baseball all around the region. D3 takes center stage, with two key series in the NEWMAC that’ll decide a division title and a playoff spot. We’ll also hit up the GNAC, NECC, CCC, NAC, and Little East for matchups that’ll go a long way towards deciding conference standings at year’s end. In D1, we’ll preview big weekends for Quinnipiac, Bryant, Dartmouth, and Yale, along with an ESPN3 doubleheader for Harvard and Brown and BC’s home set with #4 Louisville. And finally, in D2, the Northeast Division’s biggest weekend yet comes our way in the form of #3 Southern New Hampshire’s visit to Merrimack. Enjoy the reading, and more importantly, get out and enjoy a game.

(One programming note before we dive in: I probably won’t be able to do a Weekend Roundup this coming Monday, but I’ll be back in the middle of the week with some preview material for next weekend.)

Weekend Roundup — April 18, 2016

The weather was gorgeous this weekend, and the baseball was even better. We had more walkoffs than I can ever remember in a single weekend, and plenty of sweeps, upsets, and offense throughout the region. In Division I, UConn knocked off a top-30 opponent, Northeastern got a big road sweep, and the Ivy League standings got bunched about as tightly as possible entering the final two weekends. In Division II, Southern New Hampshire won its midweek grudge match with Franklin Pierce as part of a perfect week that left it atop the NE-10 Northeast. And in D3, a slew of title races came into focus in a weekend of walkoffs and upsets. Read on for more.

Weekend Preview — April 15-17, 2016

Sunshine. Sweet, sweet sunshine. Taking Worcester as our bellwether, we’re looking at sunny and 50s to start the weekend, a sunny and 60s by Sunday. Around the region, sixty-three teams will play home games this weekend, and many of them are involved in title races that are heating up right along with the weather. We’ll take a region-by-region look below.

Weekend Roundup — April 11, 2016

Revenge was a theme this week, with teams like Rhode Island, Dartmouth, and Mass Maritime avenging painful playoff losses from a year ago. Along with that, we saw Boston College earn a big series win over the defending national champions, big weeks for the Rolfe Division and the NE-10 Northeast, and conference standings taking shape in D3. Read on for more.

Weekend Preview — April 8-10, 2016

I’ve gotta say, I really wish the weather were cooperating for this weekend, because the schedule is absolutely loaded. The defending CWS champions will pay a visit to New England (something that hasn’t happened in decades), and Hartford, Rhode Island, and Northeastern host big D1 series as well. In D2, Franklin Pierce and Southern New Hampshire, who’re both in the top 5 nationally now, will celebrate the honor with five home games apiece. And it’s rivalry weekend in D3. Williams and Amherst renew the oldest rivalry in college baseball, and Babson-Wheaton, Suffolk-Saint Joseph’s, and Bowdoin-Bates will also be on display. Bottom line: if you’re willing to layer up, you won’t need to travel far for some great baseball this weekend.

Weekend Roundup — April 4, 2016

Yeah. That’ll teach me to gloat about early-season weather. Mother Nature really took a buzzsaw to the New England college baseball scene this weekend. Thanks to some creative scheduling, though, we’ve still got plenty to recap. Big weeks for Northeastern and Hartford in D1, Franklin Pierce kept on rolling in D2, and Wesleyan stayed hot after returning from Arizona in D3. More on those teams and plenty of others after the jump.