Episode 73: 2021 Midwest Region Preview (+ reactions to the weekend of D-III action) - a podcast by Cespedes Family BBQ

from 2021-03-22T17:36:58

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Welcome to Episode 73 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our seventh of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Midwest region and its four conferences. But first (at 1:30), we wanted to bounce around the nation and react to the relative full slate of D-III action from the weekend. Topics include:

  • Bret Williams IS BACK and is already off to great start for PSU-Harrisburg
  • Franklin & Marshall & Kalamazoo makin' us look real dumb for hyping up Johns Hopkins & Adrian (but also let's relax a little bit)
  • Checking in on the West region, updating the SCIAC status
  • Teams that are looking extremely good so far: Southern Maine, Marietta, NC Wesleyan, Centenary (LA), and of course, the 20-4 (!!!) Berry Vikings
  • Salisbury looked great when we saw them live, hopefully their star Justin Meekins won't be out too long
  • A quick correct on a New England College/Eastern Nazarene note from the last pod
  • Mo Hanley pitched in front of A LOT of scouts

Then, we preview the Midwest, one chilly conference at a time:

  • MIAC (at 20:15)
    • Saint John's (Minn.) is off to a strong start, including one surprising name on a crazy home run tear
    • St. Thomas has one more season in D-III (we think???) and have a great 1-2 punch atop their rotation that could help them go out in style
    • Gustavus Adolphus has been trending up and will certainly be in the mix
    • St. Olaf (at 13:15) got a first place vote too!
  • NACC (at 30:25)
    • Aurora has become a consistent regional contender and now look like the clear favorite in this conference
    • Concordia-Chicago seems be having some pitching struggles in the early going, but should still be able to score enough runs to stay competitive
    • Benedictine is also solid and will likely compete
  • UMAC (at 36:00)
    • Bethany Lutheran has suddenly become the consensus favorite
    • St. Scholastica is leaving the conference after this year; can they capture one more UMAC crown?
  • WIAC (at 39:15)
    • Wisconsin-Whitewater is loaded as normal, with an inexplicable transfer hitter and an excellent pitching staff as usual
    • Wisconsin-La Crosse is very young but could be building back up to be a regional threat again soon
    • Other WIAC contenders like Stevens Point and Oshkosh are a tier below but have some intriguing talent 

We concluded (at 47:30) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening!

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