Previews: || New England || New York || /notables/2010/01/31/experience-key-in-mideast.html || South || Mideast || Central || Midwest || West ||

Over the next week, D3baseball.com is rolling out previews for all eight regions. Today we start with the Midwest Region. Follow D3baseball.com on Twitter to get a notification when each regional preview is revealed.

by Ricky Nelson for D3baseball.com

St. Thomas brought the national championship back to the Midwest Region, which has now won three of the past nine Walnut and Bronze trophies. It was the Tommies' second title of the decade after winning in 2001. UW-Whitewater won it in 2005, and the depth of quality Midwest Region squads is there for another title in 2010.

The contenders are the usual suspects: St. Thomas and fellow MIAC power St. Olaf; the WIAC trio of UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh; and the UMAC's St. Scholastica. Emerging threats to the status quo include Bethany Lutheran from the UMAC and the Northern AC's Aurora, Concordia (Ill.) and Rockford.

UW-Whitewater will host the 2010 Midwest Regional as it moves into a newly renovated stadium this season. While that could be seen as a huge advantage, the Warhawks are 21-9 at home over the past two years. In other words, not unbeatable. Besides, we think UW-Stevens Point is the class of the 2010 WIAC. But being the WIAC favorite doesn't trump a defending national champ that returns a high percentage of players. St. Thomas, with Stevens Point a close second, is our pick to advance to Fox Cities Stadium.

New Faces

Chris Olean, St. Thomas. Olean takes over the national champion Tommies on an interim basis now that Dennis Denning has retired. Olean was a St. Thomas assistant for nine years following an All-American pitching career at the university that led to a two-year stint in the Brewers organization.

Corey Kemp, St. Scholastica. Kemp takes over for 18-year head coach John Baggs, who passed away last February. Kemp had been on the Baggs's staff for eight seasons after pitching for the Saints from 1998-2001, when he set CSS career records for wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Seth Maier, UW-Stout. Maier was an assistant at Stout for two season after earning four all-conference awards for the Blue Devils from 2003-07. Maier was the manager of the Alexandria Beetles of the Northwoods League in the summer and the recruiting coordinator and third base coach for Stout in 2009.

Randy Cox, Martin Luther. Cox replaces two-year interim head coach Steve Thiesfeldt. Cox was previously the head coach at Michigan Lutheran High School, where he led teams to 10 conference titles in 14 years.

Dan Nyquist, Crown. Nyquist was an assistant at Crown last season. He played college ball for Northwestern (Minn.) and graduated in 2008.

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC): St. Thomas is the undisputed favorite for returning 20 players from its national title team, including ace and D3baseball.com preseason First Team All-American Matt Schuld (12-1, 3.25 ERA), outfielder Matt Olson (World Series MVP), outfielder Matt McQuillan (.377 AVG., 45 runs, 16 steals) and shortstop Roy Larson (.357 AVG., 95 total bases). Granted, the Tommies lose gold glove third baseman Dan Leslie (35 RBI), slick fielding second baseman Louie Salmen (.987 FLD %) and a run producer in outfielder Brian Schmitz (16 doubles, 42 RBI) from their lineup. But the St. Thomas way is with pitching and defense (3.39 team ERA, .978 team fielding percentage, which led the nation for the second straight year). The returning upperclassmen have that covered. The Tommies (41-13, 15-5 MIAC) lose just three pitchers who totaled 88 innings last year.

St. Olaf earned the top seed at regionals last year but lost two games to St. Thomas on the final day. This year's St. Olaf team must rely on a new cast for a return to regionals because the Oles lose 4/5 of their infield. The departing quartet hit a combined .363 and accounted for 170 runs, 162 RBI and 22 home runs. There's plenty of thunder returning from a team that hit .350 last year, including the Jones twins in the outfield: Carson (.387 AVG., 25-25 stolen bases) and Tyler (.363 AVG.). However, the Oles (32-14, 14-6) also lost two of their top four starting pitchers, creating a bit intrigue in Northfield, Minn.

Most of the remaining MIAC teams hovered around .500 last year, but there is some big-time talent on those teams. Bethel (19-19, 10-10) returns two all-region players -- outfielder Tim Oesterlin (.452 AVG.) and catcher Jay Slick (.436 AVG., .570 OBP). Macalester (19-19, 10-10) ace James Murray (6-3, 1.95 ERA, 12.4 K's/9) and shortstop Nate Wilson-Traisman (.425 AVG., .630 SLG %) are two of the best in the region at their positions.

Elsewhere in the MIAC, St. John's head coach Jerry Haugen enters his 33rd year four wins shy of 600.

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC): The biggest WIAC news was off the field as the region awaited the fate of UW-La Crosse's program, which was put on the chopping block during the off-season due to proposed university budget cuts. Thanks to donations, La Crosse staved off elimination for at least the 2010 season, but the program will reportedly have to battle for its life again after this year. If La Crosse were to fold its program, the WIAC would be in danger of losing its Pool A bid because the conference has the minimum seven full-NCAA members to qualify for an automatic bid.

Last year Stevens Point lost a 5-4, 17-inning marathon -- the longest ever D-III playoff game -- to eventual national champion St. Thomas in its first game at the Oshkosh Regional and finished third. The Pointers return a bevy of sluggers looking to rebound from a ho-hum .286 team average and the bitter taste left by last year's regional. All but one regular returns to the Pointer lineup that hit 49 home runs in 47 games, and that regular didn't go deep all year. The Stevens Point pitching staff will be without three departing seniors -- its top reliever and two of the top four starters. But those losses are from a staff that allowed a .239 opponent batting average, so there is plenty left, highlighted by four pitchers (Scott Williams, Joel Delorit, Tyler Lorenz, Cody Koback) who spent the summer in the Northwoods League. The sticking point is the schedule -- UWSP (31-16, 15-9 WIAC) is on the road for all eight combined games against UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh.

UW-Whitewater, to some a surprise NCAA selection, was the No. 1 seed in the WIAC tourney (via a three-way tiebreaker). Will the Warhawks win the WIAC again in 2010? Although Whitewater gets the top WIAC teams at home this year, the Warhawks lost too much to be considered the favorite over Stevens Point. Gone are ace Aaron Dott (drafted and signed after his junior season) and third baseman Kevin Zalnis (8 HR, 45 RBI). The good news is nearly everyone else returns. But the team only hit .280 last year, held a 4.48 ERA and outscored their opponents by 14 runs, a disproportionate total considering the team went 30-19 and advanced to a regional final before losing to Carthage. Whitewater has more speed throughout the lineup than the other WIAC contenders. That may be a key to their success as players slide into new roles.

Oshkosh is a wildcard. A year after raking the regional field instead of playing on it despite being tri-champs of the WIAC, the Titans still can go bat for bat with almost any team, as evidenced by last year's .411 on-base perrcentage. The Titans (24-16, 15-9) scored 10+ runs 14 times last season. The problem is, they gave up 10+ runs eight times. Last year's 4.99 ERA has to improve for Oshkosh to seriously contend. That could be difficult considering the expected staff hits due to injury and transfer. D3baseball.com preseason All-America utility player Kyle Kannenberg (.333 AVG., 7-4, 3.15 ERA, 85 2/3 innings) may be pivotal in terms of the Titans' mound success. Then again the Titan offense can make up for a lot of their pitchers' mistakes. That's the definition of a wildcard.

The race for the fourth and final WIAC tournament entry should be a good one, like usual. UW-La Crosse (22-16, 13-11), UW-Platteville (21-19, 11-13) and UW-Stout (18-18, 9-15) all should be in the mix with La Crosse perhaps the slight favorite behind the bat of sophomore third baseman Jay Fanta (.384 AVG., .636 SLG %).

Northern Athletics Conference (Northern AC): Concordia (Ill.) was the automatic qualifier in the Northern AC, the conference's first Pool A bid after going through the NCAA waiting process. The Cougars (33-15, 18-4 Northern AC in 2009) went 0-2 against Wooster and Heidelberg, both top-10 teams heading into regionals. If there's to be a repeat, Concordia (Ill.) will have to do it without shortstop Jack Walker, who's now in the Nationals organization, and Phil Seris. Those two combined for 30 home runs, 96 runs batted in and 231 total bases in 2009.

The wheels have left Rockford, but the Regents will be just fine. Rockford (27-14, 17-5) loses outfielder Shaun Dascher and first baseman Chris Brockman (who stole a combined 47 bases) and two other starters, but this is a team that outscored its opponents 400-262 last season while scoring 9.8 runs per game. The pitching staff loses just one starter and a top reliever while welcoming three transfers, so the Regents, always a league contender, could be the favorites this year.

Aurora looks to make the next step after losing in the conference tournament final last year. The Spartans (29-13, 16-6) return one of the best pitchers in the region, D3baseball.com preseason All-American Steve Salazar (5-4, 2.12 ERA, three shutouts). If the Spartans, World Series participants in 2004 and 2006, develop someone after Salazar and Dan McCarthy (8-1, 3.81 ERA), they could take that next step. Aurora lost some quality arms behind the ace, but last year the Spartans had an ERA more than a full run better than the next Northern AC team. Senior outfielder Tony Wellner (.411 AVG., 11 HR, .756 SLG %) is back to anchor the lineup, which loses five starters who combined to bat .337 and accounted for 198 of the team's 356 RBI's.

Concordia (Wis.) is led by 2009 Northern AC Player of the Year and D3baseball.com preseason All-American outfielder Jon Olla (led nation with a .602 OBP). However, the Falcons (22-17, 14-8) must pitch better to contend. Last year the team had a 7.84 ERA and allowed opponents to bat .344. Then again Concordia (Wis.) swept UW-Whitewater to end last season, so the talent is there to beat the region's elite.

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC): For years in the UMAC there has been no drama. St. Scholastica has ruled the roost to the tune of 26 consecutive titles (13 regular season, 13 postseason) and several NCAA tournament appearances since 1997. At last year's regional, the Saints lost to St. Thomas and UW-Stevens Point after winning their opener. While the UMAC hierarchy may not change in 2010, Bethany Lutheran and Martin Luther proved last year that the UMAC is more than the Saints and everyone else. Martin Luther knocked off St. Scholastica is the regular season; Bethany Lutheran turned the trick in the UMAC tournament. But when you're picking out single games over a large sample, it reads like a desperate attempt to write something new. There was something new to report, but St. Scholastica is still king of the UMAC and will once again be among the top preseason favorites to claim an NCAA bid.

St. Scholastica rookie head coach Corey Kemp will be without rotation mainstays Peter Burg and Adian Kummet, both of whom had All-American careers. The duo tossed more than a third of the Saints' innings last year, making Steve Gerten (5-1, 4.91 ERA) the only returnee with 40+ innings in 2009 from a staff that held a 3.09 ERA. However, the St. Scholastica (36-7, 19-1 UMAC) bats could be a Band-Aid for any lumps the pitchers take. The Saints lose just three players from a lineup that hit .348, slugged at a .501 clip and held a .466 on-base percentage. D3baseball.com preseason All-America first baseman Sean Claugherty (.393 AVG., 52 runs) will lead the potentially potent offense.

Bethany Lutheran has some stars of its own and appears to be the team poised to threaten St. Scholastica's stranglehold on the UMAC. The Vikings boast the returning UMAC Player of the Year in outfielder Justin Schwecke (.456 AVG., 62 RBI, 58 runs, .520 OBP, .725 SLG %) and the UMAC Pitcher of the Year in Ashton Dorris (8-0, 3.06 ERA, 10.7 K's/9). In other words, they had better years than a returning All-American and a pro pitcher from St. Scholastica. Bethany Lutheran (29-10, 17-3) also returns all but two bats and basically its entire pitching staff while adding five transfers to a squad that hit .363 but posted a hold-your-nose 5.67 team ERA. If the Vikings get anything after the No. 2 spot in the rotation, things could finally get interesting in the UMAC. In other Bethany Lutheran news, the Vikings will wear patches on their helmets in honor of assistant coach Todd Mann, who passed away in December after battling cancer.