Shenandoah tops tough South
By Jim Dixon,
D3baseball.com
Two years ago a head coach from school in the South Region asked,
"Where are the south players in the All-Star list?" Fast-forward to
today and you see some of the best players in the nation playing
for southern schools. Starting with Methodist's Trey Such and
Shenandoah's Greg Van Sickler and Kevin Brashears, you see the
balance of the top talent has definitely takes a southernly
dip.
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Shenandoah's Kevin Brashears is looking for a third
trip to the final round in Appleton. |
Birgmingham-Southern is our pick for the best team in the region but, as a provisional member of Division III, is not eligible for the playoffs. With our favorite on the sidelines, the road to Appleton is wide open. Our pick to make it out of the regional is Shenandoah. Van Sickler and Brashears highlight a talented team and is expected to make a third straight appearance in the finals.
The Hornets will have to contend with tough teams in their conference, but coming out of a competitive conference with the caliber of teams like Methodist and Christopher Newport, it will only prepare them for the regionals. Other contenders will come out of the ODAC. Virginia Wesleyan and Bridgewater have a long record of success in the ODAC but Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon are eager for playoff wins as well. The Capital and SCAC are featuring contenders in DePauw, Mary Washington, Rhodes, and Salisbury, but they will need some breaks this year to make the final round in Appleton. Do not count out the Great South. LaGrange and Piedmont have come in to the playoffs through Pool B and we can see another Pool B bid coming out of the GSAC.
Capital Athletic Conference (CAC): Last year we predicted Salisbury (30-12) to win the CAC's first Pool A bid but it went to the tournament champions, Mary Washington (28-12). Salisbury and York, Pa. (28-16) both grabbed pool C bids, leaving Wesley (29-13) at home. With these four teams and conference newcomer, Frostburg State (32-13) it shows how important each win is if you don't win the conference tournament.
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Salisbury starts the season with a 23rd ranking in
the D3baseball.com Top 25. |
Our pick out of the CAC is No. 23 Salisbury, the 2010 regular
season champion. The Sea Gulls have a powerful 1-2 pitching
combination in Dustin Herbert (7-2, 4.69 ERA, 59 SO) and Kyle
Judson (6-1, 3.14 ERA, 52 SO) and with the new bat rules, pitching
is expected to be a bigger factor in 2011 than last season.
Returning 29 lettermen from 2010, there should be plenty in the
tank to replace Mike Celenza and Andrew Miller.
Frostburg joined the CAC this year and will make an immediate
impact. Reveiving votes in the 2011 preseason Top 25, they were
just three votes out of the final poll spot. Second baseman Matt
Greene (.448, 14 HR, 60 RBI) garnered second team honors and
Britton Quayle (8-1, 2.56 ERA, 66 SO) was an honorable selection in
the 2011 preseason All-American team and will highlight a team
returning 20 players from 2010 and eight starters. D-III standout
Jim Pasquine joins Philip Betterly and Greg Beachy as additions to
the Bobcats coaching staff in 2011.
Mary Washington won the conference title with an experienced team
but will need to find someone to fill the big shoes of Will Wright.
The Eagle return plenty of pitching from last year with Eric
Rehbein (5-2, 3.23 ERA, 49 SO) and Parker Talbert (3-0, 2.08 ERA,
26 SO) on the mound. Rehbein (.364, 15 2B, 36 RBI) will also anchor
the offense, taking second base when he is not on the mound.
An unheralded York program will be looking to return to the
playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Second baseman Dustin
Worthman (.362, 25 R, 11 SB) will be back for his junior year.
Wesley's captains Geoff Kimmel (.381, 7 2B in 7 games) and Kevin
Murphy (.401, 47 RBI) will be key if the Wolverines are to make the
playoffs in May. The Wolverines finished 2010 as the runner up in
the CAC Championships before winning the ECAC South Championship in
the postseason. St. Mary's (Md.)(9-24) Seahawks (9-24), Stevenson
Mustangs (18-23) round out the rest of the CAC. The Gallaudet Bison
left the CAC at the end of last season for the NEAC.
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Robbie Shelton led the LaGrange Panthers in 10 team individual categories and was in
the top five in eight Great South Athletic Conference individual
categories. |
Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC): The
GSAC only recently has only started to sending a team to the
playoffs, Piedmont (21-21) in 2008 and LaGrange (27-19) in 2010. In
2011, we see the last year's title game participants, LaGrange and
Maryville (24-15), battling it out once again. With only four
playoff eligible teams in the GSAC, the route to the playoffs
starts with in Pool B.
LaGrange won the regular season and tournament title enroute to a
Pool B playoff bid. Senior infielder Robbie Shelton (.391, 11 HR,
53 RBI) led the team in most offensive categories with junior first
baseman David Miller (.362, 11 2B, 37 RBI) holding second
place.
Maryville had a big recruiting year in 2010 and with a year under
their belts, the Scots' will be poised for another big year. Part
of that 2010 incoming class are senior shortstop Myles Cordell
(.390, 11 HR, 39 RBI) and sophomore outfielder Mikee Moore (.347, 9
2B, 14 SB). Robert Brown (7-2, 2.85 ERA, 62 SO) is Maryville's top
returning starter.
The Huntingdon Hawks (28-14) are celebrating their fiftieth
anniversary this year. To make a playoff run, they have to find
replacements for Kyle Eller and Alex Sanford, both GSAC player and
pitcher of the year. Piedment, last in the conference in hitting
and pitching is continuing to rebuild this season. Covenant is
joining the conference as a provisional team in 2011.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC): The top
teams in the ODAC in 2010 will again compete for the pool A bid in
2011. In the last ten years Bridgewater (23-20-1) has won the
conference title four times, followed by Virginia Wesleyan (22-15)
with three. Lynchburg (23-16-1), with the second most championships
all-time, has not won a championship since 1990. Not even our Magic
Eight Ball can guess who will come out of the ODAC. One thing we do
know is that the balance of power in the ODAC will change in two
years when Shenadoah moves from the USA South to the ODAC for the
2013 season.
Bridgewater earned the only playoff bid for an ODAC team in 2010,
winning the tournament championship. The 2011 lineup should be
solid with six starters returning including senior outfielder Kevin
Kirk (.398, 53 hits) and junior catcher Devon Snow (.391, 15 SB).
The Eagles will be young on the mound with the three top starters
lost to graduation. Joseph Lucas (1-0, 3.64 ERA) and Kevin Chandler
(6-4, 6.23 ERA) are expected lead the rotation.
Virginia Wesleyan has put together 14 consecutive winning seasons
and is looking for a fifteenth. Helping the Marlins extend their
streak will be All-ODAC Myles Shipp (.415, 37R, 23 RBI). Davis Hall
(5-2, 3.59 ERA, 34 SO) and Alex DeJesus (1-1, 2.04 ERA, 5
saves).
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Randolph-Macon catcher Jay Lichter was the only ODAC
player named to the 2011 D3baseball.com preseason All-American
team. |
Randolph-Macon (18-16) is looking to open their new home with an
ODAC title. The Yellow Jackets will now play in newly built Hugh
Stephens Field at Estes Park. Senior catcher Jay Lichter (.433, 29
RBI, .990 FLD%) will anchor the offense. On the mound you find the
2010 ODAC pitcher of the year, Kyle Hicks (6-2, 2.15 ERA, 48
SO).
Hampden-Sydney (23-10-1) will keep All-American Matt Brown on the
roster as they add the former third baseman to the coaching staff.
They need senior outfielder Herbie Williams (.423, 6 3B, 25 RBI, 34
SB) to have another good season. Lynchburg said goodbye to Jeff
Taylor, Jr. in June but ODAC rookie of the year Brock Shiflett
(.397, 36 RBI) will be around for another three years.
Rounding out the ODAC and not expected to compete for a playoff
spot are Washington and Lee (14-19), Guilford (14-23), Eastern
Mennonite (11-17), Roanoke (11-20), Emory and Henry (4-24).
Washington and Lee was unable to follow up its 2009 playoff
appearance with a second, ending up sixth in the ODAC in 2010. For
Guilford coach Nick Black, he is within reach of the his 100th win
of his career, needing 14 wins. Eastern Mennonite returns the ODAC
batting champion in catcher Dylan Smith (.458, 27 R, 22 RBI).
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC):
The Birmingham-Southern Panthers (34-5) won the SCAC Eastern
Division championship for the second straight year in 2010 but as a
provisional team was not eligible for the playoffs. We expect the
Panthers to take the regular season conference championship, the
only championship they are eligible to win, in 2011. This is the
last year of the school's four-year provisional membership process.
Rhodes (27-17) and DePauw (26-17) both received votes in the 2011
presason Top 25 and it is no surprise that Rhodes and DePauw are
expected to contend for the top seed in the SCAC Eastern division
come tournament time. Both return strong teams but out pick for the
top seed in May is Rhodes.
Birmingham-Southern's Bruce Maxwell (.427, 15 HR, 61 RBI) and
Brandon Ricco (.473, 56 RBI, 13 SB) will lead a team that scored
more than 10 runs a game in 2010. Finishing up with a top 20
fielding percentage, the Panthers were a team that most of their
opponents did not relish playing. The Panthers were not just
hitting and fielding, and featured a pitching staff that allowed
less than five earned runs a game. Pitchers Jordan Burchett (2-0, 3
saves, 2.51 ERA) and John Naramore (8-0, 2.79 ERA, 70 SO) are back
for their junior years.
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Hunter Chandler had five saves for the Rhodes Lynx
in 2010. |
Rhodes returns their entire pitching staff headed by senior
closer Hunter Chandler (3-1, 5 saves, 2.80 ERA) and starting
pitcher Austin Carden (5-5, 6.65 ERA, 43 SO). Key players that
graduated in 2010 are shortstop Brooks Royer and second baseman
Andy Bouche. The Lynx will find replacements on the roster in
senior Kyle Peterson at shortstop and in their 2011 recruiting
class as freshman Stewart Martens is expected to start at second
base. Outfielder Brett Lindsey (.365, 18 2B, 46 RBI) needs 36 hits
for 200 in his career and is two home runs from the program
record.
DePauw's Jake Martin guided the Tigers to a second place finish in
his first year as head coach. Expect the same in 2011 as the
Tiger's successes will start with their pitching and defense.
Returning are juniors Elliott Ross (8-2, 3 saves, 2.64 ERA) and
third baseman Alex Wright (.333, 28 RBI, .953 FLD%). Ross is the
reigning SCAC pitcher of the year and Wright earned all-Mideast
Gold Glove honors in 2010.
Centre (12-21), Oglethorpe (19-23), and Sewanee (7-28) represented
the bottom of the standings in the SCAC-East for the last two years
and will be trying to break out of the SCAC basement in 2011.
USA South Athletic Conference (USAC): Shenandoah
(38-10) is expected to do what no other USA South team has done in
many years, capture consecutive championships. Ranked seventh in
nation, the Hornets are also favored for a third trip to Appleton.
Always the first to crown a champion, 2011 will be no different as
the USA South Tournament will be played April 14-17 in Burlington,
N.C.
The road back to Appleton will not be easy for Shenandoah. The
Hornets have graduated most of their starters in the infield with
only Cory Nelson (.360, 9 HR, 42 RBI) remaining. The rest of the
story is different. Kevin Brashears (.427, 14 HR, 61 RBI) will be
joined in the outfield by two transferring players in Clint DeHaven
(All-USA South in 2009 for Greensboro) and Joey Donofrio (D-I Old
Dominion). Greg Van Sickler (8-3, 3.49 ERA, 65 SO) will be back
along with relief ace Kevin Scallion (4-1, 8 saves, 3.65 ERA).
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D3baseball.com preseason All-American Trey Such led
Methodist at the plate hitting .393 on the year with 13 home runs
and 54 RBI. |
Methodist (28-14) will be led by All-American catcher Trey Such
(.393, 13 HR, 54 RBI). Stalwart shortstop Brian Ingham (.375, 9 HR,
53 RBI) also returns joining fellow seniors Shawn Lovette (.371, 33
RBI, 20 SB) and Tripp Lancaster (.365, 25 RBI, 23 SB). The potent
Monarch offense is offset by the loss of their best pitchers in
Kurt Kelly and Landon Jordan. Success for Methodist will depend on
the pitching staff finding a stopper among those that remain.
Christopher Newport (24-17) with four straight winning seasons is
looking to continue the trend in 2011. The middle of the Captain's
infield graduated and will be expected to be filled by two freshman
in shortstop Billy Steel and second baseman Andy Viands. Senior
Sean Chitsaz (7-2, 2.84 ERA) will be depended on to solidify the
pitching staff.
N.C. Wesleyan (17-19) was one of only two teams in the USA South
with an overall losing record but excelled in conference play,
taking the regular season championship by a game over Shenandoah
and Methodist. The Bishops are not expected to repeat but finish in
the middle of the conference standings in 2011. Ferrum (25-13),
Averett (25-17) and Greensboro (10-27) are expected to finish in
the bottom half of the conference as they have in the past two
years. Bad news for Ferrum as our preseason All-American first
baseman, Justin Franklin, is not going to take the field in 2011.
All-Region pick Adam Higgins (.407, 30 RBI, 37 SB) is returning to
the outfield for the Averett Cougars.
Independents: Emory (19-20) always puts a
competitive team on the field but was ranked outside the top 100 in
offense (134th in batting average), pitching (109th in ERA) and
fielding (106th in fielding percentage) in 2010. The Eagles are
also now four years off their second finish and have missed the
playoffs for three straight years. A playoff spot the Eagles have
typically secured has more recently gone to a GSAC team so the path
to the playoffs will be to beat the best in the GSAC. The fate of
Emory will rest on their hitters. Transfer players Gabe Shivers
(.421, 10 SB) and Patrick Riebsame (.308, 33 RBI) performed as
expected and Andrew Cohn (.392, 32 RBI) stepped forward but will
need some help to make a championship run. The Rust Bearcats are
not expected to contend for a playoff spot.
Catholic is a member of the Landmark Conference and will be
covered in the Mid-Atlantic Preview. Spalding is the newest member
of the SLIAC and will be covered in the Central Region Preview.
