Drew Gurkin belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give Guilford a wild, 19-18 opening-day win over visiting Piedmont Saturday. Piedmont took an 18-12 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but Guilford's John Goodwin sparked the comeback with a pinch-hit two-run, two-out single. Senior catcher Jason Flud also had an RBI and the Quakers took advantage of one of the Lions' five errors on the day pull to within 18-16. After junior Michael Blocher threw a scoreless ninth inning for Guilford, Josh Sumler opened the Quakers' ninth with a single, which was followed by Joe John's second double of the day. Alex Starbuck's sacrifice fly to right plated Sumler from third and set the table for Gurkin's first homer as a Quaker.

In other action: No. 9 Salisbury began its 2009 season with a 16-3 victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Marlin Field in front of a crowd of 250. Salisbury had two players record four hits in the game in right fielder Andrew Miller and shortstop Will Evans. Virginia Wesleyan was led by Phil Cadle and Brandon Hathaway, who had two hits apiece.

No. 12 Texas-Tyler shook off an opening season loss to Concordia (Tex.) on Friday and picked up its first win of the season on Saturday night by storming past Trinity (Tex.), 10-3, at Irwin Field as part of the 2009 Easton Classic presented by Clements Fluids. The Patriots lead off the first and second innings with homeruns by Chris Tucker and Joe Towns, scoring in each of the first five innings. This was enough offense for Lex Wolfe who allowed no runs and just four hits, while striking out nine batters through seven innings of work.

For the second time in as many days, Millsaps had to rally from a 3-run deficit to come away with a victory, this time overcoming a 5-2 deficit behind a trio of home runs and solid middle relief work from Boomer Hudson to top the University of the Ozarks 9-5. Millsaps freshman Todd Barnthouse had a career day, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a solo home run in the 8th inning that broke open a 1-run lead.

East Texas Baptist capped a big opening weekend of baseball on Saturday by scoring 35 runs in two games while completing a three-game weekend sweep of Jarvis Christian College at Woods Field. After blasting the Bulldogs 19-10 in the season opener Friday night, East Texas Baptist (3-0) picked up where it left off by cruising to a 21-2 thumping of Jarvis in game one Saturday. The Tigers then completed the series sweep with a 14-7 victory in game three. East Texas Baptist also got solid starting pitching Saturday in both games. Working on a pitch count in their first starts of the season, sophomore Chase Willard and junior Trey Pipes each tossed four innings to get the back-to-back wins for East Texas Baptist.

NC Wesleyan's Ben Moore tossed a complete game in game one, and Patrick Laffin delivered a game-winning two-run double in game two to lift the Bishops to a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Mennonite at Bauer Field. Moore gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits to help the Bishops to a 7-2 victory in the opener, while Laffin's first career hit broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth to give NC Wesleyan a 5-3 win in the nightcap.

Texas Lutheran and Austin opened their 2009 collegiate baseball seasons with a doubleheader split Saturday at Texas Lutheran's Katt-Isbel Field. Austin College won the first game, 6-2, and Texas Lutheran grabbed the second game, 10-0. Austin right-hander Cory Stevens was dominant in game one. He held the Bulldogs scoreless and with only one hit until the sixth inning. Stevens struck out seven and allowed two earned runs. In game two, Texas Lutheran broke open a close game with a seven-run seventh inning.

The Hampden-Sydney Tigers kicked off the 2009 season with two victories, taking both games of a doubleheader with visiting Averett at Yank Bernier Field. Hampden-Sydney came from behind in both games to beat Averett 4-3 and 6-4. The Tigers used a Matt Brown walk-off double to secure a 4-3 victory in the first contest of the day. In the second game, Averett again jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after three innings but the Tigers answered with three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Rhodes (3-0) won their second game in the 2nd annual Wilson/Demarini Classic this afternoon defeating LaGrange College 11-5 in Jackson, MS. The game remained close for the first three innings but Rhodes used a 3 run top of the fourth to take a 7-3 lead. The Lynx expanded their lead to 9-3 in the fifth and put up two more in the seventh for a 11-3 advantage. LaGrange scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings for a 11-5 final.

The Southwestern Pirates wasted no time putting runs on the board in either game as they defeated the Schreiner Mountaineers 13-7 and 5-3 in doubleheader action at Rockwell Stadium. Southwestern came out swinging in the first game 13-7. In game two the story was the same as the Pirates built an early lead and Brantley Freeman kept the Mountaineers at bay with his complete game, 12 strikeout win.

Lynchburg opened its 2009 campaign with a doubleheader split at Greensboro, as the Hornets took game one 11-6, before falling in the nightcap 7-6. In the opener, Lynchburg jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first and exploded for five in the fourth inning to secure the win. In the second game of the evening, Lynchburg led 2-0 going into bottom of the third, but allowed the Pride to score six in that frame. The Hornets responded in the top of the fifth with four runs, but Greensboro came right back with the winning run in the bottom half.

Maryville (Tenn) traveled to Birmingham Southern on Saturday to open the 2009 campaign. The Scots used a seven run 9th inning to propel themselves to a 9-2 victory over the Panthers. Maryville pounded out 14 hits and drew six walks in the contest. Sophomore Zac Hargett picked up right where he left off in 2008. The reigning Great South Conference Freshman of the Year led the Scots with three hits and three RBIs.

Outfielder Travis Crump doubled in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in the winning run as Ferrum defeated non-conference opponent Southern Virginia 10-9 to open the 2009 baseball season at home. The Panthers surrendered a 9-4 lead in the top of the ninth when outfielder Jake Johnson belted a two-run homer over the right field fence, then catcher Grant Woods hit a towering three-run shot over the left field fence to tie the game at 9-9. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Jason Parker walked, advanced to second on a balk by Southern Virginia pitcher T.J. Whiting, then scored on Crump's RBI double to left center.

Randolph-Macon opened its 2009 baseball season with a doubleheader sweep of visiting St. Mary's (Md), winning game one 6-1 and game two 7-6. In the opener, righthander Kyle Hicks surrendered just two hits over five innings to pick up the win on the mound for Randolph-Macon. In game two, Randolph-Macon's Greg Mitro homered to left field in the sixth to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-6 advantage.

The North Atlantic Conference and North Eastern Athletic Conference have entered into a partnership by way of extending associate memberships in baseball and other selected sports. The NEAC will gain associate members in the sports of baseball and women's tennis, while the NAC will accept members for men's tennis and women's lacrosse.

The partnership, which impacts nearly all of the current NEAC and NAC membership, maintains conference championship opportunities for student-athletes in both geographically diverse conferences. Independently, neither conference would have been able to get an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs in those sports and this partnership makes this possible.

"We are very pleased with this association and opportunity for our student-athletes," said Maine-Farmington athletic director Julie Davis. "Essentially the agreement is a very positive outcome of creative thinking, problem solving and consensus building on the part of our respective commissioners. The result is improved opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches that is true to our mission. Beyond equity, it keeps the travel in balance with our academic schedules and economic realities. It really is a win-win."

In baseball, Farmington and fellow NAC members Castleton, Husson, Lyndon State and Thomas will join the NEAC as associate members. Divisional play will begin in the spring of 2010. Each division will hold a championship and the two divisional champions will meet for a three game series to determine the conference champion. The conference championship site will rotate between the West (hosted at either SUNY Cobleskill or SUNYIT) and the East (hosted by Castleton). The NEAC will maintain the automatic qualifier they currently hold to the NCAA Division III Championship.

"We're very excited," said Farmington baseball coach Dick Meader. "It solidifies that the conference has an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. It's certainly something for players in our conference to look forward to."

By D3baseball.com staff writers

Regional previews: New England | New York | Mid Atlantic | South | Mideast | Central | Midwest | West

For the first time since 2002 the walnut and bronze baseball trophy was brought back to New England. No. 3 Trinity (Conn) didn't quite get the perfect season but claiming national title isn't a bad consolation prize. The Bantams will be looking to defend their national crown but history is against them as this feat has not been accomplished in 30 years since then Glassboro State (Rowan) went back-to-back in 1978 and 1979.

The trio from the Little East in the likes of No. 10 Southern Maine, No. 13 Eastern Connecticut State and Keene State will be fighting hard to make the regional round. Do not overlook No. 19 Wheaton (Mass.) as they will be in the mix come May. Here at D3baseball.com we see history will be on the side of Southern Maine when regional championships are determined.

Our surprise pick is the champion of the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Both Roger Williams and Western New England have pitching staffs that will stand up to the traditional powers.

New Faces

Edwin Thompson (Bates, NESCAC) - Edwin Thompson, a former Division I and professional baseball player from Maine, is the head baseball coach at Bates College. Thompson succeeded Craig Vandersea, who resigned in June.

Matthew Kutt (Eastern Nazarene, TCCC) - Matthew Kutt takes over in his first year at the helm of the Crusader Baseball Program. As a head coach, Kutt led both Santa Fe Christian School in San Diego (1998-2001) and Asheville (N.C.) Christian Academy (2004-07) to League Championships and multiple playoff performances.

Jason Harvey (Husson, NAC) - Jason Harvey was named head coach in July. He is one of the most successful athletes to ever wear the Husson uniform. During his athletic career at Husson he was a standout on the baseball diamond and basketball court as well as playing one year of golf. Harvey takes over for the legendary John Winkin.

Rob Ciarlo (Rivier, GNAC) - Rob Ciarlo is the new coach at Rivier. Ciarlo coached 2 years of high school baseball at Epping High School, taking them in his second year at the helm to the New Hampshire Class M tournament.

Conference Summaries

Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC): Last year Suffolk had two more losses in the conference tournament (2) than they had conference regular season losses (0). The St. Joe's Monks were responsible for both of those losses and expect these two teams to again battle it out for the GNAC crown. Suffolk returns five all conference players in Bobby Barrett (.362, 10 2B), Jose Alejandro, (.333, 32 R), Keith Carter (.322, 39 R), Dan Delia (7-3, 1.68 ERA), and Tim Corcoran (.312, 38 RBI). A strong early season schedule should prepare Suffolk for a strong finish in the GNAC this year. St. Joe's will have to replace conference player of the year Luke Enman (.368, 46 R, 41 RBI) but will have a strong group of returning players including 2008 conference rookie of the year catcher Ian Lee (.341).

Little East Conference (LEC): In 2008 Keene State recorded their first outright regular season title and first ever tournament title. The Owls return four All-Little East Conference selections into the fold, including the 2008 Co-Rookie of the Year Bobby Doyon (.408, 55 RBI) and Gold Glove second baseman, Jamie Chevalier (.355, 43 R, .980 FLD%). They will be looking to stay on top in one of D-III's toughest conferences. In 2009 expect No. 13 Eastern Connecticut and No. 10 Southern Maine to compete for the title along with the Owls. The Warriors of Eastern Connecticut will be led by senior Shawn Gilblair (.403, 12 HR, 1-3, 3.70 ERA). Returning from an injury plagued 2008 season Gilblair looks to return to the healthy form that earned him 2007 All American status. Last season, Ed Flaherty led the Huskies to the program's 10th season with at least 30 victories, posting an overall record of 36-14. Southern Maine earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament, entering the tournament fray seeded fourth. The Huskies' strung together four consecutive victories to reach the championship game of the New England Regional, before bowing to the eventual national champion, Trinity (Conn.). Southern Maine will be led by D3baseball.com Preseason All American outfielder Anthony D'Alfanso (.393, 15 HR, 62 RBI).

Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC): In a league that was amazingly close last year, look for many teams to compete. In 2008, six teams in an eight team conference finished within one game of first place. With so many teams bunched so closely 2009 could be anyone's year. Look for last years conference championship finalists Westfield and Worcester to lead the race with pressure from Salem, Bridgewater (Mass), Mass. Maritime, and MCLA. Top returners in the MASCAC are: Worcester State's Joey Lucier (3-3, 3.27 ERA), Salem State's Ryan Kane (.266, 43 RBI), and Ken Luongo (.379, 33 RBI), and Westfield's Mike Trachtenberg (.391, 13 SB).

North Atlantic Conference (NAC): Castleton State easily won the regular season title and defeated upstart Husson for the automatic bid in 2008. With four all conference players returning for the Spartans they are expected to repeat as NAC champions. Castleton will be led by a strong core of returning players including 2008 NAC rookie of the year third baseman Dan Conley (.376, 35 RBI, 17 SB).

New England Collegiate Conference (NECC): The NECC is the new conference on the block with teams coming from the GNAC, NAC, and independents. The conference title should be wide open with many teams playing each other for the first time. Look for Mitchell to be the favorites in 2009. Mitchell comes over from the CUNYAC and returns conference rookie of the year Jeff Perillo (.425, 44 R) and pitcher of the year Jeremy Chapman (4-2, 4.60 ERA, 50 K's). Don't expect any of these teams to go deep into the NCAA tournament but this newly formed conference should be a good fit for its members based on both geography and competition. This league does not have an automatic bid.

New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC): Coming off an undefeated regular season and a national championship Trinity should again be favorite in the NESCAC. Trinity will have to replace D3baseball.com All-American Tim Kiely but returning are D3baseball.com Preseason All Americans Jeremiah Bayer (9-0, 1.33 ERA) and Sean Killeen (.378, 57 R, .994 FLD%). Also expect Williams, the 2008 NESCAC west division champions to compete for the conference title. A third team to watch for in this conference is Amherst who will have the extra motivation of playing for coach Bill Thurston in his 44th and final year at the helm of the Lord Jeffs' baseball program. The key match-up between Williams and Amherst will be when they meet on May 3 as Williams and Amherst celebrate the 150th year of the birth of collegiate baseball in Pittsfield, Mass.

New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC): In 2008 Babson became the first team not named Wheaton to win the regular season title, ending a run of nine consecutive regular season titles for Wheaton (Mass). The No. 19 Wheaton Lyons once again return a strong pitching staff led by senior All American Adam Gingras (8-0, 1.70 ERA). Coming off a very impressive Freshman year Andrew Aizenstadt (1st team all conference and rookie of the year) leads a Babson squad that will have to replace two all conference performers in seniors Matt Delaney (.377, 16 2B) and Steve Tahmoush (.373, 47 R, 21 SB).

The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC): Expect defending regular season champion Roger Williams and defending tournament champion Western New England to again battle for the top spot in 2009. Pitching will be what separates these two teams from the rest of the league. Roger Williams returns 2008 TCCC pitcher of the year Brian Hurld (7-2, 2.68 ERA). The Hawks lose Mike Malcolm (7-0, 2.68 ERA) but return James Lydon (6-0, 4.47 ERA), and Sam Podbelski (5-0, 4.46 ERA). Western New England also returns a strong pitching staff led by senior Jason Pizzoferrato (8-0 in 2008 and 21-5 Career). The Golden Bears, who have made 5 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, also return starting pitcher Brian Calzone (7-4). Due to more difficult spring trip schedules than the rest of the conference, expect both these teams to be in the middle of the pack when conference play begins but they should soon separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

By D3baseball.com staff writers

Regional previews: New England | New York | Mid Atlantic | South | Mideast | Central | Midwest | West

Baseball action in the South Region gets under way in a hurry. There are marquee match-ups and precious in-region wins up for grabs with the ODAC-USA South Tournament and Salisbury making a trip into Virginia next weekend. There are many contenders in the South Region but with the regional championship at Salisbury, the No. 9 Sea Gulls are expected to make it a home series with a second appearance in the D-III Baseball Championship. They will have contenders from every corner. Christopher Newport brings an equally experienced team to the field in 2009. The ODAC has Randolph-Macon and No. 20 Lynchburg who are looking at a conference championship and an appearance in Appleton. Piedmont will want to duplicate their success and Rhodes is chomping at the bit to make it over the final hump and qualify for the playoffs. Never known as a sleeper, NC Wesleyan is our surprise pick to make the regional.

Conference Summaries

Capital Athletic Conference (CAC): Last year No. 9 Salisbury (41-4) ran away with the conference Championship going 18-0 in the CAC. Their fine season ended with a 9-4 loss to Johns Hopkins but the Seasgulls will be looking for another shot of making it to the championship round in Apleton, Wisconsin. Salisbury returns three 2009 D3baseball.com Preseason All-Americans in Randy Boyle (.403, 68 R, 16 SB), Andrew Miller (.415, 57 R, 52 RBI) and Eric Wiley (11-1, 3 saves, 2.65 ERA) to offset their loss of Justin Arminger (.358, 57 R, 12 HR) and Ryan Bennick (10-0, 2.65 ERA) to graduation. Dustin Herbert (9-1, 2.47 ERA) and Mike Celenza (.371, 57 R, 60 RBI) will also return to make the Sea Gulls the favorite to repeat in the CAC. Both Mary Washington (26-14) and Wesley (27-15) finished above .500 in the conference in 2008. Mary Washington head coach, Tom Sheridan, is just four wins short of the 500 win mark for his career and the contibutions from Eric Rehbein (.394, 43 RBI), Will Wright (.350, 11 2B, 34 R) and Andrew Cox (9-2, 3.43 ERA, 56 K's) should get him there early in the season. The Wesley Wolverines return Stu Madden (.386, 46 R, 33 SB) and Colin Warner (5-0, 1.56 ERA, 3 saves) but they will end up battling Mary Washington for second place in the conference as the Sea Gulls fly away with the conference title.

Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC): Last year Piedmont (34-14) finished with a 19th ranking and a rare invite to the playoffs for a GSAC team. A repeat performance will be difficult with 2008 GSAC Pitcher of the year Tom Dimitroff (7-2, 2.05 ERA, 14 saves) graduated. Cory Lindsey (.404, 21 SB) and Andrew Migetz (.369, 44 R, 41 RBI) return to pace the Lion's offense and Josh Strickland (4-0, 2.89 ERA) anchors the pitching staff. La Grange (25-19) will feel the graduation of All-American Michael Sims (.421, 17 2B, 36 SB) but return Patrick Langley (.427, 63 RBI) and should challenge Piedmont for conference supremacy as will Huntingdon (24-17). Key returning players for the Hawks are Kyle Eller (.365, 44 R, 14 2B) and Brad Vest (4-1, 2.58 ERA). Maryville will return GSAC Rookie of the year in Zac Hargett (.353, 28 R) as they hope to improve on a 14-26 season.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC): In the last four year, four different teams have captured the ODAC championship. No. 14 Lynchburg (32-13) is looking to be the fifth different ODAC Champion in five years. The Hornets will be without the services of 2008 ODAC player of the year Ronnie LaBrie (.428, 61 R, 31 SB) and Jon Crews (.374, 21 2B, 59 RBI). Jeff Taylor (.392, 42 RBI, 25 SB) and Cameron Grant (.339, 991 FLD%) return to anchor an offense that will sting many opponents. On the pitching side is 2008 All-American Joe Devlin (9-0, 1.04 ERA. Challenging Lynchburg is 2008 Champion Randolph-Macon (25-17). The yellow Jackets return all their starters including the reigning ODAC Co-Pitcher of the Year in Byron Mendenhall (7-1, 2.33 ERA, 71 K's). Randolph-Macon will see plenty of offense with Greg Meleski (.394, 14 2B, 40 RBI), Mike Wallace (.438, 17 2B, 43 RBI), J.C. Conway (.303, 35 RBI), and Charlie Hartt (.328, 9 HR) swinging the bats. If The Hornets and Yellow Jackets stumble, Virginia Wesleyan (26-14-1) will be there to capitalize. The Marlins will have to replace Ozz Dhramapitaksook (.388, 34 R) and Jesse Freeman (6-2, 3.18 ERA), but feature three returning players who earned ODAC honors in 2008. None will be more important than ODAC Co-Pitcher of the Year Gary Bulman (8-0, 2.12 ERA) who also shared ODAC Rookie of the year honors. Joining Bulman is catcher C.J. Rhodes (.367, 16 2B) and the the infield tandem of Brandon Hathaway (.318, South Regional Gold Glove) and Phil Cadle (.347). Bridgewater (24-17-1) and Washington and Lee (22-12) should compete for a slot in the 2009 ODAC Baseball tournament at Lynchburg City Stadium on the last weekend in April.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC): The SCAC stretches over several regions. The 2008 top team in the SCAC East was DePauw (35-11) who return Mike Stout (.373, 49 R, 9 HR) and Justin Weiner (.313, 52 R, 39 SB). The Tigers will have their hands full holding off Rhodes. The 2009 senior class at Rhodes (28-15) is 92-40 over the past three years. Having narrowly missed being awarded a playoff berth the last two year, the Lynx have their sites set on a SCAC East title. Daniel Vanaman has graduated and his bat will have to be replaced, but head coach Jeff Cleanthes believes the 2009 team to be his most talented. Key to their success will be team captains Andy Holt (6-4, 3.77 ERA, 52 K's) and J.R. Bizzell (.309, 38 R).

USA South Athletic Conference (USA-South): The 2009 campaign gets underway on Saturday, Feb. 7 as Averett, Greensboro and N.C. Wesleyan roll into action. Christopher Newport (29-14) saw the departure of D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year in Kenny Moreland but under the direction of ninth-year head coach John Harvell, are picked to repeat as the USA South Athletic Conference champions in 2009. D3baseball.com preseason All-American Trey Bailey (.427, 10 HR, 62 RBI) will highlight an offense that lost just two regular starters. David Fennessey (.317) will replace Christopher Newport's first team all-conference DH Ryan McDougal and Shayne Kersey and Zach Hutchison will compete for the 2B spot vacated by Alex Owen. Although Moreland is now in the MLB system, the rest of the pitching staff is back. It has been 10 years since NC Wesleyan's (28-15-1) last Championship and 20 years from their first. For this trend to continue, the freshman who contributed last year, Justin Rahm (.250, 4 HR) and Justin Diener (4-1, 4.01 ERA), will have to make their presence known. Ben Moore (8-2, 3.20 ERA) is back to anchor a pitching staff that had the seventh best ERA in the nation (3.39). After capturing a piece of the regular season or tournament in four consecutive years, the Methodist Monarchs (28-15-1) did neither in 2008. They will face the loss of Seth Kivett who transfers to DII UNC-Pembroke but head coach Tom Austin should have a contending team on the field. Following 2008, Greensboro (26-15) lost a lot of impact players. "In most cases, we'd call it a rebuilding year and hope for the best," said eighth year Head Coach Ken Carlyle. "But we've reloaded and are ready to go to battle."

Independents: Following a second place finish in the 2007 season, Emory (25-11-1) narrowly missed a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2005 season. The Eagles were forced to rebuild in 2008 after losing a number of key seniors. This was most evident in Emory's pitching staff, where first-year pitchers threw 211.1 of the Eagles' 328.1 innings (64%) during the season. Look for the Emory to rebound in 2009 competing with the GSAC for a Pool B bid if they find replacements for Joe Roth (.382, 43 RBI) and Frank Pfister (.379, 6 HR, 51 RBI).

By D3baseball.com staff writers

Regional previews: New England | New York | Mid Atlantic | South | Mideast | Central | Midwest | West

Over the last several years, the road to Appleton in the Mid-Atlantic region has run through the New Jersey Athletic Conference. In 2009, while the Jersey Turnpike might still be the favored way to get to Wisconsin, a school to the south has other plans. One year ago, Johns Hopkins were national runners-up in the school's second appearance in the Division III World Series. Kean leads the pack among the NJAC contenders, Montclair State, New Jersey and Rowan. Both Rowan and New Jersey have the tools to challenge Kean for the NJAC crown if they can fill pitching holes that were opened by graduation. Second-year William Paterson head coach Mike Lauterhan will also have his team lurking near the top of the NJAC. More Blue Jays are lurking just under the radar in the form of the Elizabethtown. The Elizabethtown Blue Jays returns a majority of last year's team that won the Commonwealth Conference regular season title and is our surpise pick for the final round in Appleton. Other teams that will make noise into the regionals include Penn State-Behrend, Gwynedd-Mercy, and Keystone. If anything is for certain in the mid-Atlantic this year, is that with 57 teams and seven automatic bid conferences, a team or two will be destined for a regional other than the one in Lakewood, New Jersey.

New Faces

Jerry Davis (Marywood, CSAC): Jerry Davis enters his 14th season as a member of the Marywood coaching staff and first as interim head coach. Davis assisted the now-departed Joe Ross for 13 years. He is only the second head coach in school history for a program that began in 1995.

John Fleming (Neumann, CSAC): John Fleming didn't have to leave Pennsylvania to find his next job. Fleming is the new head coach at Neumann after spending one year as the pitching coach at Widener. Last year's Widener team led the commonwealth conference in earned run average. Before Widener, Fleming was a highly successful high school coach at cardinal O'Hara and Monsignor Bonner. He was the high school head coach of current New York Mets prospect Mike Antonini.

Adam Jack (Pitt-Greensburg, AMCC): 1998 Presidents Athletic Conference Player of the Year Adam Jack is the new head coach of the Bobcats. Jack was a standout at Waynesburg in the late 1990s and most recently served as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets and a head baseball coach at Jeannette High School.

Paul K. Johnson (Philadelphia Bible, CSAC): Paul Johnson will lead the crimson Eagles into the Colonial States Athletic Conference from the North East Athletic conference. The 1992 Drexel University graduate has previously coached at Lincoln, Bucks County CC and Montgomery County CC. Johnson's 2004 Lincoln Lions set a single-season school record for victories after going 0-10 a year before he arrived on campus.

Scott Kushner (Centenary, CSAC): Kushner joins the Cyclones after two years as the head baseball coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Swarthmore graduate inherits a program that made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006 but has not but to the tournament since.

Matt Midkiff (Eastern, MACF): Midkiff, a former Wilkes Colonel, leads the Eagles into the Freedom League from the PaC. Midkiff was an all-league selection at Wilkes and he served as a grad assistant on the Colonels staff following graduation. He joins the Eagles after spending the past two seasons as a pitching coach at Swarthmore.

Brian Pugh (Arcadia, MACC): Pugh moves across the river from Delaware to Pennsylvania to take over the Knights. Pugh was an assistant coach at Wesley in 2008 and helped guide the Wolverines to a 27-15 overall record. Most notable on Pugh's resume is his time spent in the Cape Cod Baseball League as a pitching coach with the Bourne Braves (2005-2008) and the Hyannis Mets (2003).

Paul Smaldone (Medaille, AMCC): Smaldone is a member of the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a longtime assistant coach at Canisius High School and helped guide the team to nine Georgetown cup titles. Smaldone currently works with the Buffalo Bisons as a high school baseball coordinator.

Adam Taylor (Franklin & Marshall, Centennial): Taylor, a 1999 graduate of Randolph-Macon, takes over the Diplomats from the departed Bill Walkenbach who accepted a head coaching job at Division I Cornell. The F&M skipper job is Taylor's first after compiling assistant coaching stints at William & Mary, Richmond, Guilford and Greensboro.

Conference Summaries

Allegheny Mountain Athletic Conference (AMCC): The Nittany Lions of Penn State-Behrend put together a 17-1 mark in league play last season and survived a wild conference postseason affair to move on to the NcAA tournament. There's no reason to suspect that Penn State-Behrend won't come out of the Allegany Mountains again as reigning AMCC coach of the Year Paul Benim returns his entire 11-man pitching staff and five of his eight starting fielders. The team is topped by 2008 Conference Pitcher of the Year David Koerbel (8-2, 2.82 ERA, 73 K), Andrew Chrobak (7-4, 2.90 ERA, 48 K), 2008 first-team all-league choice Dustin Dubensky (.365, 1 HR, 46 HR) and Josh Fyffe (.333, 21 SB, 25 RBI). Frostburg State has won five league titles and they'll be in position to fight for a sixth under second-year skipper Guy Robertson. Pitt-Bradford barely missed winning the league tournament last year. They return the offense to do it this year with Mike Seech (.361, 19 RBI, 17 SB) and Justin Bifano (.353, 2 HR, 36 RBI) but will need more quality pitching.

Centennial Conference (CC): Since 2004, Johns Hopkins and Franklin and Marshall have finished 1-2 in the centennial conference. It's no surprise that the Jays are among the regional and conference favorites after a national runner-up finish in 2008. However, there are holes to fill with the graduation of D3baseball.com All-American Rob Pietroforte (.435, 43 RBI, 25 SB), Jonas Fester (.402, 3 HR, 37 RBI), Jon Solomon (.364, 5 HR, 38 RBI) and reliever Ryan Kealy (6-1, 1.40 ERA, 2 SV). Returning All-Americans Todd Emr (.487, 5 HR, 70 RBI) and Brian Yourchak (.467, 9 HR, 22 SB) should provide substantial offense. Ryan Biner (.488, 29 RBI) should provide a worthy stick to round out a dangerous top three. Pitcher of the Year candidate Chez Angeloni (9-0, 4.32 ERA, 53 K) is the lone returnee of the Jays starting rotation and will need to replicate last year's numbers. Haverford and F&M will look to challenge Johns Hopkins for the title. The Fords won a school-record 27 games last year and played Johns Hopkins for the league title in Baltimore. Head coach Dave Beccaria returns a majority of last year's team including 2008 Cleveland Indians draft pick Dean Langanosky (.344, 27 RBI, 39 R, 29 SB), leading hitter Charlie Carluccio (.372, 2 HR, 24 RBI) and sophomore Louis DeRosa (.337, 19 RBI, 16 SB) among others. Pitcher Stefan Pappis-Lefebvre (7-2, 4.89 ERA, 48 K) will be the team's number one starter after earning all-conference honorable mention last season. First-year F&M head coach Adam Taylor makes his Diplomats dugout debut with 11 freshman. 2008 all-league choice Shea Moriarty (.418, 1 HR, 30 RBI) should be the top offensive weapon while sophomores Mike Duranti (4-1, 4.75 ERA) and Nick Markel (1-0, 4.23 ERA) look to solidify the pitching rotation. Muhlenberg will have a chance to make noise in the conference with the return of league Player of the Year Christian Conti (.380, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 13 3B). The Mules return most of last season's offensive pop including 50-RBI man Edward Reisner and have back main line starters Phil Cresta and Matthew Ordog but the team ERA will need to be lowered to challenge Hopkins. McDaniel rides in the same up-and-coming boat as Muhlenberg with the Green Terror returning all-conference choice Jon Zimmerman as well as their top four hitters and staff ace Tyler Pershun (4-1, 2.25 ERA, 4 CG).

Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC): The conference formerly known as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference begins a new era in 2009 with a new name and a new alignment of conference teams that includes newest member Keystone. Gone to the MAC are Alvernia, Eastern and Misericordia; making the Colonial a seven-team baseball league. Gwynedd-Mercy won the final two PAC titles and has been to the NCAA tournament three years in a row. The Griffs return most of an offense that put together a .311 team batting average last season including 2008 co-PAC tournament MVP's Tim McMenamin (.375 BA, 7 HR, 63 RBI) and Dan Strack (.289 BA, 3 HR, 29 RBI). However, head coach Paul Murphy will need to replace all-region outfielder Mark Mattes (.405 BA, 35 SB, 29 RBI). Keystone appears to be the Griffs' top challenger. The Giants hit .368 as a team last year and return All-NEAc picks Jayson Rohena (.414 BA, 3 HR, 41 RBI) and Drew Boandel. (.377 BA, 21 SB). NEAC Pitcher of the Year Mike Hanley (6-1, 4.79, 47K) tops the Giants rotation while losses to graduation from 2008 will be bolstered by several transfers including Moravian's Josh Hinkle and NJCAA Division II Region 19 Player of the Year Eric Groff. Centenary returns Andrew Koncen, the 2006 Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year and expect to be in the mix for the Colonial crown.

Commonwealth Conference (MACC): The last four Commonwealth championships have been split between Elizabethtown and Messiah. The Blue Jays and the Falcons will battle over another conference title this spring after playing a winner-take-all title game for the Commonwealth crown in 2008. Elizabethtown's Sam Heaps might be the best player in the conference. Heaps nabbed the loop's Pitcher of the Year award (6-1, 2.57, 60 K) and was named all-conference utility (.405, 2 HR, 37 RBI). Buoying the Blue Jays offensive heap are returning all-conference selections Adam Sheibley (.373, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 28 SB), Rodney Francis (.366, 29 RBI, 21 SB) and Matt Vinagro (.302, 35 R). Third-year head coach Cliff Smith also brings back the majority of last year's pitching staff. Meanwhile in Grantham, third-year coach Bryan Engle needs to replace 2008 Commonwealth Player of the Year Craig Mease and staff ace Dan Kern. Dual-threat Sheldon Whitmar is Sam Heaps' doppelganger in Falcon blue with a .366 batting average and 31 RBI last season to go along with six mound triumphs, 11 starts and a team-high 51 strikeouts. Fellow 2008 all-conference selections Adam Ranck (.307, 32 RBI, 55 H) and Ben Kirk (.291, 4 HR, 26 RBI) form a formidable threesome for the Falcons. Shifting inside the MAC also brings Arcadia over from the Freedom for 2009. The Knights will be in the loop's peloton along with Lebanon Valley, Widener and Albright however graduate student John Currerri (.354, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 16 SB) could be a darkhorse for player of the Year.

Freedom Conference (MACF): The new-look Freedom Conference welcomes in Alvernia, Eastern and Misericordia from the former Pennsylvania Athletic Conference a year after saying hello to Manhattanville who moved to the Freedom from the Skyline. The Freedom looks to be up-for-grabs this season as former PaC power Alvernia looks to challenge Manhattanville and DeSales for the top spot. The Crusaders boast the top returning pitching staff with sophomores Chuck Nicolas (9-0, 0.95 ERA) and Chris Stoudt (6-0, 3.17 ERA) and junior Shane Zellers (3-3, 3.95 ERA, 51 K). However head coach Yogi Lutz needs to replace a boatload of offensive talent including 2008 PAC Player of the Year Dale Curry (.424, 10 HR, 64 RBI). DeSales finds itself in a slightly similar situation with a full starting pitching staff returning including transfer James Niesuchouski (pitched for DeSales in 2007). Offensive losses for DeSales withstanding, the Bulldogs still return Andrew Fehrer (.353, 3 HR, 27 RBI), Zac Hess (.325, 8 HR, 37 RBI) and 2008 Freedom Rookie of the Year Mike Newland (.397, 10 RBI) among others. Manhattanville surprised many in the Freedom last year making it to the championship game after they were picked to finish fifth. They will not surprise anyone in 2009. The need to replace Freedom Pitcher of the Year, Frank Albano, but Matt Nigro (2-0, 1.89 ERA, 4 SV) might be the answer. Stephen Pinto (.448, 45 R) and Jeff Dunn (.363, 36 RBI) will pace the Valiant offense. With the graduation of 2008 D3baseball.com All-American Kyle Fouweiller of Wilkes, Delaware Valley junior Mike Isgro becomes the top multi-sport athlete in the conference. Isgro quarterbacked the Aggies football team to a 7-3 record and an ECAC bowl appearance in the fall. Isgro is Del Val's leading returning hitter (.367, 2 HR, 27 RBI) and one of its leading pitchers (6-2, 4.50 ERA, 4 CG).

Landmark conference (LAND): The five Mid-Atlantic region members of the Landmark conference remain under Pool B status for the 2009 season meaning that the league champion will not receive an automatic bid to the NcAA tournament. No Landmark teams made the NcAA postseason last year though Juniata, Scranton, Susquehanna and Catholic provided an exciting conference tournament. Susquehanna and 2008 D3baseball.com first-team All-America catcher Chris Price (..469 BA, 9 HR, 46 RBI) are the favorites in the Landmark this season. The Crusaders return eight starters including 2008 D3football.com All-American safety John Lunardi who plays both ways on the baseball diamond. Lunardi went 6-3 with a 1.80 ERA and 67 strikeouts as a pitcher last season while hitting .323 and stealing a team-high 18 bases. Susquehanna's potent offense will also be aided by senior Matt Ruane who missed all of last season. Ruane swiped 41 bases over his first two seasons. Scranton may very well be Susqu's biggest challenger in-region with most of an offense back that averaged over eight runs a game last season led by Justin Champagne (.453, 3 HR, 31 RBI) and Chris Bligh (.443, 10 HR, 56 RBI). Juniata topped the league with a 16-2 loop mark last season but the losses of D3baseball.com All-American Jay Enoch and Arizona Diamondbacks draft pick Dan Kauffman will impact their ability to repeat this feat.

New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC): NJAC teams (Montclair State, William Paterson, Rowan, Kean) have won nine national championships since the Division III playoffs began in 1976. Kean followed up its' 2007 national title with another World Series appearance in 2008 but the road through the NJAC in 2009 won't be easy. Neil Ioverio's team loses a lot from last year including Conference Player of the Year Derek Gianakis (.330, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 21 SB) as well as all-conference honorees Maikel Del La Rosa, Eric Ammirata, Kevin O'Neill. Junior Joe Bartlinski (8-3, 3.01 ERA, 80 K) will anchor a pitching staff that also returns Colin Feneis (3-3, 3.52 ERA, 50 K) and 2008 NJAc Fireman of the Year Brandon Aich (7-2, 1.50 ERA, 4 SV, 44 K). A trio of juniors, Nick Nolan (.301, 9 HR, 32 RBI), Mike Moceri (.335, 32 RBI, 16 SB) and Chris Carrano (.322, 19 RBI), will spearhead Kean's offense. Transfers Matt Meyerkopf (Rutgers) and Pedro Rivera (NJIT) will also look to make an impact. Rivera was an first-team all-conference reliever for New Jersey Tech in 2005. Dean Glus led TCNJ to 30 wins in 2008 and had the interim tag removed from his title late last year. Seniors Adam Tussey (.400, 30 RBI, 10 SB), Jeff Toth (.353, 6 HR, 38 RBI, 21 RBI) and Vince Mazzaccaro (.347, 5 HR, 44 RBI) provide a top punch for the offense while reliever Erie Gertie topped the NJAc with nine saves in 2008. Starters Dan Ramos-Dominko and Dan Anderson Rowan battled Kean for the Garden State crown last season but suffered substantial loses to graduation including NJAC Pitcher of the Year Ryan Kulik (10-2, 1.72, 144 K) and the rest of its' starting rotation. However the Profs offense looks to make noise with top returning hitter John McMullin (.394, 8 HR, 58 RBI), Tom Ready (.385, 4 HR, 49 RBI) and Tom Reindl (.356, 14 RBI) along with transfers Peter Delleani (Wagner), Jordan Marsch (Brookfield cc) and Brad Woodend (Cypress CC). Delleani, a projected starter at shortstop, belted eight home runs and drove in 38 for the Division-I Seahawks during the 2007 season. William Paterson will also role with the top teams in the league led by what should be a dominant 1-2 punch of 2009 D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Mike Guadango (.435, 8 HR, 59 RBI) and Division-I transfer Miguel Lugo (NJIT). Lugo started 50 games for the Highlanders last season, stole a team-high 13 bases and drove in 25 runs. Paterson's pitching staff wasn't spectacular in 2008 but it does return entirely led by ace Scott Zirul (6-1, 4.37). The biggest drop off from last year could come at Montclair State where Norm Schoening's squad loses 13 seniors (including two grad students) from last year.

North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC): Cazenovia, winners of the regular season championship, the Wildcats have the services of D3baseball.com All-American Chad Salls (.522, 42 R, 27 SB) and Cory Schad (.469, 31 RBI) on a team that hit at a .340 clip. Steve Sellin (4-1, 2.57 ERA) will take the mound once again for Cazenovia. Penn State Berks made it to the NEAC championship game in 2008. Tyler Fleschut is back after leading the conference in ERA (2.55) and the team in batting (.446) in 2008. With pitcher Brad Swavely returning and a great freshman class, head coach Steve Hart is looking to get back to the championship game.

Sul Ross dropped two non-conference decisions in opening day play at the annual Texas-Permian Basin Classic in Odessa on Saturday. After a 23-13 loss to Division II Texas-Permian Basin, Sul Ross dropped a 20-8 decision to New Mexico Highlands, another Division II opponent.

In game one, the Lobos edged the Falcons in the hitting category, 19-18 but a 13-run drive in the last three innings by Texas-Permian Basin helped solidify the win for the tournament host. Lobo veterans Javier Arrieta and James Johnson both paced the hitting game with 4 slaps each. Johnson bagged a pair of RBIs and a run in the effort. Sul Ross lit the board first in their first offensive go around as Mickey Apodaca and Arrieta crossed off a left side single by Eric Mata to give Sul Ross a 2-0 advantage.

The Falcons plated four runs in the top half of the second before Sul Ross took the go ahead in the bottom frame as Adrian Zepeda and Zach Denson scored off a single by Chris Rodriguez. Apodaca scored again off the first of two RBIs by Johnson to set the score at 5-4 in favor of Sul Ross after one and a half. Texas-Permian Basin squeezed five more runs across in the third while Denson's single in the bottom half plated Monte Piper and pulled Sully to within three trailing 9-6 heading to the fourth.

The Falcons crossed a run in the top of the fourth before unleashing a 12-run barrage in the final three frames while holding Sul Ross to a seven-run attempted comeback. Jaime Ortega (0-1) was tagged with the loss after just an inning and two-thirds.

Against Highlands, the Cowboys amassed 12 runs over the first three innings of play while holding the Lobos to two. Highlands scored eight more runs over the fourth and fifth innings although Sul Ross made a valiant 6-run assault in the fifth. Thomas Kellner (0-1) shouldered the defeated after two and a third.

At 0-2, Sul Ross will face another Division II foe, Eastern New Mexico, in an outing on Monday at Midland's Citi Bank Park.

In other action: Cal Lutheran (2-0) got an RBI single from senior Nick Pinneri in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure a 5-4 win over Simpson (Calif) on Sunday at Sparky Anderson Field. Occidental (3-0) swept a doubleheader from La Sierra, 8-7 in 11 innings and 11-4 in a regulation seven inning game.

For the second time in as many days Whittier (2-1) rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Division III's No. 2-ranked Chapman in ten innings. In the back end of Saturday's doubleheader at Hart Park, the Poets scored four runs in the top of the ninth and then a run in the 10th to upset the Panthers and take two of three in the season-opening weekend series for both teams.

Chapman (1-2) scored two runs in the first inning and tacked on four more in the fifth to take the six-run lead. Whittier was able to score three runs in the sixth as it opened the inning with four consecutive hits. The Poets added two more runs in the seventh inning to cut into the Panther lead at 7-5 and later took the lead, 9-8, with a four run ninth inning.

Whittier pushed the game winning run across the plate on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Bogart. Bogart's deep fly brought in David Tucci who led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Chapman had the bases loaded in their half of the tenth inning but a fielders choice ground out by Patrick Ohail ended the game.

Andrew Vallejo finished the second game with six RBI as he was 3-for-5 from the plate with one run scored. For the Panthers, John Semel reached base five times, going 4-for-5 with four RBI, including his second home run in as many days. He was a triple shy of the cycle. Anthony Tsui (1-0) earned the win for the Poets as he relieved Kevin Pigott in the ninth inning. Matt Luzar took the loss for Chapman (0-1).

In game one, Jordan Sigman pitched seven innings of four-hit ball for the Panthers to give them an 8-2 win, their first of the season. Sigman struck out six, allowed just two runs and received plenty of run support from the Chapman offense which opened up a 4-2 game with four runs in the fifth. In the inning, sophomores Adam Kordich and Tyler Hadzinsky each had an RBI and scored a run.

In other action Caltech (0-2) dropped a doubleheader to NAIA team Simpson (Calif.) 13-0 and 19-2 to extend its losing streak to 24 games.