Episode 91: 2022 Midwest (Region 9) Preview

The Podcast About Division-III Baseball

Welcome to Episode 91 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. We begin (at 1:10) with a brief note about the strange career of Lakeland's Nathan Hemmerling before getting into the suddenly loaded Midwest Region. In order:

• ARC (at 3:00)
  • Coe won a ton of games last year but lost in the conference tourney and were left out at-large; good thing they've still got two of the best two-way players in D-III
  • Luther are the defending champs and have most of the squad coming back
• MIAC (at 11:54)
  • Gustavus Adolphus had an excellent resume last year but were left out of the field; now they've got some key pieces to replace
  • Saint John's has two super studs coming back and the best SOS in the conference
  • Saint Mary's won the conference last year but are losing a huge chunk of their offense so we're not sure what to expect
  • St. Scholastica comes in from the UMAC looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017
  • Bethel was solid in 2021 but could take a real step forward this year and make some noise atop this conference
• MWC (at 27:30)
  • Illinois College has some big boppers but will need to prove it against better competition
  • Beloit won a bunch of games last year and has several All-Region candidates returning
• WIAC (at 33:40)
  • Whitewater is loaded once again on offense but has a ton of innings to replace
  • La Crosse might be a legit contender but we don't know for sure because THEY DON'T HAVE A ROSTER UP (to be fair none of these WIAC teams do but it's most crucial for the Eagles)
  • Stevens Point has slowly been building back up to a postseason contender and might be ready to compete if their pitching improves
  • Oshkosh is Jordan's huge pick to click with the essentially the entire squad returning and some legit All-American candidates
• UMAC (at 50:35)
  • Northwestern (MN) was one of the best stories of 2021 and have enough pieces back to go on another run this year
  • CROWN STORM DARK HORSE ALERT

We conclude (at 1:00:25) with our player and pitcher of the year picks, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye.

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