3 DII baseball series I'm excited for this weekend
Quincy tests itself again, and a battle in the Lone Star State should make plenty of headlines.
We are entering the third week of the DII baseball season and we’re already seeing some great ball played. There is plenty of non-conference play this time of year that brings intrigue.
Before we get into that, I do want to first give a huge shoutout to my first four official supporters of the DII Report. I can’t thank you enough for contributing to keep this newsletter 100% free. If you’d like to be a supporter, I started a little “Buy Me a Coffee” page. As I said when I launched it last week, I don’t want to turn this into a subscription-based platform, but expenses are building. Any help is greatly appreciated!
This weekend’s action had a huge matchup between Colorado Mesa and Southern New Hampshire I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, due to weather concerns, that series was cancelled. There are plenty more to be played.
DII baseball series to watch
Quincy at Rollins
The Hawks continue their tour de force through the Sunshine State on this incredibly non-conference schedule. Quincy already has a series win against Tampa and a Valentine’s Day thumping of a very good Saint Leo’s team. Luke Napleton has come out with the hot power bat, already 5-for-15 with two home runs and seven RBI. The bullpen has done a good job while the starters find their way, but Kobe Essien looked great against the Lions.
Hosting the red-hot Hawks, is last year’s South Region champs, Rollins. The Tars are off to a 2-2 start with a bunch of new faces leading the way. They came out hot but ran into what looks like a very good West Florida team and lost the series 0-2. Kyle Bullock and Jeslyn Whitehead are hitting just about everything thrown their way, both over .500 so far. Edward Berry has made two starts and looks good thus far but will have his hands full with this Hawks lineup.
West Texas A&M at St. Edwards
This is a huge Lone Star matchup right off the bat. West Texas A&M travels to Austin, sitting at 5-3 on the young season. Nick Marshall, Isaac Keehn, and Reese Miller aren’t quite yet in midseason from, but they are all good pitchers. Miller, back from injury, has already struck out 18 in 8.1 innings thanks to his low-90s fastball and wipeout slider. Adam Becker is on absolute fire at the plate, hitting .472 with three home runs and 11 RBI in his first eight games. Will Fuenning already has four home runs. Like I said on the show with Ryan Brownlee, West Texas A&M always has hard throwers and big hitters.
The Hilltoppers were one of my sleepers of 2023, and their 6-0 start is helping prove that. RHP Wesley Gafford has picked up where he left off (last year’s LSC pitcher of the year) and has already struck out 19 in 11 innings with his low-90s fastball, low-80s slider, and changeup. At the plate, the Hilltoppers have FIVE players with at least two homers in their first six games and three players with at least ten RBIs. That is a potent lineup.
Nova Southeastern at Wingate
Here are two teams that are always in the mix but haven’t gotten off to the hottest starts. The Bulldogs are sitting at 4-3, but with all that talent returning, things will get better. Will it be against a tough Sharks squad? Seaver King, the reigning SAC freshman of the year, may actually be BETTER than last year. He has 12 hits already, with three home runs, 11 runs scored and 10 RBI. Mitch Farris, Sam Brodersen and Corey Avant were the guys to watch on the bump this year, but how about Austin Mitchell? The redshirt-senior has already given the Bulldogs two solid starts (one a quality start) and has only allowed one run so far.
The Sharks are 3-2 and are looking to get into a rhythm this weekend. Duncan Pastore continues to be one of the best hitters DII baseball has to offer and is already 8-for-18 this season and 4-for-6 on the base paths. Coach Laz Gutierrez told me this preseason that catcher/first-baseman Kristian Noriega was a freshman to watch, and he was not lying: Noriega is 7-for-13 with two homers already. Ace Carlos Rey is taking it slow, only going three innings per starts, but they have been solid with 11 strikeouts and no runs allowed. He does have five walks, so once he gets back to his command and lowering that pitch count, watch out.