DII Report: The Killer Gs: A G-MAC/GLIAC/GLVC DII baseball preview
The season is almost here, so let's take a look at a few of the top teams statistically in the Midwest.
I hope you have been enjoying the DII baseball fall reports and season previews. With the season right around the corner, I need to amplify the efforts. Today, we look at both the G-MAC, GLVC and GLIAC previews.
Davenport did damage in the GLIAC last year, with one of the more potent lineups in the region. Nolan Anspaugh was one of the best in the division, but now leaves the offense to his brother Caleb. As always Wayne State (MI) and Northwood were right behind, both perennial threats to take the GLIAC.
Final 2022 GLIAC standings
Things got fun in the G-MAC, especially with Northwood there. With Ashland, once a GLIAC contender and tournament regular, now in the mix, Tiffin, Trevecca Nazarene and the Eagles had a nice race to the finish. One year removed from a surprise run to Cary, N.C., Trevecca showed it is a force to be reckoned with, and not going anywhere.
Final 2022 G-MAC standings
The GLVC were the kings of the region, sending a pair of teams to the Super Regional. Both Illinois Springfield and Quincy stood on the cusp of Cary, and it was the Prairie Stars and that explosive offense that snuck through. While there’s no reason not to expect both to contend, the emergence of Drury and Maryville last season was nice to watch.
Final 2022 GLVC standings
Let’s get to it and see what coaches had to say.
2023 GLIAC preview
Davenport
Head coach: Kevin Tidey
Returning player to watch: Cal Anspaugh, C. The backstop is coming off a First-Team All-GLIAC campaign.
Pitcher to watch: Logan Bursick-Harrington, RHP. Bursick-Harrington sits 91-94 mph with his fastball out of a three-quarters arm slot with good slider. As Tidey puts it, “this kid is a great story.” Playing shortstop most of his career dating back to high school, he began pitching with Davenport. He spent the summer in the Northwoods League and blew up. The velocity spiked up to 95 and was one of the key bullpen guys for the league champs. No longer lacking confidence, he dominated all fall.
Newcomer to watch: Mikey Tchavdarov, OF. The Jackson College transfer has an all-star summer in the Great Lakes League. He stands at an intimidating 6-foot-4 from the left hand side and combines 6.5 speed with good power
Under-the-radar player to watch: Jack Dungan, RHP. Dungan is a grad transfer from Charleston Southern. While he has been inconsistent with command, he touches 94-95 with a good breaking ball.
What Coach Tidey said: I am really liking this team. We are deeper on the mound than we have ever been. We lost a couple big time hitters from last year's team, but I think we did a great job replacing them. I am excited to see what we can do, and I am expecting big things out of this group.
Wayne State (MI)
Head coach: Ryan Kelley
Returning player to watch: Hunter DeLanoy, OF. DeLanoy is Mr. Warrior as the active career leader in games played (161), batting average (.352), at bats (620), runs (147), hits (218), triples (12) home runs (23), extra base hits (68), total bases (344), slugging percentage (.555), RBI (151), sac flies (15), walks (70), stolen bases (37) and putouts (340). I’d say that’s not too shabby.
Pitcher to watch: Ryan Korolden, RHP. Korolden is the reigning 2022 GLIAC Conference Pitcher of the Year. He has a four-pitch mix featuring a low 90s fastball with a slider, change up, and curveball.
Newcomer to watch: Ashton Potts, RHP. The JUCO transfer from Kellogg Community College will compete for a starting rotation spot.
Under-the-radar player to watch: CJ Maury, IF. A versatile middle infielder who will compete for the everyday shortstop position.
What Coach Kelley said: We look forward to another opportunity to perform on and off the field at a high level in pursuit of competitive goals. We still have an agenda and work to accomplish in preparation for the season. This team features a collective mix of veteran leadership with talented newcomers. Our team's chemistry is off to a solid start as we continue to build onward into the spring. The baseball season will conclude our academic year together, but looking back, we are proud of the effort this team performed academically across the fall semester, in the weight room, and making an impact in our community.
GLVC 2023 preview
Illinois Springfield
Head coach: Ryan Copeland
Returning player to watch: Brant Vanaman, OF. Vanaman has plenty of power coming off a 20 double, 16 home run season. Catcher Brandon Bannon and outfielder Asher Bradd will make some noise as well.
Pitcher to watch: Clayton Johnson, RHP. Last year, Coach Copeland found a monster on the mound that helped get them to Cary and looks like he did it again. The transfer from Illinois is listed at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. His fastball will sit 94-97 and has topped out at 98, which is almost unfair at the level. Copeland admits he will need to make improvements with command if he is going to pitch in weekend rotation.
Newcomer to watch: Connor McKenna, RHP. The transfer from Truman State was a four-year weekend starter for the Bulldogs. His fastball is up this fall, sitting 90-94 with a very good changeup and average slider.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Colton Klein, OF. The transfer from Carthage College was All Conference in 2022. He is a LHH that will hit in middle of the lineup. There is no questioning his athleticism: He was the starting quarterback for the Carthage football team.
What Coach Copeland said: We really like where our pitching staff is at right now. We return quite a few arms from last year’s DII baseball championship team, especially in the bullpen, but we will need a couple of our younger arms to step up to create the type of depth we like to have. With regards to arm talent, we may be even better than we were last year.
We lost quite a bit of offensive production, but we return five starters from last year’s lineup. I don’t know if we will be as explosive as we have been the last couple of years, but we should be able to put up enough runs to put ourselves in position to win games. I’m looking forward to seeing how well we are able to compete early in the season against a very difficult schedule.
Drury
Head coach: Scott Nasby
Returning player to watch: Wes Collins, OF. Collins has big-time pop with the chance to be a 20 home run guy after an abbreviated 2022.
Pitcher to watch: Cody Bahl, LHP. Nasby says he has seen a big velocity increase since stepping on campus. He was just 79-82 out of high school and was gunned in the 90s this fall. Also watch Cade Waits who threw five consecutive conference complete games last year.
Newcomer to watch: Brooks Sunny, SS. Sunny transfers from UAFS where he was an everyday starter. Will likely hit leadoff man and was voted as one of the captains as a new player.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Jack Jones, RHP. He struck out 19 in 13 innings this summer in the prospect league. Nasby said his arsenal has improved and he’s up to 94.
What Coach Nasby said: Although we graduated 17 players last year, this squad is not young. We anticipate a line up two seniors, six juniors, one sophomore and our rotation remains the same as it was for 75% of the year last year. We need guys to step up on the mound and take the lead as a pitching dominated team in 2023.
Quincy
Head coach: Matt Schissel
Returning players to watch: Gino D'Alessio, SS. There is a breadth of returners for the Hawks. D'Alessio was the team leader in batting average, but keep your eye on: Luke Napleton, C, returns after posting 20 home runs in 2022 and veterans Lance Logsdon, 1B, Nolan Wosman, 3B, and Brock Boynton, CF.
Pitcher to watch: Spencer Walker, RHP, and Jay Hammel, RHP. The duo led the team in starts and return at the top of the rotation. Griffin Kirn, LHP, gave some solid innings as a freshman and could be poised for a bigger role.
(FUN FACT: Kirn’s father owns a company that installs digital scoreboards all over the DII landscape. I got to talk to him about some of those projects for the “real job,” you can check it out here: How Digital Scoreboards Is Playing for Keeps)
Newcomer to watch: We have a versatile group of newcomers this year — both on the mound, and offensively. Between freshmen and transfers there's 10-plus guys who could make an impact in 2023. Time will tell how they pan out but it's a good group of new faces.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Adam Lewis, OF. Lewis is older guy, but an injury-plagued career has seen minimal opportunities. He had a strong fall and works his tail off everyday. The Hawks expect a good season from Lewis in an everyday roll.
What Coach Schissel said: After an up and down 2022 campaign that ended in the Super Regional, we hit the ground running this year. We have an older group with a lot of experience, but also a lot of new faces who can make an impact right away for us this season.
Maryville (MO)
Head coach: Pat Evers
Returning player to watch: Elias Stevens, C. The catcher can do it all hitting for average and power in 2022.
Pitcher to watch: Jacob Kroeger, LHP. The southpaw was the ace last season and has a three-pitch mix. His fastball ranges from 88-93 and Evers said his secondary pitches (curve, changeup) have greatly improved in command.
Newcomers to watch: Jack Zebig, SS. The freshman should be a regular in the lineup with an advanced approach at the plate. Keep an eye on freshman RHP Ben Gregory who topped out at 93 this fall.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Zeb Roos, CF. The Wofford College transfer should make immediate impact in the middle of the order.
What Coach Evers said: We feel like the 2023 team is probably our most well-rounded in terms of our pitching staff and lineup. We return entire pitching staff from 2022 and feel like offensively will be a more well-rounded and dynamic offense in 2023.
G-MAC 2023 preview
Ashland
Head coach: John Schaly
Returning player to watch: Ian Sanders, 2B. Sanders is arguably the most balanced of the returning hitters, able to hit for contact (.337) with modest pop (five home runs), and speed (10 stolen bases).
Pitcher to watch: Justin Dyksma, RHP. Dyksma will lead the rotation with his low-90s fastball and good command. He struck out just about a batter per inning in 2022.
Newcomers to watch: Ben Peltz, Collin Overholt, Cs. Peltz, a JUCO transfer, and Overholt, a freshman, could start the season in a platoon behind the plate. Both could play a pivotal role, especially in handling the rotation and bullpen.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Josh Meyer, RHP. Penciled in at No. 2, if Meyer takes a step forward in his senior season, Ashland will be in good shape.
What Coach Schaly said: We lost a lot of our team from last year and have a big recruiting class. We have great team speed and should play good defense. We have a good number of arms on the mound and will need to determine roles early in the spring. How quickly the new guys adjust will be the key to our season.
Northwood
Head coach: Jake Sabol
Returning player to watch: Rhett Evans, 2B. Evans was All-GLIAC in 2021 and 22 as well as All-Region in 22. However, there is plenty of All-GLIAC talent on this team returning in Matt Magno, Jacob Rybicki, Myles Beale, David Jeffers and Joey Johnston.
Pitcher to watch: Derek Clark, LHP. Clark was the GLIAC freshman pitcher of the year in 2021 and earned All-Region in 2022. He is the Timberwolves ace of who sits 86-89 while touching 90 with his fastball. He can throw all three pitches for strikes, with his changeup his best secondary offering.
Newcomer to watch: Kendall Anthes, RHP. The transfer from Saginaw Valley Stat was a two-year starter who should start for Northwood at the back of the rotation immediately.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Blake Salamon, C/1B. An “offensive threat” should play every day with his middle-of-the-lineup type bat.
What Coach Sabol said: This team has the traits and characteristics of a championship-caliber team. We will be led by our experienced and deep group of position players, and the two ace’s we have at the top of the rotation.
Trevecca Nazarene
Head coach: Chase Sain
Returning player to watch: David Milam, C. Milam is coming off an All-Conference campaign in which he hit .351 and walked six more times than he struck out.
Pitcher to watch: Elijah Pleasants, RHP. The righty pitched for both DBU and Tennessee. Pleasants has a low-90s fastball with a plus slider.
Newcomer to watch: Joey Parliment, IF. The transfer from Columbia State CC is versatile and could bat leadoff for Trevecca.
Under-the-radar player to watch: James Dickson, RHP. Per Sain, the sophomore “has made huge strides and had a big fall.”
What Coach Sain said: We are excited about this group. We have a really good mix of returners that have played a lot of games here and newcomers that will contribute in a big way. Can’t wait to get this season started up February 10.
Walsh
Head coach: Tim Mead
Returning player to watch: Brady Maciak, CF. Maciak was the G-MAC freshman of the year.
Pitcher to watch: Nick Lallathin, LHP. Lallathin picked up a lot of momentum at the end of last year with a strong G-MAC tournament and summer for the Chillicothe Paints. He hits the upper 80s with sharp curveball and improving changeup.
Newcomer to watch: Brodey Acres, 3B. Acres is extremely athletic and has good bat-to-ball skills.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Alex Beyerle, RHP. Beyerle sits in the upper 80s/low 90s with decent off-speed stuff. Mead said he has the “best work ethic I have ever seen in a pitcher.”
What Coach Mead said: Our team won the 2022 GMAC tourney championship last year. We lost eight graduate students and three seniors. We will be younger this year but showed good work ethic from the fall and in the weight room.
THE DII NATION PODCAST
Have you subscribed to the DII Nation Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever your favorite platform is to listen to podcasts? I’m sharing our most recent episode once again, as we were joined by a pair of former Wayne State (MI) alum that have made it to the big leagues. World Series champion Hunter Brown and 11-year veteran Anthony Bass join Bethany Bowman and I to tell their story and show the right way to make big-league dreams come true.
PODCAST HUB: Click here