With a few selection shows happening the past couple days — and many DII baseball programs just starting conference tournaments this week — we are taking a one-week hiatus from the in-depth DII baseball Power 10 rankings and taking a look at the DII softball and men’s lacrosse championship.
JUMP TO SOFTBALL PREDICTIONS | JUMP TO MEN’S LACROSSE | WHAT WAYNE’S WATCHING
Let’s pick a winner in each region of the DII softball championship
The road to the DII Festival begins this weekend. Sixty-four teams heard their name called for the 2024 DII softball championship, but only eight will advance to Longwood, Florida, for the finals. Let’s look at how that may go down.
Atlantic
Team to beat: West Chester. Back on Feb. 16 in my “way-too-early” DII softball championship finals predictions, I went with West Chester. Nearly three months later I am sticking with my pick. Don’t get me wrong, East Stroudsburg is very good, but the Golden Rams have a ton of momentum coming off a PSAC tournament championship in which they beat the Warriors not once, but twice.
Team to watch: Charleston (WV). Obviously, East Stroudsburg is the statistical favorite here, entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed and reigning Atlantic Region champions, making them a team to watch. But I really like this Golden Eagles team. Charleston had the top offense in the MEC, leading with a combined .350 average, 50 home runs and 339 runs scored. Chloe Elliott (9-0, 1.33 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) and Brianna McCown (30-3, 1.57 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 247 strikeouts) make a formidable duo in the circle that can make life difficult for opposing lineups.
Central
Team to beat: Pittsburg State. Earlier this season, I spoke to Gorillas’ head coach Jenny Fuller about the team’s hot start. Well, it really hasn’t slowed down. Yes, Pittsburg State lost the MIAA tournament championship game to Rogers State, but Rogers State is a DII powerhouse of late and the game took extra innings to decide. This team didn’t rack up 51 wins — the second most in DII — on accident. The Gorillas are also 24-0 at home this season, so that host seed is a huge factor.
Team to watch: Oklahoma Baptist. Let’s not kid ourselves. Two of the past four national champions — Rogers State and Augustana (SD) — are alive and well in this portion of the bracket, so there is plenty to watch. So, why the Bison? For one, Kayleigh Jones is filthy in the circle, going 86-32 with a 1.99 ERA and 1,010 strikeouts in her rather decorated career. They also have a nice blend of hitters that put the ball in play and a big bat in Ally Ryan, whose 17 home runs are a top-20 mark in DII. This is a tough region that is very heavy with tournament experience at the top. I don’t expect a surprise, but don’t sleep on OBU either.
East
Team to beat: Wilmington (DE). This was my prediction back in February, and I am sticking to it. The Wildcats just went back-to-back as CACC tournament champs (albeit an odd way to do it with uncooperative weather canceling the final game) for the first time in program history. They were in the final eight last year and nearly every player that was in their final lineup of 2023 helped power them back to the tournament in 2024. That includes their two aces Kylee Gunkel and Delani Sheehan. That’s a ton of experience that plays a big advantage this time of year.
Team to watch: St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans have a lot of momentum. They needed to win two games against No. 1-seeded Molloy to win the ECC, and they did just that by a combined score of 11-1. That got the Spartans to 33 wins on the season, setting the program record, and the season series win over Molloy. The East is generally wide open, so it’s not always the most talented or highest-seeded team, but the hottest that breaks through.
Midwest
Team to beat: UIndy. The Greyhounds were stunned in extra innings by Missouri S&T in the GLVC championship, but that doesn’t change how this team trucked over people this season. They have 53 wins, the most in DII, and Kenzee Smith has a whole mess of them, finishing the season an absurd 32-2 with a 0.43 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 236 strikeouts. Of course, having Emily O’Connor in the lineup doesn’t hurt, heading into the tournament with a monstrous 1.324 OPS behind a .411 batting average, 17 home runs and 73 RBI. This isn’t just the team to beat here, the Greyhounds are a contender to win it all.
Team to watch: Grand Valley State. Yes, it is true that the Lakers did not have the typical GVSU softball season. However, it is also true that the Lakers have made the final eight in three of the past four seasons. This team knows how to win, and while I think Trevecca Nazarene is really good and should make it to the super regionals, you absolutely have to keep all eyes on this powerhouse at a time of year when anything can happen.
South
Team to beat: Tampa. The South is a wild region in that there aren’t many repeat winners. Historically speaking, that puts Nova Southeastern in a tough spot to repeat. On the flip side of that, historically speaking, Tampa has been a dominant force for the past five or six years but has yet to make it past the super regionals. This year, the Spartans have series wins over Saint Leo, Nova Southeastern, Wilmington (DE), Adelphi, Assumption and Bridgeport, so they have been very successful against a bevy of tournament teams. Is this the year they move on?
Team to watch: Nova Southeastern. Seven of the eight teams from the South Region are back from last year’s bracket, so there is plenty of familiarity here. AUM faced two of its foes — Saint Leo and Nova Southeastern — last year and the Warhawks, as the No. 1, are obviously one to watch. But keep your eyes on the Sharks. They weren’t a top seed last year and made it through, and are hot at the right time, entering the tournament winners of their last nine.
South Central
Team to beat: West Texas A&M. The Buffs spent quite a bit of time in the No. 1 spot this season, so this isn’t too much of a surprise. They are coming in hot, winning the Lone Star Conference tournament and taking a series from Angelo State before that. This team has hitters galore — four players are hitting above .400, five players have an OPS north of 1.175, and Diana Murtha, Emilee Boyer and Lauren Granger lead the bomb squad each with double-digit home runs. Boyer plays double duty as one part of the Buffs’ three-headed monster in the circle. This is a real contender to win its third title in the past 10 tournaments.
Team to watch: UT Tyler. There’s not much creativity in this portion of the bracket. Colorado Christian is really good, but the Patriots are loaded. This is one of the top-5 teams in the country no matter how you look at it. A lot of the hitters that got them to the final eight last year are hitting well again and all four pitchers have an ERA under 2.00 with a team WHIP of 1.10. The Patriots are stacked and will make the South Central very interesting if there is a rematch against West Texas A&M, which swept the Patriots back in February.
Southeast
Team to beat: North Georgia. Well, duh. The Nighthawks have made the final eight in four of the last five tournaments and are defending national champions. This squad has a winning pedigree, and although they are the No. 2 seed and No. 6 overall in DII, this is the team with the largest target on its back. They stumbled a bit to Columbus State in the Peach Belt, but they are plenty good and experienced. The Nighthawks have dealt with some big injuries but have the depth to at least make a run at becoming the first repeat champion since last millennium.
Team to watch: Francis Marion. I’m very curious to see what the Patriots do. They enter the tournament red-hot, winners of nine of their last 10 to win their second-straight Conference Carolinas title. Earlier this season, they played Southeast heavyweights and fared well, splitting against teams like Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne. This is their third straight trip to the tournament and have gone 1-4 the past two seasons. Maybe this is the year the Patriots make their run.
West
Team to beat: Western Washington. The Vikings return to the tournament for the first time since 2021 and earned the No. 1 slot, a first in program history. Surprisingly, Western Washington played better on the road than at home, so it will be curious to see how much the host seed plays an advantage. If the Vikings win, it will be off its strong pitching: The three-pitcher rotation has been dominant, combining a 1.64 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The West has had a different winner every year for the past five years, so why not the Vikings?
Team to watch: Cal State San Marcos. Why not the Vikings, you ask? Because the Cougars are looking to buck the trend and become the first repeat West Region winners in an eternity (at least it feels that way). The Cougars, who were in the final eight last year and the super regionals the year before that, are fresh off their first-ever CCAA tournament title. Jayline Sloss and Savannah Coyle, who anchored last year’s rotation, combined for 27 of the teams 35 wins. Eight players from last year’s final lineup are back and playing a significant role once again. That is a lot of experience that looms large in May.
What to know about the DII men’s lacrosse championship bracket
The DII men’s lacrosse championship bracket was revealed Sunday night on NCAA.com. Five former national champions make up the 12-team field, so there will be no shortage of firepower and excitement.
Here are a few things to watch when the tournament gets underway May 8.
🥍 FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT HERE | BRACKET
Bears look to repeat. Lenoir-Rhyne has really solidified itself as one of the premier DII men’s lacrosse programs over the past few seasons. Always a perennial tournament threat, the Bears were national runners-up in 2021, returned to the semifinals in 2022 and finally got over the hump with their first-ever national championship last year.
Now, the Bears will look to run it back and win their second-straight national championship. It’s not a feat all that uncommon in DII men’s lacrosse. Six programs have gone back-to-back (Adelphi did it on two different occasions) and it has happened twice in the last decade: Limestone did it in 2014-15 and Merrimack accomplished it in 2018-19. The Bears have the top scoring defense in DII allowing just 6.81 goals per game. Lenoir-Rhyne has wins against four teams in the field, so that could play a massive advantage against teams they have some familiarity against.
Is there a Cinderella in the bunch? How about the Bentley Falcons? This program made history last year with its first-ever trip to the DII men’s lacrosse championship and lost by a mere goal to one of — if not the — premier programs in the sport’s history in Adelphi. Now the Falcons head to Saint Anselm, a team they know well and split the season series against. Kyle Piersiak and Alex Parton — both in the DII top-15 in turnovers caused per game — could be the difference makers as these two offenses are pretty evenly matched.
Let’s stay in the North and not forget about Pace. This is a very familiar field — nine of the 12 teams from last year are back, and eight of those nine were in the bracket in 2022 as well. So, Pace makes for an interesting choice, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2017. The Setters didn’t fare well against nationally ranked teams this year, but Ryan Kemp (50 goals) and Daniel Zabbia (43 goals) make for a tough dup to stop.
And then there is that ever-so-interesting matchup in the South: Maryville (MO) vs. Lewis. Both teams are making their maiden voyage to the DII men’s lacrosse championship, so we know one team will make program history with their first-ever tournament win. Who will it be? Lewis holds the season edge over the Saints with a 2-1 series advantage thus far. The two met just last weekend in a thrilling 11-10 GLVC championship victory for the Flyers. Lewis has the most goals scored in the GLVC… Maryville is second. This should be a fun matchup and the winner could have the momentum to keep rolling and rewriting program history.
Who can slow down Limestone? The Saints have the top-scoring offense in DII men’s lacrosse. They average 18.8 goals per game and have scored at least 20 in nine games, more than half they played. Zachary Terry is the active leader in goals per game (3.97 since 2021) and has not disappointed in 2024, where he has scored 62 goals so far. Limestone’s only loss of the year came in the SAC championship to Lenoir-Rhyne — a team it defeated earlier in the season — by one goal, so this team can hang with anyone. Limestone’s road to the finals is rather tricky — first, it’s a rematch from last year’s second round, and should they survive, it’s on to Lenoir-Rhyne once again. Can its offense muscle its way to the program’s sixth national championship?
Can Adelphi add to its coveted trophy case? No program has more DII men’s lacrosse titles than Adelphi’s seven. Now, with the No. 1 seed, it is in prime position to make a run at No. 8. This Panthers team is led by a stingy defense — No. 3 in DII at just 7.44 goals per game — which should make things really interesting if we have a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown: No. 2 Mercy is a scoring machine, averaging the third-most goals per game in DII with 17.4. Adelphi has a balanced offensive attack with five players having scored 22 or more goals, so paired with that defense, this team is certainly dangerous this May.
👀 What Wayne’s Watching 👀
⚾️ Baseball conference tournaments
CCAA May 8-11
ECC May 9-11
GAC May 9-11
GLIAC May 9-12
GLVC May 8-11
G-MAC May 8-11
GNAC May 9-10
LSC May 9-11
MEC 8-12
MIAA May 9-12
NE10 May 7, 9-11
NSIC May 8-11
PacWest May 8-10
Peach Belt May 9-10
PSAC May 8-11
RMAC May 8-11
SAC May 10-11
🥍 Women’s lacrosse conference semifinals and finals
PSAC May 10, 12
NE10 May 8, 11
🏃🏻♀️ Men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships
GNAC May 10-11
LSC May 9-11
NSIC May 9-11
Stars of the Week:
Tampa baseball took a pivotal series from No. 4 Saint Leo in dominant fashion. The Spartans swept the series and in doing so, took control of the SSC and South Region. E.J. Cumbo became DII’s all-time hits leader in the May 4 doubleheader. He now has 370 hits (and counting) surpassing Erskine’s Shelton Cisson’s record of 366 set in 2007.
Karter Fitzpatrick, Wayne State (MI)’s decorated senior right-hander, certainly made the most out of his final home start. This past Saturday, Fitzpatrick earned his 31st career win — extending his program record — by hurling a perfect game. Per the NCAA.org record book, Fitzpatrick’s perfect game is in elite company as there were just 31 perfect games thrown entering the 2024 season.
🥍 Women’s lacrosse conference tournament champions
CACC Dominican (NY)
ECC Roberts Wesleyan
GLIAC Grand Valley State
G-MAC Walsh
MEC Frostburg State
RMAC Regis (CO)
🏃🏽Men’s and women’s conference outdoor track and field champions 🏃🏻♀️
CACC Holy Family (M), Felician (W)
CCAA Cal Poly Pomona (M, W)
CIAA Virginia State (M), Fayetteville State (W)
ECC Roberts Wesleyan (M), District of Columbia (W)
GAC Harding (M), Oklahoma Baptist (W)
GLIAC Grand Valley State (M, W)
GLVC Missouri S&T (M), Lewis (W)
G-MAC Findlay (M, W)
GSC Lee (M, W)
MIAA Pittsburg State (M, W)
NE10 Southern Connecticut State (M, W)
PSAC Shippensburg (M, W)
SAC May 1-2
🎾 Men’s and women’s tennis conference tournament champions
CACC Jefferson (M)
GLVC UIndy (M, W)
MEC Charleston (WV) (M, W)
MIAA Washburn (M), Missouri Western (W)
NE10 Adelphi (M)
PSAC Edinboro (M), Indiana (PA) (W)
On the Radar
🥍 DII women’s lacrosse selection show, May 12, 8:30 p.m. ET
⚾️ DII baseball selection show, May 12, 10:30 p.m. ET
🏃🏽♂️ DII outdoor track and field selections announced May 14
🚣 DII rowing selections announced May 21
🏆 The 2024 DII Championships Festival (Spring), May 19-25: This includes men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse and softball. Visit the DII Festival hub.
🥍 DII men’s lacrosse championship, May 26.
🏟 DII baseball championship, June 1-8.
⚾️ 2024 MLB Draft, July 14.
Did I miss someone or something? It sure is possible. Don’t forget to drop me a line at Wayne.Cavadi@WBD.com and get your stars of the week in by every Monday.