2017 College Preview: Defending D-III Champs Have To Start Over

In our small college preview, Baseball America looks at Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior colleges. Below is our Division III preview.

HOW THEY WILL FINISH
1. Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) College	39-13
2. Emory (Ga.) University	34-12
3. SUNY-Cortland	43-8
4. Keystone (Pa.) College	40-11
5. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	48-9
6. Randolph-Macon (Va.) University	35-8
7. College of Wooster (Ohio)	37-13
8. La Roche (Pa.) College	43-12
9. Trinity (Texas) University	44-7
10. Ramapo (N.J.) College	35-12
2016 Champion: Trinity (Texas) University
2017 Player of the Year: Austin Filiere, 3b, MIT
2017 Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Gaines, rhp, Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) College

• Keystone (Pa.) finished as runners-up in 2016. The Giants are retooling on the fly after graduating a number of key offensive performers, but the team should be strong defensively and has a very deep pitching staff. RHP Troy Terzi, a transfer from Valdosta State with a low-90s fastball, should be an immediate contributor and RHRP Yeison Andujar returns after setting the single-season saves record last year thanks to his power sinker and slider. SS Chris Panzarella, a transfer from Delaware State, and INF Bray Curreri, a transfer from St. Rose (N.Y.) College, will be counted on to step in and contribute right away.

• Defending champion Trinity (Texas) will have to start over offensively after every significant starting position player from last year’s championship team moved on. The team will have plenty of athleticism and more speed than last year’s group, but they come into the year with very little experience. Sophomore OF James Martin is impressive athletically. He has a strong arm, good speed and quick hands at the plate. The pitching staff does return senior RHPs Troy Nelson and Dylan McGee and LHP Chris Tate. Both Nelson and McGee pair high-80s fastballs with quality breaking balls.

• Wooster (Ohio) has twice finished as Division III runners-up. This year they have a chance to top that as they bring back the majority of last year’s North Coast Athletic Conference Champs who finished 37-13 overall. 1B Jamie Lackner is an on-base machine. He had a 94-game on-base streak in 2015-2016 that ended on the last game of last year on his way to a .430/.560/.622 junior season. He and speedy SS Michael Wielansky (.374/.461/.626) give the Fighting Scots a strong middle of the lineup and Wooster returns its top three starting pitchers with LHPs Michael Houdek (10-5, 3.14) and Tyler Schuch (8-1, 4.13) and RHP Nanak Saran (5-3, 3.82) and RHRP Michael Whitaker (0-0, 3.21 with 4 saves).

• Buena Vista (Iowa) should excel at run prevention with the return of the vast majority of the Beavers rotation and a strong defensive core. Senior RHP Jacob Hadaway will front the pitching staff. He sits at 88-91 mph off the mound and could pitch his way into draft consideration. C Devon Harms and SS Noah Paper lead what should be an excellent fielding team, but the Beavers will be looking for offense after graduation the heart of last year’s order.

• Randolph-Macon (Va.) have never made it to the Division III World Series, but they came close in 2016 and look set to try to break through in 2017. The Jackets will have to replace five starters in the lineup, but the pitching staff should be strong, led by righthanders Nic Phelps, Rick Spiers, Colin Selby and Christian Cok and the Jackets bring back the entire infield. Spiers will also be relied on in right field.

• Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) brings back seven regulars and the bulk of the pitching staff from last year’s NCAA regional team that also won the school’s third-consecutive Southern Athletic Association regular season title. Senior RHPs Ryan Gaines (11-2, 2.31) and Stephen Himic (8-4, 2.55) front the rotation. CF Sam Roberts is one of the better center fielders defensively in D-III and he’s also coming off a year where he hit .380/.414/.490 and stole 13 bases in 16 attempts.

• University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will have to figure out how to replace a trio of dominating hitters in Taylor Kohlwey, Alex Cordova and Justin Anderson so the offense may not reach last year’s epic heights, but they do bring back RHP Caleb Boushley (10-1, 2.20) to lead what should be a deep pitching staff.

• North Central (Ill.) College brings back all but two regulars among position players from last year’s 31-12 team, including C Chris Hill. Hill is one of the team leaders as a hitter and behind the plate, but he’ll have to help a less-experienced pitching staff.

• Tufts (Mass.) University will have to find replacements up the middle after losing its shortstop and center fielder to graduation, but the Jumbos bring back a pair of senior starting pitchers in RHP Speros Varinos and LHP Tim Superko. 3B Tom O’Hara gives the team lefty power with an advanced hitting approach.

• UMass-Boston brings back almost everyone from last year’s 30-16 team, with three starting pitchers who threw 60 innings last year as well as virtually the entire starting lineup. SS Dave Murphy impressed in the New York Collegiate Baseball League was summer and hard-throwing RHP Matt Tulley, a transfer from Rollins (Florida) College provides additional depth for the pitching staff.

• St. John Fisher (N.Y.) College set a school record in wins in a 39-13 season last year and made it to the D-III World Series, but the Cardinals could be even better in 2017. St. John Fisher returns much of the lineup, led by power-hitting 1B Scott Eisenmenger and C Victor Konstantinovsky.

2017 TOP DRAFT PROSPECTS

1. Austin Filiere, 3b, MIT

2. Austin Jones, rhp, Wisconsin-Whitewater

3. Ben Havel, rhp, Elmhurst (Ill.)

4. Matt Tulley, rhp, UMass Boston

5. Devon DeRaad, of, Occidental (Calif.)

6. Victor Konstantinovsky, c, St. John Fisher (N.Y.)

7. Heath Renz, rhp, Wisconsin-Whitewater

8. Ryan Gaines, rhp, Birmingham-Southern (Ala.)

9. Troy Terzi, rhp, Keystone (Pa.)

10. Yeison Andujar, rhp, Keystone (Pa.)