Episode 73: 2021 Midwest Region Preview (+ reactions to the weekend of D-III action)

Welcome to Episode 73 of The Podcast About Division III Baseball. This is our seventh of eight regional preview pods -- this one covers the Midwest region and its four conferences. But first (at 1:30), we wanted to bounce around the nation and react to the relative full slate of D-III action from the weekend. Topics include: Bret Williams IS BACK and is already off to great start for PSU-Harrisburg Franklin & Marshall & Kalamazoo makin' us look real dumb for hyping up Johns Hopkins & Adrian (but also let's relax a little bit) Checking in on the West region, updating the SCIAC status Teams that are looking extremely good so far: Southern Maine, Marietta, NC Wesleyan, Centenary (LA), and of course, the 20-4 (!!!) Berry Vikings Salisbury looked great when we saw them live, hopefully their star Justin Meekins won't be out too long A quick correct on a New England College/Eastern Nazarene note from the last pod Mo Hanley pitched in front of A LOT of scouts Then, we preview the Midwest, one chilly conference at a time: MIAC (at 20:15) Saint John's (Minn.) is off to a strong start, including one surprising name on a crazy home run tear St. Thomas has one more season in D-III (we think???) and have a great 1-2 punch atop their rotation that could help them go out in style Gustavus Adolphus has been trending up and will certainly be in the mix St. Olaf (at 13:15) got a first place vote too! NACC (at 30:25) Aurora has become a consistent regional contender and now look like the clear favorite in this conference Concordia-Chicago seems be having some pitching struggles in the early going, but should still be able to score enough runs to stay competitive Benedictine is also solid and will likely compete UMAC (at 36:00) Bethany Lutheran has suddenly become the consensus favorite St. Scholastica is leaving the conference after this year; can they capture one more UMAC crown? WIAC (at 39:15) Wisconsin-Whitewater is loaded as normal, with an inexplicable transfer hitter and an excellent pitching staff as usual Wisconsin-La Crosse is very young but could be building back up to be a regional threat again soon Other WIAC contenders like Stevens Point and Oshkosh are a tier below but have some intriguing talent  We concluded (at 47:30) with a few other notable player shout outs, our player and pitcher of the year picks for the region, and our teams to beat. Then we say goodbye. Thanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter @d3baseballpod (DMs are open if you want to reach us there) and @CespedesBBQ.  Send us your best D-III stories or any other comments or questions to [email protected] Subscribe + rate/review on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-podcast-about-division-iii-baseball/id1342691759