PG D3 Season Preview.

Pretty similar to D3 baseball's top 25, with Linfield, Heidelberg, and Cal Lu being the exceptions that jump out.

Nice to see lacrosse on there.  One of our seniors last year is on that team.  

I think BW is kind of high, I have seen them up close and personal. And I wont comment on conference foe Wooster. I am not sure it would be considered good form.

At least in Wisconsin we dominate some level of baseball!!

2020DAD, WI is interesting in that there are few D1 programs in the state and the D3 schools tend to be larger state institutions so they tend to attract WI athletes that might have been borderline D1 athletes (and sometimes not borderline) as well as pulling from a larger pool of potential athletes, so it is not unusual to see WI have a team in the D3 World Series. My son's team played WI Point in the regionals a few years ago and there were the biggest D3 team size wise I have ever seen. They do field quality baseball teams there. 

BOF posted:

2020DAD, WI is interesting in that there are few D1 programs in the state and the D3 schools tend to be larger state institutions so they tend to attract WI athletes that might have been borderline D1 athletes (and sometimes not borderline) as well as pulling from a larger pool of potential athletes, so it is not unusual to see WI have a team in the D3 World Series. My son's team played WI Point in the regionals a few years ago and there were the biggest D3 team size wise I have ever seen. They do field quality baseball teams there. 

TO echo that,  notice that the top d3 MLB draft prospect this year is from Wisconsin Whitewater, according to PG.  I'd say he's got D1 level talent.  

The No. 1 prospect at the NCAA Division III level, Lake Bachar, was named the 13th-best prospect last summer in the Northwoods League last summer. Here is his scouting report from that feature:

Also a member of the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship Wisconsin-Whitewater football team as a kicker, Bachar is a good overall athlete that shows good balance on the mound and repeats his mechanics well. He generates easy heat from his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame, pounding the strike zone with 91-93 mph fastballs while mixing in a low-80s changeup and upper-70s breaking ball. Bachar works quickly, and while he may be maxed out physically his presence and ability to change speeds and throw strikes makes up for what he lacks in future projection. He posted similar numbers this summer for the Chinooks (6-3, 2.47 ERA, 63-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 65 2/3 innings) as he did during the spring for the Warhawks (7-1, 2.24 ERA, 46-to-9 in 60 1/3).

Some D3 schools and fans scream that it is unfair, and it is too tough to complete. 3 or 4 years ago there was a push from several conferences for a new division, D4. It failed pretty spectacularly. 

The b Wiac, has pushed for such things in the past, as official Red Shirting. Some think the D3 tent, is being streched to far. 

I am not one of them. I am a proponent that a school should choose there division.

The Wisconsin state school system, has just gone through budget cutting, from what I have heard, athletics were some of the largest cuts.  

One 8f the great things in D3 is that there are so many choices. And a type of school for every student.

Shouldn't the division be determined by the size of school, similar to the A, 2A, 3A, 4A ... classification in high school? In our school district, I know several players that can't make the JV team in 4A school, transferred to 2A school and become Varsity starter. Similarly, it's hard for a 2000 student liberal art school to compete with a 10,000 student state school, especially when both in D3 with no scholarship.

Bogey,

I completely disagree, a school should select a division based on their mission. For example the WI schools are to serve mostly WI residents. If you look at their rosters, they are made up of mostly WI athletes.  Where as many of the LACs serve kids throughout the country. 

Each schools should choose there division, and then play by that divisions rules.

Bogeyorpar posted:

Shouldn't the division be determined by the size of school, similar to the A, 2A, 3A, 4A ... classification in high school? In our school district, I know several players that can't make the JV team in 4A school, transferred to 2A school and become Varsity starter. Similarly, it's hard for a 2000 student liberal art school to compete with a 10,000 student state school, especially when both in D3 with no scholarship.

Actually not, I agree with BLD, many of the top D3 schools in the country are exactly as you describe. The D3 WS is quite a bit different than the D1 since they don't seed teams nationally. You typically have Western teams, that are proportionally ranked higher than other teams around the country and have to fight for one or maybe two places in the D3 CWS. The Northern teams have to deal with weather and attracting talent outside of their territory which many of the South and Western teams don't have to deal with so it all evens out in the end.  Those WI teams are good but they are no better than the other top teams in the division.  

Real tough to see baseball games due to our own schedules.  But with me not coaching this year we will only have to contend with my son's schedules.  So we should be able to see some games of those wisconsin schools.  We have watched our only D1 several times (UWM) because it is closest to us.  I am anxious to see the D3's this year!  And yes they are bigger schools than you might imagine for a D3.  And Whitewater is a huge deal up here for perspective athletes.  If you say you are going to play at whitewater that carries weight in more than just baseball.

UWW is one of the power houses in D3 Football. (heck almost any division)They are one of the purple powers, along with Mt Union.