Welcome back to another This Week in DII sports. This week, we dig into a historic day on both the DII softball and baseball fields, as well as look at the latest DII baseball Power 10 rankings. Don’t forget, you can get all these stories earlier in the week in your inbox. Please forward this link (and check the DII Newsletter box) and sign up for the exclusive and free DII newsletter from Wayne Cavadi and TNT Sports.
Now, on with the show.
JUMP TO JILLIAN ALBAYATI | JUMP TO DII BASEBALL POWER 10 | WHAT WAYNE’S WATCHING
⚾️ 🥎 Jillian Albayati’s wild day on the softball… and baseball field
Jillian Albayati is an infielder for the Cal State San Marcos softball team. She had a nice freshman debut last year, hitting .295 with seven home runs on the Cougars’ improbable and historic run to the DII softball championship finals. Now in her sophomore season, while still a member of the Cougars’ infield, Albayati made her pitching debut.
For the Cal State San Marcos baseball team.
That’s right. NCAA DII history was made on Sunday, April 7, when Albayati ran from the conclusion of her DII softball game to help an injury-depleted Cougars’ DII baseball bullpen. So, how did this all even happen?
As Cougars’ head softball coach Stefanie Ewing told me, “[Cal State San Marcos head baseball coach Jose] Garcia explained how baseball had suffered multiple injuries to their pitching staff and they were really low on arms. He was in need of anyone that could pitch. I brought up that Jill pitches for the USA Women’s National Baseball Team and also pitched and played baseball in high school.” What started out as a mere conjecture, turned into her throwing a bullpen session on Friday to be ready for anything.
“We had her come out and throw a ‘pen on Friday,” Garcia said. “She had a three-pitch mix with a bunch of strikes, so we decided to get her rolling and cleared to be active for this weekend. With us only having 27 active, healthy players, there was a spot available. If there was a situation where we needed an inning, we were prepared to put her in there.”
Albayati has played baseball since she was three years old and started pitching when she was eight. Baseball was (and is) her life: She’s not only a member of the USA Women’s National Baseball Team in the summer, but has a stint with the Savannah Bananas on the horizon. When the coaches asked her if she would be okay being a two-sport player — a moment that Ewing described as watching a little kid on Christmas morning — she had only one answer.
“Of course I couldn’t turn down this opportunity,” Albayati said. “I had always continued to train for baseball throughout the year even after I graduated high school… because in the back of my mind, I had hoped and dreamed that an opportunity like the one I had been given would come about.”
— CSUSM Athletics (@CSUSMcougars) April 7, 2024
So, Albayati began the weekend as she normally does. She played third base in a doubleheader on Saturday, had two hits and scored a run. She started at third again in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Sunday, a nail-biter that the Cougars won with a walk-off grand slam, 4-3.
And then came the call.
It wasn’t supposed to go down exactly how it happened. Albayati thought if the call came it would be after her doubleheader, but she was needed on the bump for the baseball team before the Cougars’ softball team could finish celebrating the walk-off heroics. She sprinted from the softball field to the baseball field — and as Garcia explained, was “followed by a sea of her teammates that trailed behind her to watch her go in” — and was ready to make history.
“I had so much adrenaline running through me once Paige Donnelly hit the walk-off grand slam, so when coach told me right when our game ended I had to run to the baseball field, there was no questions,” Albayati recalled. “I changed as fast as I could and hustled to the field. I think the only thing going through my head was hoping I would make it to the field in time to get in the game. When coach told me to run down there it caught me a little off guard but I did everything I could so I can be calm and collected once I got to the bullpen.”
The rest, as they say, is history. She came on in relief and although she allowed an earned run, she got the outs the taxed bullpen desperately needed.
“It was a pretty special for me to be handing her the ball in that moment,” Garcia said. “Especially now being a new dad to a one-month-old little girl. I think everyone in the ballpark grasped the gravity of the moment. I’m just happy to have been a part of it and to have helped realize a lifelong dream for Jill. Hopefully, we get healthy on the mound and are able to maintain the first-place spot in the CCAA. But don’t be surprised if you see Jill out there again — we still have quite few games ahead of us.”
“As coaches when we were recruiting Jill, we knew that she had a love and passion for baseball and that she was a special player,” Ewing recalled. “Once this opportunity started to come together, there was no doubt in my mind that she could do it. I’m super proud of Jill — I hope the baseball guys get healthy ASAP, but if there is a need to use her again, we will find a way to make it work for both teams.”
“I’m just so incredibly grateful to even be given the opportunity to do something like this,” Albayati said. “Women in baseball is continuing to grow and history is continuing to be made by amazing women like Kelsie Whitmore and Olivia Pichardo, so to be a part of a group like that is something I will forever be thankful for. I’m glad I get to be a role model for other girls out there that are playing baseball — to show them that it can be done and for them to truly believe it is something so special to me.”
By the way, Albayati wasn’t done. She went back to the softball field, played Game 2, had a hit, and helped the Cougars to a Sunday sweep. It was quite a few hours for DII’s most unique two-way player.
📊 Roll stable — Tampa has company atop the DII baseball Power 10
A tie at the top of the DII baseball Power 10 rankings? I know, I’m surprised as well, as it is the first time it has happened in the history of my rankings. Bottom line — both Tampa and Central Missouri are really good at baseball… pretty much every year.
Remember, the Power 10 ranking is just me, my spreadsheets and a whole mess of notes and what I’m seeing at games. Judging a team by wins and losses is not that easy in college baseball. This is a look at the current landscape, trying to combine the eye test with selection metrics like strength of schedule and in-region records.
The fourth 2024 DII baseball Power 10 of the 2024 season
(Games and stats through Sunday, April 8)
No. 1 Tampa, Central Missouri | Previous: 1, 2, respectively. If I am being completely honest, Central Missouri has all the numbers and metrics to be No. 1 all alone, but they did lose to Tampa earlier in the season. Both teams are very different from that opening weekend game: Tampa just won back-to-back SSC series against Nova Southeastern and perennial thorn-in-its-side Rollins — two teams I expect to see in the first regional rankings — while the Mules just swept Pittsburg State and has won 11 in a row behind an offense that is on pace to potentially make some DII history. These are two proven powerhouses, and they are both performing (and dominating) as such.
No. 3 North Greenville | Previous: 8. The Crusaders have played one of the toughest schedules in DII baseball and it seems like the bulk of that has been on the past three weekends. So, to walk away with a series win against Barton, sweep of Young Harris and series win against Belmont Abbey says a ton.
No. 4 Millersville | Previous: 3. The Marauders fall a spot, but to no fault of their own. They have now taken advantage of a relatively easy stretch and won 10 in a row. Alex Mykut is absolutely filthy, now 8-0 with a 0.97 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched.
No. 5 Saint Leo| Previous: 6. The Lions simply keep winning, now 30-5 on the season. This past week, they took a big mid-weeker against Rollins before taking a series from Nova Southeastern. They are also 12-3 against teams with a winning record.
No. 6 Missouri Southern | Previous: 4. Playing in the Central Region, you face a lot of plus-.500 ball clubs and these Lions have handled them well, posting 19 wins against teams with a winning record. After dropping a close Game 1 to nationally ranked Central Oklahoma this past weekend, they bounced back with two dominating wins by a total score of 28-7 to take the series.
No. 7 Point Loma | Previous: 5. The Sea Lions were rolling, having won 14 out of 15 until splitting a series with Westmont this past week. That is pretty much the only team to give the Sea Lions trouble this year as they look ready for another run at the West Region.
No. 8 Mount Olive | Previous: 8. The Trojans just keep winning, winners of 14 in a row to be precise. That includes two wins against Wingate, a sweep of UNC Pembroke, and a mid-weeker against Catawba — three tournament-bound teams were the season over today. A huge series against Barton awaits this weekend.
No. 9 West Texas A&M | Previous: 10 (tied). Were the tournament to start today, the Buffaloes are likely the No. 1 seed in the South Central. There is a lot of baseball left — this team closes against Lubbock Christian and Angelo State — but the Buffs have won six in a row and look tough.
No. 10 Catawba | Previous: NR. Catawba slightly edges out Young Harris to make its 2024 Power 10 debut. The team has won seven in a row, has split with Mount Olive, and has meaningful wins against other winning teams like North Georgia. I’m not sure how the pitching will hold up in what amounts to be a brutal Southeast Region tournament, but right now, this team is on fire.
The next 10 (in alphabetical order):
⚾️ Angelo State: The Rams are 26-12 overall, but if they get in the tournament, they will be a lot of trouble if the starting pitching comes together.
⚾️ Ashland: I like Maryville a lot, but I think Ashland is the team to beat in the Midwest. The Eagles have a ton of experience and have a winning record in region and against winning teams.
⚾️ Augustana (SD): Minnesota Crookston or St. Cloud State may be the team to beat in the NSIC right now, but I think come May, this experienced Vikings team becomes dangerous.
⚾️ Barton: The Bulldogs have the metrics needed to make the tournament, but here’s what keeps them out of the Power 10. They are 3-6 against North Greenville, Young Harris and UNC Pembroke, and to make it out of the Southeast, you have to figure out a way to beat those teams.
⚾️ Colorado Mesa: The Mavericks, even in an off season by their standards, are still the cream of the crop in the RMAC and look destined for another tournament bid.
⚾️ East Stroudsburg: The Warriors haven’t played the toughest schedule but have a ton of wins. We’ll find out more this weekend against Millersville.
⚾️ Lubbock Christian: The Chaps haven’t played the toughest schedule, but they have handled the schedule they have well. Carson Ogilvie is a beast. Full stop.
⚾️ Maryville: The Saints are cruising, winners of 13 of their last 15 and arguably the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region right now. They have a balanced lineup of hitters with contact skills and pop, but the starting pitching will have to tighten up come May.
⚾️ Westmont: If you remember in the last rankings, I didn’t know what to do with the Warriors. Last year’s NAIA national champions are transitioning well to DII baseball, and though they aren’t eligible for the tournament this year, they have simply been too good to not rank, now 26-9-3 in their DII debut.
⚾️ Young Harris: The Mountain Lions have been strong all season long. Unfortunately, they play in the Southeast Region and there have simply been stronger performances. Don’t be fooled, Young Harris would be atop a few other regions if they weren’t in the Southeast.
Teams I’m watching closely: Cal State Monterey Bay, Central Oklahoma, Charleston (WV), East Seton Hill, Southern Arkansas
👀 What Wayne’s Watching 👀
Baseball
⚾️ Mount Olive at Barton, April 13-14
⚾️ Millersville at East Stroudsburg, April 12-13
⚾️ Delta State at Valdosta State, April 12-13
⚾️ Embry-Riddle at Nova Southeastern, April 12-14
⚾️ Lenoir-Rhyne at Wingate, April 12-13
Softball
🥎 Rogers State at Central Oklahoma, April 12
🥎 Pittsburg State at Washburn, April 12
🥎 Alabama-Huntsville at North Georgia, April 10
DII lacrosse
🥍 MEN’S: Limestone at Wingate, April 13
🥍 WOMEN’S: Pace at Adelphi, April 10
Stars of the Week
KJ Jones II of Emmanuel (GA) took home the inaugural Trevor Hudgins Award presented by Small College Basketball. The honor is awarded to the senior who had the “finest overall four-year career within small college basketball,” per SCB’s website. Jones has led DII men’s basketball in scoring in each of the past two seasons, posting an average of 26.2 points per game in each of those two seasons. He finished with 3,111 points, becoming just the 13th player in DII men’s basketball history to eclipse the 3,000-point plateau. The Lions made the tournament in three of Jones’ four full seasons (excluding the canceled 2020 season).
East Stroudsburg’s midfielder Emily Mitarotonda had a monster game this past weekend, scoring 10 goals and registering one assist for a total of 11 points. It was her second 11-point game in a week’s span.
Speaking of 10-goal games, Post’s Robbie McGrayne had one of his one this past Saturday. The 10 goals set the program record and tied the 2024 mark for most in a single game.
Pittsburg State is locked in at No. 1 as of April 1 in DII women’s outdoor track and field. Erica Schamel (high jump) and Auna Childress (triple jump) are national leaders in their events.
Saint Leo won its second-straight SSC regular-season men’s tennis title with a perfect 7-0 record. The Lions’ Martin Soukal was ranked No. 3 in the previous individual rankings with 45.45 points.
On the Radar
⚾️ 🥎 First DII baseball and softball regional rankings of 2024, April 24.
🏈 2024 NFL Draft, April 25-27.
🏆 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 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.
