Two for the Title

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III   >> Good Monday Morning >> Today's Word Count: 1,517 (not more than 6 minutes) >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Tell a friend (or two) to subscribe. Forward our email today.   Sign Up for Free: D3Playbook TOP STORY 1. Two for the Title It will be St. Thomas (Minn.) and Salisbury for the Division III baseball championship. St. Thomas (37-8) advanced to the championship series with a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over top-ranked Washington (Mo.) on Sunday. The Tommies' Avery Lehman tied the score on a safety squeeze and Charlie Bartholomew and Kyle Halverson followed with two-out RBI singles to put UST on top. T.J. Constertina took it from there with a 1-2-3 ninth. >> Box Score >> Recap Salisbury (32-4) moved on to the final with an 11-8 triumph against Cortland, rallying for four runs in the top of the ninth. The tying and go-ahead runs were plated on hit-by-pitches, while the final two came across on a fielders' choice and throwing error. Game one of the best-of-three championship series begins at 4:30 p.m. EDT today with game two slated for Tuesday at noon. An "if necessary" game three would follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two for the title. >> Box Score >> Recap >> Sunday Scoreboard   LEGAL 2. Supreme Court Begins Sprint to Finish by Robert Barnes, Washington Post "Supreme Court justices on Monday will begin the sprint to conclude their work this month, with pending decisions on issues as diverse as the fate of the Affordable Care Act and compensation for college athletes. The NCAA is contesting a lower-court ruling that would allow colleges to offer greater academic-related perks to Division I football and men’s and women’s basketball players — benefits such as scholarships for graduate degrees, paid postgraduate internships and computers, musical instruments and other types of equipment related to education." >> Background: "The case is a long-running antitrust lawsuit filed by former West Virginia running back Shawne Alston and former University of California center Justine Hartman, representing a class of former men’s and women’s college athletes. It’s not directly related to the debate surrounding name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation that is taking place in Congress and state capitals across the country, nor does it address uncapped payment for athletes’ on-field prowess." >> What's At Stake: "At oral argument, the justices seemed dubious of the NCAA’s claim that the ban on compensation was necessary to protect the integrity of amateur athletics but also worried about undermining a system that has been in place for decades." >> Continue Reading   NEWS YOU CAN USE 3.  Washington and Lee Keeps Name by Susan Svrluga and Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post   "Washington and Lee University will keep its name, university officials announced Friday, despite calls to drop the private school’s symbolic ties to the Confederacy. The school’s name, and its many historical connections to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, have become increasingly divisive over the years. Last year, students and faculty voted in favor of changing the school’s name, urging university leaders to take steps to end the glorification of Lee. Alumni groups have formed on both sides of the issue, advocating for loyalty to the school’s long traditions and, alternatively, for a dramatic change to ensure that the campus is welcoming to all. It’s a defining moment for the Virginia university. While many institutions have been forced to reckon with historical names in recent years, few have an identity so closely tied to symbols of the past." >> Situational Awareness: "On Friday, the university announced that after a nearly year-long review of names, symbols and other elements of the campus, its Board of Trustees had concluded that there is broad support for advancing the school’s diversity and inclusion efforts — and no consensus on changing the name." >> Ch-Ch-Changes: "The school will rename and renovate Lee Chapel, university officials announced. The chapel has long been a formal gathering place and center of university traditions — and holds the family crypt for the general, a spot that is hallowed ground for some tourists who visit campus, and a jarring monument to a losing cause and racist iconography for others." >> What They're Saying: “Debate regarding our communal aspirations is healthy,” president Will Dudley wrote. “Undertaken constructively, it improves our understanding of who we are, sharpens our vision of who we might become, and catalyzes positive change over time.” >> Quotable: “Our position has been that names and symbols communicate your values to the rest of the world. I think what the board is saying is that the values of Robert E. Lee are still the values of the university. And that’s shameful. There’s no way to defend that.” - Trent Merchant '92 >> Continue Reading   SOCCER 4. Rules Committee Recap by Greg Johnson, NCAA "The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee in a virtual meeting this week clarified handball interpretations to align with those of international soccer. It is not a rules change year for soccer. Soccer officials will be trained to judge whether a handball violation occurred. One of the key items will be that not every contact of the ball to a player’s hand/arm is a violation. Officials should judge a player’s hand/arm position in relation to their body movement in a particular situation. In general, a player should be judged on whether the hand/arm is being used to contact the ball away from his or her body." Elsewhere ...  The rules changes and waivers implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain in effect for the 2021 season. Those include:     Allowing the coaching and team area to be extended beyond 20 yards from the 5-yard neutral zone measured from the halfway line in both directions, if available.   If using a paper official NCAA box score, allowing the referee to visually/verbally verify the information is correct rather than requiring a signature (this is the same process for electronic box scores).   Enhancing the penalty for spitting at or biting an opponent, or anyone involved in the match, to a two-game suspension and categorizing it as a violent behavior II red card.    >> Read More   MEN'S LACROSSE 5.  Rules Committee Meeting by Greg Johnson, NCAA "The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee proposed resetting the shot clock to 60 seconds when the offensive team retains possession after taking a valid shot and in other specific situations in the offensive half of the field, beginning in the 2021-22 academic year.  All rules recommendations must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which is scheduled to discuss men’s lacrosse proposals July 21.  The shot clock also would be reset to 60 seconds after loose-ball technical fouls in the offensive half of the field. If a foul is committed during a clear and the clock is above 60 seconds, the shot clock would be reset to 80 seconds. While this is not a rules change year for men’s lacrosse, the committee is able to make this recommendation to PROP due to a moratorium last year on any rules changes that could impact school budgets for the 2020-21 academic year." Also ...  Committee members spoke at length about the new faceoff rules that went into effect for the 2021 season. Under the new rules, players are required to stand, and the hand closest to the throat of the crosse must be in a palm up position.    >> Keep Reading   Sign Up for Free: D3Playbook TRANSACTIONS 6.  Comings and Goings   ADRIAN - Noah Nieman named assistant men's wrestling coach ALLEGHENY - Jermaine Mitchell, Greg Mitchell and Zach Metkler named assistant football coaches ALVERNIA - Added women's triathlon and women's bowling as varsity sports in 2022-23 BETHANY - Mike Worrell named head men's basketball coach CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD - Andy Kohel named head men's soccer coach CORTLAND - Kelly Orr stepped down as head women's lacrosse coach DELAWARE VALLEY - Benjamin Rusiloski named interim president DELHI - Lauren Mackay stepped down as head women's soccer coach HAMPDEN-SYDNEY - Trey Livingston named assistant men's basketball coach HOLLINS - Erin Doherty named head lacrosse coach HOWARD PAYNE - Rachel Janzen named head women's basketball coach KING'S - Courtney Browning named assistant women's soccer coach LORAS - Kaelyn Kilbo named assistant women's volleyball coach MERCHANT MARINE - Andy Commins resigned as head women's soccer coach OTTERBEIN - Alexis Venechanos stepped down as head women's lacrosse coach. Brooke Donovan stepped down as head softball coach OZARKS - LeRoy Gardner III named assistant athletic director WASHINGTON (Mo.) - Henry Singer named recipient of NCAA Elite 90 baseball award WESTMINSTER (Pa.) - Jim Dafler announced his retirement as athletic director UW-RIVER FALLS - Maria Gallo named chancellor   1 THING 7.  Food for Thought Yesterday - June 6 - was the 77th anniversary of D-Day. "A day before the invasion on Normandy, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a famous speech in which he explained to the troops, "The eyes of the world are upon you."  Less known is an alternative speech Eisenhower wrote in case the invasion was repelled. In four short sentences, it went, "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."  Stuff to think about next time something goes wrong on your watch." - Neal Freyman, Morning Brew     Thanks for starting your day with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook

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