Friday, May 20, 2022

A New Organization for College Sports?

 

written by STEVE ULRICH
your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III
 

>> Happy Friday. Big weekend of spring championship action ahead.
  
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TOP STORY

1. A New Organization for College Sports?
 

Say Goodbye to College Football as We Know It | State College, PA
by Joe Moglia, chair of athletics, Coastal Carolina University


"The gold rush of deals that followed last summer’s Supreme Court decision on NIL was the single most significant thing to happen to college sports in decades, but the NCAA punted on the chance to enact real change. NIL was in the works for years, and yet NCAA leadership was totally absent.

NCAA president Mark Emmert recently announced he would be stepping down in the middle of his term. Emmert has been getting paid—and will continue to be paid—for having abdicated his leadership responsibility. Right now in the real world, student athletes are being courted by high-roller boosters and businesses offering the kinds of incentives the NCAA always objected to. Making matters worse, the NCAA’s choice to abandon the transfer rule has been catastrophic, allowing athletes to essentially be free agents—without contracts—from day one. This cat’s not going back in the bag.

Presidents, commissioners and athletics directors know how real the money is with regard to NIL. What they need to understand is that they now must run their athletics organizations as true businesses by taking real responsibility for what’s going on, and living with the consequences of their actions, or lack thereof. Aggressive, radical change needs to take place, but academia doesn’t do radical change. Regardless, they’re now running a business, whether they like it or not."

>> Reality Check: "This competitor organization will need an empowered, independent executive committee that has true autonomy and authority to make decisions. The committee cannot be affiliated with any team, school or league. Its members must be impartial, and all of the teams, schools and leagues will need to agree to abide by their decisions. These executives must have an understanding of strategy and how to execute it. Most important, they need to possess the absolute courage to do what they believe is in the best interest of college athletics. It requires organizational ability, communication and diplomacy, but college athletics has these in abundance."

>> Of Note: "It’s easy to imagine a world where a new organization takes on the role of organizing college sports, while the NCAA continues to exist and serves a new role: It could offer educational resources and legal advice, and monitor market conditions, serving as more of a trade organization for athletics departments. Competition is good; it’s the whole point of sports. So why don’t we employ competition much the same way we organize collegiate sports?"

>> The Final Word: "I’ve always respected the NCAA. But I couldn’t be more disappointed in its lack of leadership. I couldn’t be prouder to be a small part of college athletics. But we are facing an incredibly serious situation, and we are already dangerously behind. College athletics can’t run things the way they always have. If there’s ever been a time for university leadership to step up, it’s now."

SOFTBALL

2. Super Regional Weekend


We're down to 16 teams vying for a spot in the DIII softball finals, scheduled for May 26-31 at Moyer Park in Salem, Va. The best-of-three super regionals begin today with eight matchups.

No. 1 Christopher Newport (40-1) vs. No. 9 Virginia Wesleyan (36-11)

  • The Captains' Kaitlyn Hasty is hitting .431 with 18 homers and 61 RBI. She also has an OPS of 1.572. 3B Julia Sinnett is fourth in DIII with 57 RBI. Watch

No. 2 Texas Lutheran (40-4) vs. No. 5 Belhaven (41-6)

  • Bulldog P Ashlyn Strother is second in DIII in ERA (0.63) and has a 23-0 record in the circle. Blazer P Kennedy Carruth has impressive numbers too with a 25-3 mark and 206 punchouts in 167 innings. Watch

No. 3 Eastern Connecticut (41-5) vs. No. 16 Randolph-Macon (35-9)

  • Warrior UT Brooke Matayasovsky has 15 homers and 59 RBI to go along with a .395 average. Yellow Jacket UT Rilee Baughan is 10th in DIII with 53 RBI with a .390 average. Watch

No. 4 Salisbury (39-6) vs. Mount St. Joseph (34-10)

  • Sea Gull OF Abby Mace is hitting .454 with 16 dingers and 49 RBI. Lion P Kamryn McCool allows just 4.62 hits per seven innings - good for 30th nationally. Watch

No. 10 Berry (32-11) vs. No. 12 Bethel (37-5)

  • Royal P Kayla Simacek leads DIII in victories (35) and has struck out 337 in 253.1 innings. Viking INF Morgan Frye is hitting .438 and is 12th in DIII with 12 home runs. Watch

No. 20 Trine (30-11) vs. No. 25 Case Western Reserve (30-10)

  • Thunder RHP Adrienne Rosey has a 1.07 ERA and is averaging 9.2 strikeouts per seven innings. Spartan INF Liv Thomas has a team-high nine HR and an 1.139 OPS. Watch

No. 25 Wartburg (30-12) at Millikin (35-7)

  • UT Kylie Springer makes the Knight offense go, hitting .384 with 38 runs scored and 43 steals. The Big Blue has a couple of mound aces in Aly Armstrong (16-5, 1.93) and Addison Sargent (16-2, 0.95). Watch

Tufts (35-10) at WPI (33-14)

  • Jumbo P Sophia DiCocco is 13th in DIII with an 0.99 ERA. Engineer rookie UT Shaina Lazarus leads the team in average (.348), slugging (.468) and RBI (37). Watch
A MESSAGE FROM BRIGHT CELLARS
 


Bright Cellars is a monthly wine club that matches you with wines you'll love.

Founded by two MIT grads (#whyD3) who were intimidated by the vast and complex world of wine, Bright Cellars was created to help wine drinkers discover and learn about wine in a fun, interactive way.

Bright Cellars creates a wine experience tailored just for you. Based on an algorithm, wine selections are calculated to match your taste preferences. As you try the wines, you're encouraged to rate them on the website to fine-tune your taste profile even further. Your matches improve as the algorithm gets to know you better, making each shipment better than the last.

D3Playbook readers are invited to get 50% off your first 6-bottle box from Bright Cellars. That's a $45 value. Each box will include a wine education card for each bottle that details servings temps, food pairings, background on the region and more.

Take our 30-second quiz to start your weekend right.
BASEBALL

3. Opening Weekend



Justin Sartori, Aurora

It's the opening weekend of the 2022 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship with 60 teams playing across 14 regional sites.

Regionals We're Watching

Brockport NY Regional
No. 21 Baldwin-Wallace (32-11), No. 22 Wheaton (30-10), No. 23 Brockport (33-9). Watch

Lynchburg VA Regional
No. 3 Birmingham-Southern (38-8), No. 11 Lynchburg (35-10). Watch

Glenside PA Regional
No. 6 Arcadia (38-7), No. 16 Oswego State (29-10). Watch

Cortland NY Regional
No. 8 Cortland (33-10), No. 19 Endicott (36-7). Watch

Whitewater WI Regional
No. 9 UW-Whitewater (33-8), No. 20 Aurora (33-9). Watch

>> Regional Brackets
>> D3baseball.com Preview

PRESIDENTS

4. New CEO Orientation


First-time presidents and chancellors in the first two years of their presidencies and those who have recently transitioned to Division III are invited to attend a one-hour webinar at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, May 31. Senior campus leaders, including provosts and chiefs of staff who provide direct support to the president or chancellor, also can attend.

During the webinar, NCAA staff will provide a high-level overview of the following:

  • What is the NCAA?
  • How are decisions made by member schools and conferences within the NCAA governance structure?
  • How are member decisions financially supported?

Divisional breakouts also will provide the opportunity for participants to engage in dialogue with NCAA governance staff and their peers about division-specific priorities. 

Register by Wednesday, May 25. Contact executiveoffice@ncaa.org with questions.

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NEWS 

5.  Lightning Round 


  Cake and candles to former Knox College K Club coordinator Crew Keller. Early wishes to former Moravian head basketball coach Shawn Postiglione (Sunday).

TRANSACTIONS

6.  Comings and Goings
 
1 THING 

7.  Graduation Day, D3 Style


Coast Guard graduation

Photo: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

At the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., former cadets toss their hats yesterday to celebrate becoming commissioned officers.



Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images


Taylor Swift was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by New York University at Yankee Stadium yesterday.

  • "I really can't complain about not having a normal college experience ... because you went to NYU during a global pandemic," the singer-songwriter, who has won Grammys galore, told 19,000 graduates.
     
  • "[Y]ou and I both learned that you don’t always get all the things in the bag that you selected from the menu in the delivery service that is life. You get what you get. And as I would like to say to you, you should be very proud of what you've done with it."

Go deeper.

Open Mailbox with Raised Flag on Apple iOS 14.2 Thanks for starting your day with us. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

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