After clinching a CCIW record sixth straight regular-season title to pair with a program record for wins in a season with 38, the NCC baseball team fell short in the conference tournament, losing to the Millikin Big Blue by a score of 4-3.
The nation pegged the Cardinals as having one of the best chances to make the NCAA Division III Regional playoffs. D3Baseball.com gave the Cardinals one of the six at-large bids in their projected playoff fields. The NCAA had to cut down the amount of at-large bids awarded, from sixteen down to six, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Division III World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, concluded with Salisbury (MD) defeating St. Thomas (MN) on June 8th to clinch their first-ever World Series.
Players’ reaction
When the NCAA released its playoff field, they left the Cardinals out. This shocked many. NCC had the most wins in the nation at the time of the regionals were announced, so a bid seemed inevitable. Pitcher Luke Lamm and catcher Rob Marinec were named to the D3Baseball.com All-American Teams. Five players for the Cardinals – Lamm and Marinec, along with outfielders Dom Listi, Luke Lehnen, and pitcher Ryan Behling were named to the All-Central Region Teams.
Behling had an immensely successful season with the Cardinals. He led the team with an ERA of 1.67 and had a no-hitter against Spalding. He gave credit to the entire program following the loss to Millikin.
“We may have fallen short but I couldn’t be more proud of the way we handled ourselves and how we competed but I learned a lot about our team that day.” Behling says.
Fifth-year senior pitcher Tyler Jones echoed praise to the entire team for battling out injuries and lack of rest. During the CCIW playoffs, the Cardinals had to play five games in 32 hours ; highlighted by Marinec catching for forty innings.
“The end result was nothing short of painful, but this 2021 team is arguably the best to ever step foot onto Zimmerman Field and that sticks with all of us.” Jones says.
Other players, such as Listi, took to Twitter to voice their confusion as to how the Cardinals did not get a bid.
Looking ahead
The NCAA deemed this year’s season would not go against a player’s eligibility. Many of the seniors decided to come back for the COVID-19 shortened season. Now, they’re weighing their options on whether or not to return to NCC. As of now, two senior pitchers, Jason Shanner and Charlie Klemm, plan to use the extra year of eligibility. Klemm, the former CCIW Pitcher of the Year, is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals look to compete for a seventh-straight regular-season title in 2022.
“Looking back, it was amazing to see. Each guy played their heart out and they played for the guy sitting next to them. The team was incredibly selfless and everyone gave their absolute effort,” said Behling.
