Chapman Teams in Bubble Trouble

Chapman’s softball and baseball teams have made a habit of getting into the playoffs. But this season both teams have reasons to be concerned about their postseason prospects.

The softball team lost nine of its final 12 regular-season games to fall to 22-14. The baseball team began the season 7-5 and came on strong to finish 31-8. But will those marks be enough?

“It’s a murky playoff picture,” Panther baseball Coach Rex Peters said.

Chapman is on the bubble in part because it competes as an independent, and competition for at-large playoff spots--in any Division III sport--is fierce. The Panthers are still upset that their men’s basketball team didn’t receive a playoff berth despite its 20-7 record, the school’s best in 17 seasons.

Only four playoff spots each in softball and baseball are expected to be available in the West, and three of those in each sport go to teams that win conference titles.

Softball pairings will be released Sunday and the West Regional is scheduled for May 11-13. Baseball pairings are expected to be announced May 13 and the West Regional is set for May 16-20. Sites will be announced with the pairings.

In the past, strength of schedule and how a team finished its season have been the most important regional selection criteria.

Chapman’s softball team stumbled at the finish, including being swept in doubleheaders by Concordia and Vanguard, both NAIA schools.

However, past playoff performance has also been a criterion, and Panther Coach Janet Lloyd’s softball teams have finished second in the nation each of the last two years.

Charting Chapman’s competition for the lone playoff spot is difficult because the NCAA Division III softball committee no longer publishes regional rankings. But one of the Panthers’ main foes in the past has been UC San Diego, which moved to Division II this season. Linfield, Ore., which is in second place in the Northwest Conference, is 24-17 overall and figures to get consideration.

Chapman beat Concordia, 8-2, Thursday, a victory Peters had said should seal his baseball team’s fifth consecutive postseason appearance. Chapman (33-8) finished strong and has five victories over Division II opponents and three against teams among the top 25 in Division III.

“Strength of schedule,” Peters said. “That’s where we jump over other teams. And history helps. We’ve done fairly well in regionals in the past.”

De Pauw of Greencastle, Ind., and Cal Lutheran have qualified for the West Regional by winning conference titles. The Northwest Conference champion also receives an automatic bid and Willamette (Ore.) has a one-game lead with a week to play.

Among those also being considered for the final regional spot are Dallas (33-8) and Southwestern (34-7) of Georgetown, Texas, which lost to De Pauw in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title game.

TITANS EYE SEEDING

Cal State Fullerton baseball Coach George Horton said he thinks his team has a good chance to be one of the eight teams seeded nationally for the NCAA baseball playoffs if the Titans continue their recent strong showing.

Fullerton (35-11) has won 21 of its last 22 games.

The seeded teams, chosen by the NCAA selection committee, are assured of not playing each other before the College World Series in Omaha. They also receive added consideration as potential hosts for regionals and super-regionals.

The Titans are expected to bid again for a regional after hosting for the first time last season. “But I’m not sure hosting is a significant advantage when you’re on the West Coast because of the strength of the teams out here,” Horton said.

Last season, the Titans were seeded second behind USC. The field also included a strong Loyola Marymount team, which was seeded third. Loyola defeated Fullerton in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, and USC eliminated the Titans in the regional final.

TITANS NEAR TITLE

The Cal State Fullerton softball team will try to clinch an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs and win its second consecutive Big West Conference title this weekend in a three-game series at Fullerton against Utah State.

The teams play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday, both beginning at 1 p.m.

The Titans (43-12, 16-2 in the Big West) are two games ahead of second-place Pacific (45-10, 14-4). Pacific plays a three-game series at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this weekend.

Fullerton has the tiebreaker advantage over Pacific for the NCAA berth after winning two of three games against the Tigers earlier this season.

Staff writer Lon Eubanks contributed to this story.

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