The D1Baseball Podcast

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Yale's Brian Hamm, Holy Cross' Ed Kahovec [Sidearm Delivery] May 21, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of Sidearm Delivery, the head coaches of the first two teams to punch their tickets to the NCAA Tournament join Shotgun Spratling.

0:00 Welcome Back!

02:26 Yale's Brian Hamm

29:45 Holy Cross' Ed Kahovec

First, Yale head coach Brian Hamm chats about taking the Bulldogs back to a regional for the first time since 2017 and only second time in more than 30 years. Hamm talks about what the title means for the program they are building in New Haven where they continue to attract top talent, including someone like Jack Ohman, who was offered all kinds of things to jump into the transfer portal last summer but ultimately chose loyalty to the Bulldogs.

Hamm also discusses recruiting at an Ivy League school and why he made the decision to jump to Division I after having previously spent his entire career at the Division III level.

Later in the show we also chat with Holy Cross head coach Ed Kahovec about the unique challenges of defending the Patriot League Tournament title after losing a number of key pieces last year. Kahovec discusses the electricity that CJ Egrie brings and what he and fellow conference award-winning senior Jaden Wywoda have meant to the program.

He also discusses how last year’s regional experience can potentially help the Crusaders this season.

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at https://kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

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Or maybe you're a fan of ACC baseball? Then you need to check out the ACC Baseball Etc. podcast with Daron Vaught and Bradley Smart on Apple Podcasts: https://d1ba.se/etc-apple or Spotify: https://d1ba.se/4tBUuF9

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A Conference Tournament Week Discussion [D1 Daily] May 19, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1 Daily, Burkie and Roons kick off conference tournament week and look ahead to regionals and Selection Monday. They discuss the rising Big Ten/West Coast presence after watching Oregon vs. USC, including the idea of multiple Big Ten teams reaching Omaha. Burkie shares in-person takeaways on Georgia, spotlighting Daniel Jackson’s SEC Triple Crown, base-stealing impact, and Golden Spikes case, plus Georgia’s depth, vibes, and matchup-based roster usage under Wes Johnson. Roons recaps seeing Georgia Tech vs. Boston College, praising Tech’s star power, depth, hit tool, and ACC-leading ERA.

They close by using OPS and OPS-against leaderboards to identify Omaha contender profiles, highlighting teams like Georgia Tech, Georgia, Texas, UCLA, Florida State, Auburn, and North Carolina.

00:00 Tournament Week Hype

00:54 Lucas Burke on Astroturf

02:18 Big Ten Omaha Buzz

07:20 Georgia - Lineup Depth & Vibes

19:24 Seeding Debate SEC Champs

20:10 Omaha Locks Talk

20:59 Georgia Tech Star Power

24:38 Boston College

29:15 Using OPS To Indentify Omaha Contenders

34:10 Wrap Up

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Real Dudes of Week 14 [D1 Daily] May 18, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1 Daily, Burkie and Roons recap weekend standouts with their “Real Dudes”, highlighting Hawaii RHP Isaiah Magdaleno’s dominant recent stretch and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey’s huge week while noting the Yellow Jackets’ loaded lineup. They spotlight Texas A&M’s Gavin Grahovac as one of the nation’s hottest hitters since late March, plus big production from Maryland’s Paul Jones II and continued power from Quinton Coats. The pitching conversation turns to a National Pitcher of the Year debate between Mason Edwards and UC Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora. They finish the show with a quick preview of conference tournament coverage and discuss the SEC Tournament bubble implications of Vanderbilt and Kentucky, with D1 Daily's national correspondent Lucas Burke chiming in on Hoover storylines.

00:00 Welcome Back!

00:47 Parenting

06:44 Squeeze Play Schedule and Twitter Homework

07:54 Real Dudes

08:02 Magdaleno's Dominance

10:46 Georgia Tech Star Power and Vahn Lackey

16:12 Gavin Grahovac Power Surge

24:01 Weekly Real Dudes Picks

24:52 Pitcher of the Year Debate

29:30 Vandy - Kentucky Bubble Talk

32:43 Hoover Stakes and Wrap

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Pre-Conference Tournament Nerdcast: 2026 Field of 64 Projection May 18, 2026

Show notes

Kendall Rogers and Aaron Fitt are joined by D1Baseball’s resident bracketologist, Mark Etheridge, to discuss how the Field of 64 looks heading into conference tournament week!

00:00 Regular-Season Wrap

00:17 Debating Top Seed

00:48 Georgia Tech vs UCLA

03:23 Georgia's Case

04:21 Next Seeds Debate

06:46 Texas vs Auburn

09:28 Alabama Jumps In

11:52 Southern Miss Argument

20:21 Texas A&M Gets Nod

24:30 Hosts 12-16

30:10 Oregon vs Oregon State

35:09 Sorting Next Tier

37:52 Two-Seed Picture

41:06 Bubble Two Seeds

44:48 Conference-by-Conference Plan

45:08 A10: Saint Joseph's

45:40 ACC Bubble Breakdown

47:02 America East and American

49:58 Big 12 Locks

51:23 Big East Tiebreak Debate

52:13 Big South At-Large Talk

53:20 Big Ten Carnage

54:55 CUSA Stolen-Bid Watch

56:33 CAA: Campbell's Surge

57:56 Ivy Bracket Check

59:44 MAAC and MAC Bubble

01:01:47 MVC and Mountain West

01:02:58 NEC and OVC Surprises

01:06:08 SEC Breakdown

01:09:15 Sun Belt Bubble Sorting

01:13:07 Final Bubble Decisions

01:21:49 Top Eight and Hosting Race

01:23:36 Sponsor Thanks and Sign-off

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

Is your favorite team in the SEC? Make sure to check out our Highway To Hoover podcast with Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge on Apple Podcasts: https://d1ba.se/h2h-apple or Spotify: https://d1ba.se/41nyqSv

Or maybe you're a fan of ACC baseball? Then you need to check out the ACC Baseball Etc. podcast with Daron Vaught and Bradley Smart on Apple Podcasts: https://d1ba.se/etc-apple or Spotify: https://d1ba.se/4tBUuF9

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Auburn's Butch Thompson, D1Baseball's Joe Healy [Sidearm Delivery] May 15, 2026

Show notes

Auburn head coach Butch Thompson joins Shotgun Spratling to talk about his Tigers team that's in position to be a national seed for the second year in a row. He discusses why Auburn seems to perpetually be under the radar despite reaching four super regionals and two College World Series in the last seven NCAA tournaments. He talks about the pride he takes in what they’ve built at Plainsman Park over the last decade after he took over a downtrodden program that fired its prior coach in the middle of the fall.

Thompson also discusses the move of Jackson Sanders to the bullpen, the impact of catcher Chase Fralick, the midweek cancellation topic, and more

Later in the show, Shotgun also chats with D1Baseball-SEC Extra's Joe Healy about Auburn and their potential to make a postseason run this year.

00:00 Intro

03:33 Auburn's Butch Thompson

31:40 D1Baseball's Joe Healy

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Regional Streaks Coming To An End?: Taking a Look at Vandy, LSU, and DBU [D1 Daily] May 14, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1 Daily, Burkie and Roons discuss three premier programs—LSU, Vanderbilt, and DBU—whose at-large NCAA Tournament cases are in serious jeopardy, and as a result, whose regional streaks could be ending. They discuss how injuries and thin margins can derail even elite teams, detailing key losses for LSU and Vanderbilt and noting DBU’s strong offense but insufficient RPI.

The guys frame this season as a reminder of how fragile long regional streaks are and argue these results don’t signal program decline, pointing instead to circumstance, roster dynamics, and portal realities.

00:00 Welcome Back!

01:00 Thank You To AstroTurf!

01:56 Regional Streaks In Jeopardy

03:37 LSU's Injuries and SEC Margins

08:31 The Transfer Portal + Team Chemistry

09:37 Vanderbilt Injury Fallout

13:20 DBU's Case and Streak Reality

16:27 Baseball Randomness and Control

19:47 Final Weekend Sendoff

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Week 14 Preview May 14, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1Baseball Podcast, Mike Rooney, Aaron Fitt and Joe Healy preview week 14 around the country. They discuss Boston College's opportunity to host with a series win over Georgia Tech, the host race taking place in the Big 12, the importance of the series between USC and Oregon, the myriad high-profile series in the SEC and much more.

04:53 Squeeze Play Setup

05:51 ACC Weekend Storylines

10:54 Big 12 Title Watch

16:42 Big Ten Hosting Race

22:03 Metrics and Committee Talk

23:47 Kentucky Bubble Test

25:58 Committee Metrics Debate

27:24 Tennessee/Oklahoma Stakes

28:27 Ole Miss vs Alabama

30:55 Georgia, Auburn and A&M

33:52 Mid-Major Chaos

37:32 Coastal/Louisiana Spotlight

39:32 Liberty RPI Trap

42:35 Ivy and Patriot Playoffs

44:03 Mid-Major Weekend Watch

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

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RPI-Motivated Cancellations [D1 Daily] May 13, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1 Daily, Burkie and Roons discuss college baseball teams canceling midweek games late in the season due to fears of negative RPI repercussions. They debate the sport’s continued reliance on a metric many consider flawed and point to additional tools, such as Diamond Sports Rankings (DSR) and KPIs, to reduce outlier-driven decisions and avoid penalizing teams for playing.

The conversation touches on scheduling strategy—front-loading midweeks, resting late, and the strain of end-of-year fatigue—while noting examples like Ole Miss playing UT Martin and Georgia going without midweek games since late April. They also address how cancellations impact fans and families and call on the committee to credibly use multiple metrics.

00:00 Welcome and Sponsor

01:30 RPI Debate Returns

04:53 More Metrics: DSR & KPI

08:12 Late Midweek Scheduling

13:41 DSR Benefits

15:47 Fixes and Final Thoughts

17:54 Wrap Up

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Week 14 Nerdcast: 2026 Field of 64 Projection May 12, 2026

Show notes

Kendall Rogers and Aaron Fitt are joined by D1Baseball’s resident bracketologist, Mark Etheridge, to discuss how the Field of 64 looks in Week 14 of the 2026 college baseball season!

00:00 Show kickoff

01:04 How the Sheet Works

01:33 Top Seeds Locked

03:23 Auburn vs North Carolina Debate

05:42 Sorting Seeds 6-10

09:17 Florida State and Southern Miss Case

17:58 Finalizing Top 16 Hosts

25:17 Last Host Spots and Coastal's Fall

32:47 Seeding 17-32

40:08 Auto-bids Begin, A10

41:06 ACC Bubble Teams

44:56 America East Preview

45:33 American Bubble Trouble

48:09 Big 12 Fringe Teams

50:49 Big East and Big South Picks

52:10 Big Ten and Big West Check

53:56 Conference USA Bubble Watch

55:16 CAA Rant and Mid-Majors

56:42 MAC and MAAC Races

59:12 Missouri Valley to NEC Showdowns

01:01:27 Patriot League Debate

01:02:33 SEC Bubble and SoCon Surprise

01:08:12 Sun Belt Bubble Candidates

01:11:18 WAC, WCC and Bubble Math

01:15:35 Last Four In Decisions

01:23:15 Final Thoughts and Wrap

Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order!

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The Real Dudes of the Season (So Far) [D1 Daily] May 12, 2026

Show notes

On this episode of the D1 Daily, Burkie and Roons run through standout “Real Dudes” cumulative performances across college baseball through the first 13 weeks of the season. They highlight the overall performances by Drew Burress, Roch Cholowsky, and Kollin Ritchie. They also spend time marveling at the incredible story of "Dr." Caden McDonald, a pre-med student who went from studying organic chemistry in the locker room with barely any playing time to dominating as a two-way player for Florida.

The guys then pivot into pitching standouts, including Jaxon Jelkin's seven complete games, before debating the top candidates for the SEC and ACC Player of the Year awards.

00:00 Welcome Back

02:15 Real Dudes: Hitters

14:27 Real Dudes: Pitchers

17:39 SEC Player of the Year Debate

21:07 ACC Player of the Year Debate

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