The NJCAA Division I Region 24 tournament is set to kick off this Thursday, May 8th. Eight teams, split up into two different host sites at John A. Logan JC and Southwestern Illinois College, will compete for the tournament’s title. 

Earlier today, our staff highlighted the other side of the bracket, which will be held at John A. Logan JC and features the Volunteers, Lake Land College, Kaskaskia College, and Olney Central College. You can find that story by clicking HERE. 

We’re taking a look at the four teams playing at Southwestern Illinois College this weekend below. Continue reading to learn more about SWIC, Wabash Valley, Rend Lake, and Lincoln Trail. 

NO. 1 SWIC BLUE STORM

The Blue Storm will be the host on the other side of this bracket after a phenomenal regular season that concludes with a 40-12 record and 23-7 showing in conference. They’re a talented, well-rounded group without many holes that’s certainly earned their right to host. SWIC will play Lincoln Trail in the first round of the tournament on Thursday, May 8th at 12:00 PM. 

SWIC’s offense is led by one of the top JUCO bats in the country with Brendan Brock (Sophomore; Oklahoma commit), who continues to garner MLB draft buzz on a weekly basis. The star slugger enters postseason play slashing .474/.577/.883 in 171 at-bats, homering 16 times with 20 doubles, 62 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Brock’s ability to beat you in multiple ways makes him the most dangerous position player in the GRAC – one that’s certainly capable of carrying this Blue Storm offense throughout the playoffs. 

Around their star right-handed hitter, however, are a multitude of other impressive offensive pieces, like Korbin Pettigrew (Sophomore; Illinois-Chicago commit) and Zach Zychowski (Sophomore; Purdue commit). Pettigrew is slashing .389/.510/.530 over 149 at-bats, driving in 39 runs with 14 extra-base hits, while Zychowski enters the playoffs with a .384/.473/.509 triple-slash in 159 at-bats, driving in 43 runs with 15 extra-base hits and 21 stolen bases. Dane DeWees (Sophomore; Southern Indiana) has been particularly hot as of late and is a scrappy, gamer-type that consistently puts together competitive at-bats. On the year, DeWees is slashing .353/.477/.525 with four home runs, more walks (30) than strikeouts (24), and 21 stolen bases in 139 at-bats. Jose Trinidad (Sophomore), Jackson Stanek (Freshman), Geo Escandon (Freshman), and Quinn Argetsinger (Sophomore; Quincy commit) are a few other regulars to know for this club. 

The strength of this SWIC club is their pitching staff – a dynamic group that enters these playoffs with a 3.68 staff ERA and carries a deep stable of talented arms. RJ Bergren (Sophomore; Northern Illinois) and Caleb Oligschlaeger (Sophomore) are two sophomore arms at the front of this rotation that lead this team in games started. Bergren, a southpaw, has a 3.00 ERA in 42 innings of work, striking out 53 with 17 walks allowed. Oligschlaeger fills up the strike zone, pitching to a 4.06 ERA in 37 ⅔ innings of work, punching out 35. Jackson McDonald (Sophomore) is another experienced arm that’s had success this spring, punching out 31 while walking just 10 in 26 ⅓ innings on the hill. 

One interesting thing to note for SWIC is the amount of talent that they have on the mound in their freshman class. Max Bryant (Freshman) has been excellent in a reliever/starter hybrid role, pitching to a 2.55 ERA in 42 ⅓ innings, striking out 38 while walking 16. Nate Phillips (Freshman) has dynamic stuff and has been nails out of the ‘pen for SWIC, striking out 43 in 38 ⅔ innings with a 3.49 ERA and just nine walks. Jackson Reeves (Freshman) is another high-octane reliever in this bunch with live stuff that’s fanned 35 in 31 ⅔ innings to a 3.41 ERA. Tyler Weber (Freshman) and Lewis Slade (Freshman) are two power-armed left-handers with loud stuff as well, deepening this group even more so. 

NO. 2 WABASH VALLEY WARRIORS

The Warriors are entering these playoffs on a high note, finishing the regular season with a 35-21 overall mark and 22-8 showing in conference play after a relatively bumpy start, by their standards. Wabash Valley draws Rend Lake this Thursday at 3:00 PM in the opening round. 

Wabash Valley’s offense approach spreads throughout their lineup, as they pride themselves on not giving away at-bats, competing, and consistently making for a tough out. All but one of the seven players on their team that have 100+ at-bats on the season have more walks than strikeouts. AJ Malzone (Sophomore) has been the Warriors most productive bat, entering these playoffs with a .353/.498/.616 triple-slash in 190 at-bats with 10 home runs, 16 doubles, 57 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. 

Malzone will hit right in the middle of their lineup, surrounded by names like Jack Scheri (Sophomore), Ean Czech (Sophomore), and Krew Bond (Sophomore), all of whom are having strong seasons and are still uncommitted. Scheri gets on base more often than most in the GRAC, finishing the regular season with a .539 on-base percentage that includes 26 walks and 29 hit by pitches. He’s hitting .361 on the year with five home runs, 12 doubles and driven in 33 runs, swiping 13 bags as well. Czech has been hot as of late, upping his batting average to .339 on the season to go along with five home runs and seven doubles. Bond has produced all season long, primarily out of the cleanup spot, and is tied with Malzone for the team lead with 57 RBI. With that, Bond has a .335/.467/.488 slash line over 170 at-bats, totaling 18 extra-base hits, walking (40) almost twice as much as he’s struck out (22) and chipping in 23 stolen bases as well. 

Two other offensive threats to keep an eye on for the Warriors are Jackson Wang (Sophomore) and Aidyn Coffey (Sophomore; Stony Brook commit). Wang has been productive all season long, hitting .349 with a .982 OPS. In 101 at-bats, Coffey is batting .406 with 11 extra-base hits, nine of them doubles, and 14 RBI. Freshman Enrico Veach has been a bright spot for the Warriors, driving in 33 runs in 157 at-bats with a .344 batting average. 

How well the Warriors are able to perform on the mound may be the determining factor in how far their postseason run will extend. Stone Silver (R-Sophomore; Houston Christian commit) leads this staff with 74 ⅓ innings of work, posting a 4.24 ERA in that span. Bennett Holdener (Freshman) and Christian Brown (Sophomore) are two arms that have each thrown 40+ innings this spring. Trevor Fishman (R-Freshman) has seen the most success for this team, working mostly out of the bullpen with 49 strikeouts and 17 walks in 42 ⅔ innings to the tune of a 3.59 ERA. Jared Eisiminger (R-Freshman), Ricky Howell (Sophomore), and Trey Reinburg (Sophomore; Western Kentucky commit) are three other arms to know on this staff. 

NO. 3 REND LAKE WARRIORS

Rend Lake comes into postseason play with a 19-29 overall record and 14-16 mark in conference. The Warriors will play Wabash Valley on Thursday, May 8th, at 3:00 PM in the first round of these playoffs, hosted at Southwestern Illinois College. 

The Warriors have a multitude of bats contributing up and down their lineup, led by Colin McClure (Sophomore), who starts at shortstop and hits in the middle of their lineup. The uncommitted sophomore paces this group with a team-high 40 RBI and is slashing .315/.371/.427 with 14 extra-base hits, three of them home runs. Dominic Davis (Sophomore) has the highest batting average on this club and has been excellent for Rend Lake all spring. He’s slashing .354/.472/.566 in 113 at-bats with six home runs and 22 RBI, walking (23) more than he’s struck out (13). Cadwell Turner (Sophomore; Bethel commit) has the second most RBI on this club (31) and is hitting .353 on the year in 153 at-bats with 13 extra-base hits. 

There’s a few other names to know for this offense, like freshman Camron Ande, who’s hitting .308 on the year and has driven in 27 runs over 133 at-bats. Ethan Landis (Sophomore), Braden Pingel (Sophomore), Drew Bradley (Sophomore), and Nate York (Sophomore) are four sophomores that deepen this lineup. 

On the mound, Kemper Whisman (Sophomore), Eli Maynor (Freshman), and Konner Myatt (Freshman) have all made more than eight starts. Maynor leads that group with 47 ⅔ innings, while Whisman and Myatt have each thrown 36+ innings this season. Alex Calhoun (Freshman), Tim Cansler (Sophomore), and Ty Wilzbacher (Freshman) have all thrown well out of the ‘pen for Rend Lake. Calhoun leads the group with 33 ⅔ innings pitched, striking out 36 with a 2.67 ERA in that span. Cansler has a 3.77 ERA in 14 ⅓ innings of work and Wilzbacher has made 15 appearances, covering 22 ⅓ innings with a 4.03 ERA. Ayden McAtee (Freshman) is a 6-foot-7, 200-pound athlete with 21 strikeouts in 15 innings of work, all of them out of the ‘pen. 

NO. 4 LINCOLN TRAIL STATESMEN

Lincoln Trail enters these playoffs with a 20-29 overall record and 13-17 showing in conference. They will match up with host Southwestern Illinois College on Thursday, May 8th, at 12:00 PM in the first round of this tournament. 

The Statesmen have a handful of names performing at the plate, led by Louisville commit Jimmy Nugent (R-Sophomore). The right-handed hitting backstop is slashing .364/.477/.713 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and 39 RBI over 143 at-bats. Adam Newell (Freshman) has provided some thump for the Statesmen, homering six times and driving in 30 runs on the year. Pernell Whitsett (Freshman) has homered four times in 69 at-bats for Lincoln Trail. AJ Oden (Sophomore; Iona commit), Brady Carr (Sophomore), Cole Bonds (R-Sophomore), and Ben Meier (Sophomore) are four sophomores that are all hitting over .300 on the year. 

Lincoln Trail has an ace on the mound with Hayden Trier (Sophomore; Eastern Illinois commit), who’s been nothing short of excellent for the Statesmen throughout this season. In 62 ⅓ innings of work, which leads the team, Trier has 68 strikeouts to 15 walks with a 3.75 ERA. Aiden VanDeHatert (Sophomore; Dallas Baptist commit) has made 10 starts for the Statesmen, striking out 52 over 39 innings of work, walking just 16. Another arm to keep an eye on is Kade Tislow (Freshman), who’s made six starts, but also can work out of the ‘pen, saving two games this season. He’s punched out 45 over 39 ⅔ innings, posting a 2.95 ERA.