May 16, 2019 - If one were to consider the CUC baseball team's road to success, they might start with the Cougars making their first regional in 2009. The second mile marker would be winning their first game in a regional (2013 v. Augustana College). Third would be winning a regional (2017 at UW-Whitewater) and going to their first D-III World Series. While the final destination would be winning the World Series, the Cougars' road has looped back through River Forest for a scenic stop that might have been very unlikely until the last year or so - and may inspire the Cougars like nothing else before.

As the NCAA has embarked this year on a new format for regional play (including the creation of "super regionals"), the door was open for more venues to make a bid for hosting regionals. Concordia-Chicago's bid was accepted, and the excitement around the 60305 zip code should make this weekend a memorable one. The Cougars will welcome Baldwin-Wallace University from Ohio, St. John's University from Minnesota, and Buena Vista University from Iowa in a battle to advance to a super regional against the winner of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater regional. From there, the winner would advance to the 2019 Division III World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Concordia-Chicago's excitement in hosting is natural, as their home record of 149-25 since 2007 bears out. The Cougars (38-7) can also feel good about a few other things that have happened during the 2019 season, such as a school-record 24-game winning streak, a 35-win regular season, a record-setting 21-1 mark in conference and, perhaps most noteworthy, eight consecutive weeks as the No. 1 team in the country, according to the American Baseball Coaches Association poll.

For all these accolades, it's still up to the Cougars to do the job on the field this weekend. If the old cliche about the importance of pitching at this time of year is accurate, CUC should feel good about their chances. At the top of the Cougars' pitching staff is a pair of All-NACC arms in  first-team right-hander Cole Carman (7-2, 2.12) and second-team southpaw Adam Gregory (6-0, 2.04). Both have shown excellent control on the mound, with Carman recording 45 strikeouts versus only 6 walks in 58.1 innings, and Gregory 43 strikeouts against 14 walks in 53 innings. Freshman Mike Tobin has emerged as the Cougars' closer with a 1-0 record and seven saves, while Zach Litke might be the Cougars' "secret weapon," coming off a seven-inning scoreless outing in relief in Sunday's NACC tournament title game against Aurora University. 

While pitching is key, CUC's offense has the capability of overwhelming any one of their opponents. The Cougars hit .320 as a team and average 8.5 runs per game. They feature arguably the most dangerous lead-off hitter in the country in shortstop Jose Mercado (.358), who leads Division III with 43 stolen bases in 45 attempts and is fifth nationally with 59 runs scored. When Mercado is on base, there's a very good chance he will score because of the success of the 3-4-5 hitters  in the lineup, all of whom were named first-team All-NACC players this week. They include Bryan VanDuser (.380, 49 runs, 47 RBIs), Brody Mariotti (.335, 12 HRs, 42 RBIs) and NACC Position Player of the Year Connor Brandon (.377, 10 HRs, 58 RBIs).   

The top-seeded Cougars will take on fourth-seeded Buena Vista University from Storm Lake, Iowa in the first of Friday's two first-round games, starting at 10 a.m. The Beavers come in with a 25-17 record and are here by virtue of winning the American Rivers Conference tournament. On offense, BVU has an equivalent to CUC's Brandon in second baseman Bryce Rheault. who was just named the ARC Position Player of the Year. Rheault is hitting .389 with 68 hits and 46 runs scored. The Beavers have five players in their everyday lineup hitting over .300, with Peyton Renning another player that bears watching. Renning is batting .308 with 58 hits and 31 RBIs, and he is regarded as a top-notch defensive player in center field.

The BVU pitching staff is anchored by a pair of second-team All-OAC arms. Starter Egan Bonde is 6-1 with a 3.31 ERA. In his 65.1 innings, he has walked just eight batters while fanning 31. Gage Smart has been dangerous in the late stages of games with a 5-1 record, eight saves and a 1.21 ERA in 44.2 innings (21 appearances). 

Friday's other first-round game at 1:30 p.m. pits second-seeded Baldwin-Wallace University of Berea, Ohio against  third-seeded St. John's University of Collegeville, Minnesota. Baldwin-Wallace (25-15) received an at-large bid to the tournament, their eighth overall in the program's history, and they are coming off their first regular-season Ohio Athletics Conference title since 1988. The Yellow Jackets feature a formidable pitching ace in right-hander Danny Cody, just named the OAC Pitcher of the Year. Cody is 9-1 with a 1.88 ERA and a school-record 103 strikeouts in 76.2 innings. BW's staff also includes southpaw Jack Raines (3-4, 3.84), who has 73 strikeouts in 65.2 innings and a team-leading five saves.

On offense, the Yellow Jackets can rely on first baseman Philip Wells (.366), who has set career highs this season in hits (56), runs scored (33) and RBIs (45). BW's lineup features five players with batting averages over .300, including first-team All-OAC shortstop Alex Ludwick (.308, 36 runs, 29 RBIs).

The Johnnies of St. John's University (32-12) are making their fourth tournament appearance in the last eight years and eighth appearance overall after winning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournament. St. John looks to  balance of power and speed in their lineup, with designated hitter Joey Stock (.366, 12 HRs, 38 RBIs) supplying the former, and outfielders Wyatt Ulrich (.348, 38 runs, 18-22 SB) and Max Jackson (.325, 32 runs, 23-27 SB) the latter.

On the mound, the Johnnies can rely on two senior right-handers, both named to the MIAC's all-conference team this week. Jake Dickmeyer is 7-2 with a 1.75 ERA in 72 innings, with 53 strikeouts and 10 walks to his credit. Danny Kuhn is 6-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 55 innings, 42 strikeouts against 11 walks.

This will be an interesting regional in that none of the teams will be overly familiar with one another. From a CUC perspective, the Cougars have never played Baldwin-Wallace in baseball, and they have played the other two teams just once, albeit recently. In 2016, Concordia-Chicago battled Buena Vista in an early-season, neutral-site game and defeated the Beavers 6-5. Then, in the Midwest Regional later that year in La Crosse, Wisconsin, CUC and SJU battled for the right to advance to the title round. The Johnnies defeated the Cougars 7-5 in 11 innings, despite a two-run game-tying homer with two out in the bottom of the ninth by Doug Matthews that remains one of CUC's most memorable moments in the program's history.

All information for the weekend, from ticket prices to game schedules to links for live stats and video can be found at the official tournament page.