Kevin Bailey

Power Rankings: March 2023

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Michigan State – The clear #1 team in the country, Michigan State continued their historic season at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup where they went 4-0, including a clutch comeback victory over Grand Valley State in the final match of the day. There is plenty of dodgeball left to be played, but the Spartans are currently on pace to be the first school since GVSU in 2009 to be undefeated National Champions. Led by the likes of Jack Girling, Barry Butler III, Josh Kramer, and DQ McClean, this MSU roster has an insane amount of experience to go along with a solid group of talented young players. Expect MSU to remain the NCDA favorite heading into April.

Michigan State Concludes Emotional Week with 2nd Straight MDC Title

EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan State University’s dodgeball club capped off a challenging and emotional week with a Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC) on Saturday at IM West. The Spartans (12-0) defeated Grand Valley State (13-6) to win their second consecutive MDC and remain the #1 team in the country. Also in attendance were Western Michigan (finished 2-2 on the day), Saginaw Valley State (1-3), and Central Michigan (0-4).

Below is a recap of each team and the main storylines surrounding them at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and heading towards the end of the season.

Power Rankings: February 2023

Analyzing College Dodgeball’s Women’s All-American Team History

Let’s take a quick look at past Women’s All-American Teams and the breakdown by region, school, and player. Note: Each AA Team is provided at the bottom of this article.

College Dodgeball has been around for two decades, but only started handing out Women’s All-American honors in the 2016-17 season. Since that time, there have been 5 All-American Teams announced, and 63 1st-Team Women’s All-American slots awarded. Here are some breakdowns of the results:

All-Americans by Region

Ohio Region	29
Central Region	18
East Coast Region	9
Michigan Region	7

Analyzing College Dodgeball’s All-American Team History

Let’s take a quick look at past All-American Teams and the breakdown by region, school, and player. Note: Each AA Team is provided at the bottom of this article.

College Dodgeball has been around for two decades, but only started handing out All-American honors in the 2011-12 season. Since that time, there have been 10 All-American Teams announced, and 143 1st-Team All-American slots awarded. Here are some breakdowns of the results:

All-Americans by Region

Michigan	72
Ohio	27
East Coast	26
Central	18

Midseason Check-In

Happy New Year, dodgeballers. As we head into the second half of the 2022-23 season, this seemed like a good time to zoom out and take a look at the league right now and the season we are having. What a season it has been so far! With some epic matches, shocking upsets, and new teams pushing towards the top of the rankings, college dodgeball is alive and well!

Let’s go region by region and break down the overall feel around the league as we head into the heart of the NCDA season.

Midseason Power Rankings: January 2023

Power Rankings: December 2022

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Michigan State – While their last match was over two months ago, the Spartans have put in a lot of work on their own time and hope to finish the fall semester just as strong as they started. Michigan State heads into the weekend with three big matchups at the Dr. Peter Broe Classic and looks to prove just why they are the unanimous #1 among the power rankings. Between the triple headed All-American offensive threat of Jack Girling, Barry Butler and Alec Deen coupled with a well-versed defensive core, MSU seems incredibly solid on paper. The real test will come down to rookie development. It comes as no surprise that the Spartans have recruited well, but their top rookies in Nick Fedewa, Matt Barriball and Zach Van Fleet will be paving the way and look to shine in key roles this weekend. If they continue to develop, you can expect these three to become new household names in the NCDA.

Power Rankings: November 2022

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Michigan State – The Spartans starting off the season strong was something few doubted. October ended with a convincing 3-0 record against Ohio, Cincinnati and Cleveland State. The triple-headed offensive threat of #2 All American Jack Girling, #6 All American Barry Butler III and ROY Alec Deen showed that they can be an unstoppable force. Girling and Butler III proved early that they deserve consideration for MVP candidacy and have a great communication front in Captain Josh Kramer and Assistant Captain DQ McClean. MSU has recruited well, yet again, and have another strong rookie class including a ROY front-runner candidate in Nick Fedewa and dark horses Matt Barriball and Zac VanFleet. Their rookies proved that they’ve learned strategy early and can further help round-out this powerhouse program. Roster depth and player development will be key if the Spartans look to take home a National Title come April. One has to wonder if the Spartans will let early victories get the best of them to take their foot off of the gas or if they’ll continue to push themselves through the season?

Power Rankings: October 2022

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Michigan State – Textbook start to the year for the Spartans. MSU travelled to JBBBIII and went undefeated with convincing wins over two top 5 programs (Cincinnati and Ohio). Pretty solid resume if you ask us. Michigan State proved to everyone they are in the title conversation. With plenty of veterans on the roster paired with some young talent, this feels like a team that will progress quite a bit this year while maintaining more consistency than MSU teams of the past. So when can we expect that first GVSU vs. MSU matchup?

JBBB3 Preview

Introduction

Ohio University is hosting one of the largest tournaments that we will see in most fall semesters to come – the 3^rd Annual John Betters Bobcat Bonanza! This club will play host to nine other teams that will make the trip to Athens, OH and try and earn themselves a few wins on the weekend. Will the Bobcats continue their hot streak on their home turf? Will Michigan State continue the dominance it started last year by knocking of Cincinnati and Ohio in their own state? To answer those questions, let’s take a look into the schools taking the trip to the beautiful campus.

Checking In with the Voice of College Dodgeball: Tony Stumpo

Stumpo (right) commentating at 2022 College Dodgeball Nationals.

I recently sat down with NCDA alum, and frequent stream commentator Tony Stumpo. We had a quick chat about last year, what he expects this season, and the impact of playing USA Dodgeball events during the NCDA offseason. Check out our interview below:

Kevin Bailey: Tony, thank you for sitting down to chat as we get back into the groove of another season of college dodgeball.

Tony Stumpo: Happy to be back talking dodgeball, feels like we have a lot going on with the sport right now.

First off, let’s recap last year and Nationals specifically. You were on hand for that event. What were your main takeaways from the first NCDA Nationals in years?

Central Region Season Preview 2022-23

The following was prepared by the NCDA Content Team:

Time to officially introduce the ‘Central Region” formerly known as the Midway Conference and South Region. This combination of schools spanning various states make up the 4th NCDA region, and one that may be a bit overlooked. Heading in 2022-23, several Central Regions schools look primed for a major leap. Nebraska comes in at #6 in the preseason rankings (has to be a record high ranking for the program) and returns 10 players from a team that turned some heads at Nationals. Wisconsin Platteville also returns 10 players from a young, but competitive team. Kentucky struggled in 2021-22 with numbers but will look to take the next step and start building depth in 2022-23. The two Georgia schools, neither of which competed last season, look to get back in action this year. This would be a great development for the NCDA and for future league expansion! Speaking of expansion… the Central Region also has a few potential new NCDA member schools going through the early stages of club formation, so keep an eye out for new teams entering the league and bolstering the depth of this vastly improved region!

East Coast Region Season Preview 2022-23

The following was prepared by the NCDA Content Team:

The East Coast Region had an up and down 2021-22, with many schools recovering from low numbers due to the pandemic. James Madison was the clear standout, as the Dukes got back to the Final Four for the first time since 2015. They look like the favorites once again in 2022-23. Towson and Penn State seem like the next tier in the East, both squads need to replace some stars but their depth will help them this year. Maryland and Virginia had poor showings last season and both rosters will be young in 2022-23, but don’t count either of them out from pushing for a higher ranking. Lastly, VCU struggled to field a team at the end of last season. They are looking to get back to competing in the NCDA by 2023.

Michigan Region Preview 2022-23

The following was prepared by the NCDA Content Team:

Continuing our regional preview articles, let’s take a closer look at the Michigan Region heading into the 2022-23 season. 2021-22 wasn’t a standard top-to-bottom dominant year for this region, as only two schools made it past the Round of 16 at Nationals. Those two teams (Grand Valley State and Michigan State did happen to face off in the National Title Game though, and they enter this season as the top two schools in the country. Outside of the current ‘Big 2’ in Michigan, Saginaw Valley State is looking to build on some progress made in 2021-22, as is an up-and-coming Western Michigan. Lastly, historical power Central Michigan will look to recover from a year out of the league due to low numbers and get back in action this year. Below is your full Michigan Region Preview: