Here we are folks, the second semester of college dodgeball is under way. The largest dodgeball state in the NCDA is Ohio, who boasts 9 active teams with one more on the way who has yet to play their induction match. Today we share a glimpse into what the Ohio Region has in store for the second half of the 2018-2019 season.
Author: Colby Briceland
Freshman Perspective on Dodgeball in the NCDA
The Following was Written by Chad Hutson:
College can be a scary experience for any incoming freshman. Nerves and apprehension are all part of the journey in education. It’s my second semester at Ball State and I look back at the challenges that I faced in the first couple of weeks. Ball State hosted a club/organization recruitment fair that helped groups recruit new members. I went to the fair and found the Dodgeball Club, a group of guys that were just hanging out, hoping for someone to stop by their booth.
Continue reading “Freshman Perspective on Dodgeball in the NCDA”
BOTM: 2018 November
For the month of November, we awarded Zachary Parise of the University of Kentucky with the Baller of the Month title. Zach just finished his career in the NCDA with the Summit Street Slugfest in Kent, where he showed out for his last tournament. Below is the interview that I conducted with him. Continue reading “BOTM: 2018 November”
Summit Street Slugfest: A Preview
This Saturday November 10th in Kent, Ohio, 9 teams will converge to take part in the Summit Street Slugfest. The University of Akron, Ohio University, Cleveland State, Bowling Green State, University of Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Wisconsin Platteville, and Towson will all meet at Kent State University to take part in what is shaping up to be a very interesting tournament. You can see where we predict which teams will beat the spread here:
Now, for the preview:
An Outsider’s Perspective: Eric Boehm on Akron’s Pinkout
The following was written by Eric Boehm, formerly of Cleveland State University.
*Disclaimer: Eric wrote solely on the teams that he watched during the tournament. This in no way is meant in offense to any of the other teams that competed in the Pinkout IV.*
Akron’s Pinkout IV was quite an event to witness! It was very evident that there’s a dominance shakeup within the state of Ohio. The teams of Ohio were battling one another for the top dog position in the state.
Continue reading “An Outsider’s Perspective: Eric Boehm on Akron’s Pinkout”
Pinkout IV: A New Pink[out]
It’s that time of the year again folks, where we travel to Northeast Ohio to the University of Akron for their fourth annual Pinkout Tournament. There will be 12 teams in attendance on Saturday and I have decided to do something different with my preview this time. This time I asked one captain from each attending team to write about their own team and match-ups. This gave me the opportunity to really see what each team was thinking and how they believe they will fare this weekend in Akron, Ohio.
Redhawk Invite Preview
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WAS CO-AUTHORED BY:
COLBY BRICELAND (AKRON) AND TOM MORAND (MIAMI)
This Saturday, Miami University will host the Redhawk Invite. In attendance will be 4th ranked BGSU, 7th ranked Kent, 10th ranked Miami, 12th ranked OU, 13th ranked Arkon, and 36th ranked BSU. This tournament will be an early look into which team will be the top ranked team in Ohio. Among the previously mentioned teams BGSU, Akron, and OU will be playing in their first tournaments. While Kent, Miami, and BSU already have one underneath them.
What will be the goal of this tournament for every team? Does each respective captain value getting their rookies experience or going undefeated or can they do both?
Below, Tom Morand and Colby Briceland will discuss each official matchup at the Redhawk Invite, and will provide predictions as well:
2018 All-Ohio Team
For the seasons in the past, the Michigan Region has stood tall against all others. While that still stands true, one region is quickly gaining on their northern counterparts. The Ohio Region is quickly expanding and boasts the most teams currently active in a state, with 9 member teams. With so many teams, it isn’t a surprise that the state has plenty of top tier talent to offer.
Here is your 2018 All-Ohio Team:
1. Jeff Starr (OSU) MVP
I hope this one doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but Jeff Starr is once again your All-Ohio team Most Valuable Player. Jeff is one of those once in a lifetime talents that comes around once in a generation, his unrivaled skill and experience made him one of the best players that OSU and the league have ever seen. This man can do it all, his catching is only bested by his canon that we call his arm. Jeff has seen the Buckeyes at their best, and their worse in his tenure as their captain these past few seasons. When the chips are down, the one player that I would trust on the court is Jeff Starr. One of the most well known and loved players to ever step foot on an NCDA court. Jeff, here’s to you. I hope the rest of your life is GLORIOUS.
-Colby Briceland
2. Tyler Paalman (Kent)
Tyler Paalman is one of the most dangerous players that I have ever seen, and he’s just getting started. This guy really does have all that it takes to be the best. He is the only player in the league that I won’t solo throw, and/or try to catch. His catching and throwing abilities are second to non that I have ever seen. He is truly one of the best players that I have ever had the honor of playing against. Tyler has a few years left ahead of him and I am excited to see how his career unfolds as he helps to lead Kent State to the next level. In his short time in the league and at Kent, Tyler has had a great impact in both regards. I truly believe that he will go down as one of the best to play the game. It is a shame that more don’t know who he is, because he is my frontrunner for Ohio MVP and one of my favorites for league MVP come next season.
-CB
3. Adam Hynes (OU)
Coming in at #3 is Adam Hynes who is named All-Ohio a second straight year (#5 last year). Representing the Ohio Bobcats, who enjoyed their most successful season in program history, Adam put together his best season out of his six-year career as well. It’s hard to find players who can gun it at over 70 miles per hour. It’s hard to find players who have a deep appreciation for strategy and the small details on the court. It’s extremely hard to find players who fit both bills, but Adam is just that. Adam is more than just a strong thrower, he has a deep understanding of the game and features respectable hands on top of that. Too many times hard throwers in the league rely on nothing but their arm and fail to grow to their full potential, Adam has showed us in his past two years at OU that there are exceptions to the rule. Being the final year of his career, Adam can walk away from the league knowing that he gave everything he had as player, teammate, and friend to all those he touched. He’ll be missed at OU, but big things are to come for that squad. Farewell to one of the long-time greats of the region.
-Reid Manger
March Madness Baller of the Month Women’s Bracket Winner
This month we had not one but TWO Baller of the Month winners. I had the pleasure of interviewing the winner of the Women’s bracket, Rebecca Shappell. Continue reading “March Madness Baller of the Month Women’s Bracket Winner”
BEAST Preview Article
The following was written by Jeremy Shaw of UVA
The Beast 428 at JMU is looking to be another spectacular spectacle for spectators to spectate! With the #1, #4, #7, #11, #28, & #33 ranked teams (out of 37) in attendance. It’s safe to say every game will certainly be a nail biter. However, if you don’t have any nails to bite, don’t worry, JMU always packs the house for their home tournaments so you should find plenty there. With that being said, let’s examine some of the match-ups from an exciting East Coast Cup (minus PSU & UMD, plus GV).
THE 2018 Ohio Dodgeball Cup Preview
On Saturday February 24th, the 2018 Ohio Dodgeball Cup will be hosted at none other than THE Ohio State University. We will be seeing eight of the teams from the Ohio region battling out for the best prize that Ohio has to offer. THE Ohio Dodgeball Cup.
Last year we saw Ohio University walk out with the coveted prize. Who will step up to the challenge this season, and leave Columbus, Ohio as the 2018 Ohio Dodgeball Cup Winners? Continue reading “THE 2018 Ohio Dodgeball Cup Preview”
BOTM: 2017 October
October’s Baller of the Month has been earned by Damon Gwi of the University of Minnesota, who flew across the border to help represent the NCDA in Toronto, Canada for the World Dodgeball Championship Toronto Collegiate Invitational. I had the honor of conducting the interview. Continue reading “BOTM: 2017 October”
Starting a Team Part 1 – From an Idea to University Recognition
Written by Kevin Frye
Hello, my name is Kevin Frye and I am the captain of the Dodgeball Club at Ball State University. Just to give some background information on myself, I was a transfer student from The University of Kentucky to Ball State at the beginning of my sophomore year due to changing majors and other decisions. Playing that single year at UK inspired me to find some way to start a team at Ball State since dodgeball became my life and I couldn’t lose that, and I had no idea where to start. So, going in chronological order from forming the idea to achieving university recognition, I will lead you through what I did to provide you with an idea of what I did if you are a contemplating starting a team. Continue reading “Starting a Team Part 1 – From an Idea to University Recognition”
University of Akron’s Third Annual Pinkout Results and Takeaways
This past weekend, the University of Akron was host to 12 other squads including THREE JV squads! This was the largest tournament of the 2017-2018 season so far, and might be the largest until Akron hosts the second annual WAR sometime in the spring. During the tournament we saw some great match-ups, some nail biting inducing overtime points, some squash matches, but all in all, it was a great weekend of dodgeball. Adam Hynes and I take a look.
Continue reading “University of Akron’s Third Annual Pinkout Results and Takeaways”
Review of the EA Tournament
This past weekend, 5 teams made their way to East Lansing, Michigan to take part in the first tournament of the 2017-2018 season, the “Early Access Tournament” hosted by Michigan State University. The results from the tournament were a mixture of surprises and expectations.
Below is a breakdown of how each team looked at this tournament, written by Kevin Bailey and Colby Briceland. Sections written by Colby will include a “CB”, while sections written by Kevin will have a “KB”.
First, here are the results:
Round 1
SVSU vs MSU: 5-1 SV
GVSU vs CMU: 4-2 CMU
Round 2
MSU vs BGSU: 4-2 BG
Akron vs CMU: 4-2 CMU
Round 3
SVSU vs BGSU: 4-2 SVSU
GVSU vs Akron: 4-0 GVSU
Three Seeds:
MSU vs Akron: 3-1 MSU
Two Seeds:
GVSU vs BGSU: 2-1 GV
One Seeds:
CMU vs SVSU: 3-2 CMU