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!

Rankings

1. Nebraska
2. Wisconsin Platteville
3. Kentucky
4. North Georgia
5. Georgia Southern

Superlatives

Program on the Rise: Wisconsin Platteville

Biggest Unknown: Both Georgia schools

Most Underrated Player: Caleb Newell (UWP)

Coach of the Year: Erik Zander (UWP)

Overtime-6

1. Colby Chohrach (UNL)
2. Caleb Newell (UWP)
3. Caleb Fowler (UNL)
4. Tomas Zander (UWP)
5. JT Warren (UWP)
6. Noah Wiley (UNL)

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Team Previews

Nebraska

The Good:

UNL is coming back better than ever. They getting back a lot of returners and for the fact of the matter really talented players. This team is hungry and ready to win and show the league just how good they really are. Their mindset and goal this year is to compete for a championship. To the cornhuskers, this is the year that they can put it all together and make it happen. So far this year, they have done an incredible job of recruiting and are only adding to their talent to make them even harder to beat. With the experience they got at nationals, it puts them in a great spot this season to finish off those games against tough competition. Everyone better watch out for this Nebraska team.

The Bad:

There isn’t too much bad to say about UNL, they are a solid bunch that always has a really good game plan. The biggest thing that hurts them this year as always is the distance from others teams. UWP is their closest opponent and last year that was the only team that they got to play against before nationals. UNL this year will need to play some other teams to get the experience they need to win at nationals. Hopefully, they can get to a tournament or two and play some more teams.

Our Call:

The Cornhuskers are going to be really good this year there is no doubt about it. If they can play against some other opponents, they are going to benefit greatly. They should get that this year as it is expected that their will be new teams coming out to UWP’s tournament on November 12th. This team will make the it to the last 8 teams on Sunday for nationals and you best bet they have the potential to go even further than that.

UNL’s dodgeball team has come a long way since I was a freshman. I have been able to watch the club grow into what it is today, which is a championship ready roster. Our recruitment this year has been off the charts, and we may even be able to have two full rosters of competitive players. Overall, there is a lot to look forward to with this roster, whether it be the iconic throwing of Colby or the leadership of Tre and Alex Johnson, we are going to make sure we are competing for a title this year.

Tre Sumrall

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Wisconsin Platteville

The Good:

With only losing 2 players to graduation, Platteville will be bringing a lot of experience to the court this season. This team is looking to get more wins this season and their board is setting them up for success to do it. They know what areas the team need to work on and have developed a strategy to improve these areas. With their first practice of the year coming up on labor day weekend, they look to get an even bigger rookie class than they did last year and to hit the ground running the first semester. This year for them is all about getting wins and having fun playing dodgeball!

The Bad:

UWP went 5-14 last year, not ideal for a team that brought back a lot of experience. Last year they were able to get to several tournaments, but they were never able to bring full rosters or subs, which hurt them building team chemistry and really getting the results they were looking for on the court. It hurts that they are losing their captain Jacob Sebranek, who provided a lot of catching for the Pioneers and they are going to need someone to take his place. UWP is going to need to get everyone on the same page and attend tournaments if they are going to be able to compete with any of the best teams in the league this year.

Our Call:

For Platteville, if they want to compete it simply comes down to whether or not when they get out to away tournaments they can take full rosters. They are an eager bunch who are looking to win and want to come out on top of the their conference this year. If the Pioneers can all be on the same page and everyone keeps looking to improve their individual skills, they should be able to play as a team and meet their goals this season and be the team everyone wants to go against.

The dynamic of our team is changing. This summer we had several team members play in summer events to increase their skills. We are bringing back a lot of experience so look for UWP to start off on a good note. We hope to bring in a talented recruiting class that will only add to our success.

Tomas Zander

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Kentucky

The Good:

Kentucky dodgeball has been on a survival track for the past couple seasons. Only being able to bring 9 players to Nationals 2022 was an obvious disadvantage, however team after team let them sneak a point or two every single game. These were promising, not disappointing results, as UK looks to bring in it’s biggest rookie class in years; they will need to. Returning a very promising freshman class made up of Luke Ransom, Amarion Gibson and others, joined by All-American Skye Marvin.

The Bad:

The Wildcats lost both of their floor generals, Justin Conti and Tyler Kratzer. They will need to develop a new identity quickly, Conti and Kratzer often times single handedly kept UK in matches. Any team that starts less than a full 12 man squad is in a sense digging their own grave. Kentucky dodgeball needed more firepower last year, and they certainly need it now.

Our Call:

UK dodgeball has rich history, we just have to hope the club itself doesn’t turn into history. The Wildcats certainly need to recruit heavy this semester as 5 players just won’t cut it. They have a chance to pull in some big rookies as the only SEC school in the league, it will be up to last years rookies to take that next step and lead the club into a new era of successful Kentucky teams. We look for UK to be much improved this year, and for Luke Ransom to challenge for end-of-season accolades.

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North Georgia

Our Call:

After not competing in a single contest in 2021-22, North Georgia looks to get back in action in 2022-23. The good news: former UNG star Kyle Dattelbaum will be taking over the reigns as coach for UNG and will look to build the program back up to where it was when he was in school. Expect UNG to become a competitive program again soon!

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Georgia Southern

Our Call:

This is a very similar situation to UNG above. Georgia Southern returns just 3 players, but they have a former leader (Zach Rivera) back as coach, and that should pay dividends. GSU has struggled at times with numbers, but if they can get a good recruitment in, expect to see this team in action against UNG this season!

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5-season Trends