JUNE 19, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
Send tips to [email protected] and/or via DM

🥳  Hello, Thursday. It’s Juneteenth. Enjoy the hot weekend.

🗓️ Reminder. About our summer schedule. We’ll be sending your newsletter on Mondays and Thursdays with an occasional breaking news update where warranted.

📰 Are You Enjoying D3Playbook? Support our work with a subscription.

TOP STORY
1. IWU’s Kuhn Headlines Academic All-America Softball Team

“A standout on the diamond and in the classroom, Illinois Wesleyan University’s Jen Kuhn highlights the 2025 Division III Academic All-America® softball team selected by College Sports Communicators.

The senior shortstop from Normal, Ill. maintained a 3.98 GPA as a graphics design major. She started in all 46 games and led the team with a .449 batting average with 70 hits, 17 doubles, 57 runs batted in, 111 total bases, and had a .712 slugging percentage as well as a .473 on-base percentage. Kuhn earned NFCA first team All-America and All-Region VIII honors this year. She also took home the 2025 NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove award and was named the CCIW Defensive Player of the Year.

Eight of the 33 members of the Academic All-America® Division III softball teams boast a perfect 4.0 GPA in their undergraduate work or graduate school. The 12 members of the first team have an average GPA of 3.88.”

First Team

C-Annabelle Calderon, Denison, 3.78, Sr., Biology
DP-Lyndsey Roth, Nebraska Wesleyan, 3.89, Sr., Health & Fitness Studies
IF-Jen Kuhn, Illinois Wesleyan, 3.98, Sr., Graphic Design
IF-KaiLi Gross, Case Western Reserve, 3.97/4.00, Gr., Biomedical Engineering
IF-Ellie Jones, Belhaven, 3.95, Sr., Chemistry
IF-Megan Heidelbauer, Simpson, 3.92, Jr., Environmental Science
IF-Brynn Nelson, Linfield, 3.97, Sr., Mathematics & Economics
OF-Jessica Remm, Alfred, 3.93, Jr., Political Science/Criminal Justice
OF-Annie Kay, Texas Lutheran, 3.69, Jr., Business
OF-Ashlyn Steen, Simpson, 3.96, Jr., Political Science
P-Gracie Ellis, Randolph-Macon, 3.75, Sr., Nursing
P-Alexis Michon, Trine, 3.79, Sr., Elementary Education

» Complete Team

Fact-based news without bias awaits. Make 1440 your choice today.

Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed.

Sign up now!

FINANCES
2. Small Colleges Are Banding Together Against a Higher Endowment Tax. This Is Why

by Sarah Huddleston, Chronicle of Higher Education

“Small private colleges are working together to lobby against the sweeping budget bill making its way through Congress that would hike taxes on endowments and land with particular force on their institutions.

That’s because, unlike some of the major research universities that would also be taxed at higher rates, endowment returns can account for the bulk of annual operating revenues for small private colleges, which represent nearly half of the institutions that could be taxed at the three highest rates proposed in legislation that recently passed the House and has made its way into the Senate.”

» Why It Matters. “The new bill would sort colleges into a four-tiered system according to a “student-adjusted endowment” — calculated by dividing endowment assets by the number of domestic students. Those with a student-adjusted endowment above $2 million would pay 21 percent. That rate drops to 14 percent for colleges with a ratio of $1.25 million to $2 million, 7 percent for colleges at $750,000 to $1.25 million, and 1.4 percent for colleges at $500,000 to $750,000.”

» As An Example. “For Washington and Lee University, in Virginia, which currently pays the 1.4-percent tax rate and would face an increase to 7 percent, a tax hike would be equivalent to 200 scholarships, according to Will Dudley, the institution’s president.”

» What They’re Saying. “Endowments are our primary source of revenue,” said Anne F. Harris, president of Grinnell College, which is facing a potential 21-percent tax, she said. “We don’t have a D-I athletic team. We don’t have a medical center. We don’t have billions of dollars of grants.”

» Be Smart. “Endowment revenues contributed to 49 percent of Pomona College’s annual operating budget. And 60 percent of Grinnell’s operating budget comes from endowment revenues. At Swarthmore College, 57.6 percent of its 2024-25 revenues came from endowment spending.”

» Read More

SOFTBALL
3. Rules Committee Recap

“The NCAA Softball Rules Committee, during its meeting this week in Indianapolis, proposed that if a hitter has one foot completely out of the batter's box or stepping on the plate while contacting a pitch, an immediate dead ball would be called.

In this scenario, the batter would be ruled out, and all runners would return to the base they were occupying at the time of the pitch.

Committee members recommended the change with the rationale that it will help umpires call this play with more consistency.”

» Double First Base. “The rules committee proposed requiring a double first base to be implemented for the 2025-26 academic year for Division I and Division II competition. If approved, Division III implementation would be delayed until the 2026-27 academic year.”

» Video Review. “The committee recommended that if a video review challenge is used and the call on the field is changed, that team would retain its challenge.”

» One-Way Electronic Communication. “Proposed that one-way electronic communication devices may be used by offensive players. Communication could originate from the dugouts or coaches' boxes.”

» Read More

NEWS YOU CAN USE
4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Transfer. “MIT right-handed pitcher Mason Estrada will bump up a couple of levels to Division I baseball for the 2026 season as he announced his commitment to the Tennessee baseball program on Tuesday night.”

» Streaming. “After initially opting out of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's multi-year, seven-figure media rights agreement with FloSports, Texas Lutheran Athletics has announced their decision to join the rest of the conference's agreement with FloSports.”

» Finances. “Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over proposed cuts to DOD federal research funding.”

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings 

ADRIAN - Kaylie Laskody named head track and field coach. Darrin Griewahn named director of bowling. Kevin Taber named head men’s coach. Jessica Kozakiewicz named head women’s coach
ALBRIGHT - Justin Pisapia named assistant men’s basketball coach
AUGUSTANA - Matthew Heinzman named head cross country coach
BELOIT - Myles Bach named head cross country coach
BRIDGEWATER - Tommy Haney named assistant women’s soccer coach
BROCKPORT - Nick Pontari named head baseball coach
CHATHAM - Conlan Burd named head track and field coach
CORNELL COLLEGE - Robin Brand named head softball coach
DUBUQUE - Erin Connolly named head women’s ice hockey coach. Madeline Jansen named head women’s basketball coach
GWYNEDD MERCY - Darnell “Speedy” Artis named head men’s basketball coach
HOPE - Jordan Bartolazzi named head track and field coach
IMMACULATA - Rob Dallas named head men’s soccer coach
ITHACA - Mike McSloy named head men’s basketball coach. Mark Lucas named assistant volleyball coach. Dylan Kilpatrick named assistant men’s soccer coach
JOHNSON & WALES - Joseph Greene named president of Providence campus
LEBANON VALLEY - Harold Bowman named head esports coach
MARIETTA -  Austin Cordova, Scott Sallach, Chase Farris, and Colin Hughes named assistant football coaches
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR - Caden Steubing named head strength and conditioning coach. Dylan Fogerty named assistant men’s soccer coach
MISERICORDIA - Patrick Defoe named head women’s wrestling coach
MORAVIAN - Amable Martinez named head women’s volleyball coach. Elliot Schott named assistant director of digital media
MSOE - John Walz announced his retirement as president on January 1. Eric Baumgartner named president
MUSKINGUM - Susan Hasseler announced her retirement as president in summer 2026
NEW PALTZ - Samantha Robbins named head athletic trainer
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN - J’Vonte Hudson named assistant men’s lacrosse coach
OZARKS - Nate Williams named head men’s basketball coach
PENN STATE HARRISBURG - Tom Gravante named head men’s lacrosse coach
RANDOLPH-MACON - Payton Cronen named assistant women’s basketball coach
RHODES - Rob Schreier named head baseball coach
RIPON - Bob Wood stepped down as director of track and field
ROSE-HULMAN - Ayanna Tweedy stepped down as director of athletics
ST. SCHOLASTICA - Larry McKenzie and Matt Long named assistant men’s basketball coaches
SCHREINER - Cody Zwernemann named assistant football coach
SPRINGFIELD - Chad Shade named head baseball coach
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON - Mackenzie Gagliardi named head field hockey coach
WASHINGTON and LEE - Terlynn Olds named associate director of athletics
WILLIAM PATERSON - Ed Gurka announced his retirement as head swimming and diving coach
WILMINGTON - Rod Tolen named assistant football coach

📬 Thanks for starting your day with us.
Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook

Copyright © 2025, D3Playbook.com All rights reserved