BOSTON - Suffolk University baseball was selected as the number five seed in the NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional Tournament hosted by Eastern Connecticut State in Mansfield, Connecticut.
Suffolk will open the eight-team double elimination field on Wednesday, May 18 when they take on Keystone College in Game One of the tournament with first pitch scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Both teams enter the tournament with 33 wins on the season.
Suffolk (33-11) will be making a sixth appearance in program history and will be playing in a consecutive NCAA regional for the first time after repeating as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions with a 5-4 victory last Sunday.
Keystone (33-9) will be making a ninth straight appearance and heads to the New England tournament after capturing the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) title.
Keystone (Mid-Atlantic) is one of two teams to head to Mansfield from outside of the New England Region. They will join SUNY Oswego (New York) who will be second seed and play tournament host Eastern Connecticut State University. Top-seed Wheaton College will take on Salem State University, while Tufts University and Mitchell College round out the field.
Wednesday's meeting between Suffolk and Keystone will be the first time since the 2009 season that the two teams square off. They split a doubleheader on each team's southern trip at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Keystone took game one 10-1, before Suffolk won the nightcap with a 6-4 victory.
Suffolk will be looking for their first win in an NCAA Tournament since the 2005 season. It's been a banner year for Suffolk who has nearly doubled their win total from last season. Suffolk earned a total of 17 postseason accolades by the GNAC, including Pitcher of the Year (sophomore Worth Walrod) and Rookie of the Year (freshman Jake Frasca). Sophomore Brady Chant was also named GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Suffolk currently stands at a 33-11 overall record on the year, the second most wins in program history trailing 2000's 38-9 mark. The 33 wins are currently the most of any team in the New England region.
Keystone is riding a six-game winning streaking including sweeping through three CSAC playoff games to earn the program's 12th overall conference title in as many years while clinching the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Keystone, who is making its ninth-straight trip to the NCAA Regionals, is looking for their second trip to the World Series as the Giants made their only appearance in the final eight of the national tournament in 2011.
SEEDS
1. Wheaton College, MA (30-11); 2. SUNY Oswego (32-9); 3. Tufts U. (32-6); 4. Keystone College (33-9); 5. Suffolk U. (33-11); 6. Mitchell College (27-9); 7. Eastern Conn. (23-17); 8. Salem State U. (23-18-1)
Game Schedule
Wednesday, May 18
Game 1: Keystone College vs. Suffolk U., 10 a.m.
Game 2: Wheaton College vs. Salem State U., 1:15 p.m.
Game 3: Tufts U. vs. Mitchell College, 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: SUNY Oswego vs. Eastern Conn., 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
GAME 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 10:00AM
GAME 6 Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 1:15PM
GAME 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 4:30PM
GAME 8 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 7:45PM
Friday, May 20, 2016
GAME 9 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7 10:00AM
GAME 10 Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5 1:15PM
GAME 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 4:30PM
GAME 12 Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9 7:45PM
Saturday, May 21, 2016
GAME 13 Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11 12:00PM
GAME 14 Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13 3:30 PM
Sunday, May 22, 2016
GAME 15* Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 12:00PM
*If necessary
The winner of this week's regional tournament will advance eight-team NCAA Division III Collegiate World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin to be played May 27-31.
Live stats/video: Will be provided for all games and links can be accessed off the regional tournament web site.
Web site: Regional tournament web site link will be posted on the top of the Eastern baseball page on the athletic web site www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/bsb/index probably Tuesday night. It will say "NCAA Regional Tournament"