Thursday, April 24, 2008

TUSCULUM MOVES TO SECOND IN NCAA BASEBALL REGION RANKINGS

INDIANAPOLIS --- The Tusculum College baseball team has leaped three spots and is listed second in this week’s NCAA Division II South Region rankings.

The Pioneers (38-12) have won their last six games, including four in a row to win the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament last weekend in Hickory, N.C.

Defending national champion Tampa is the top-ranked team in the South Region for a second straight week. Tusculum is second, followed Catawba, Carson-Newman, Lynn, Florida Tech, Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern.

Two teams in the region have already punched their ticket for next month’s NCAA II Tournament. Tusculum earned an automatic berth by winning the SAC Tournament, while Stillman will be the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference representative, winning the SIAC Tournament this past weekend. The regular season champion of the Sunshine State Conference will claim the third and final automatic bid for the region.

Three at-large bids for the South Region will also be awarded next month when the 48-team NCAA Tournament field is announced.

Tusculum returns to action this Saturday when it hosts the inaugural South Region Classic at Pioneer Park. Tusculum will host Lenoir-Rhyne at 4 p.m., preceded by the L-R/Carson-Newman game at 1 p.m.

- NCAA -

NCAA II South Region Baseball Rankings
Rk.	Team	Prv.
1	Tampa	1
2	TUSCULUM	5
3	Catawba	2
4	Carson-Newman	4
5	Lynn	3
6	Florida Tech	8
7	Nova Southeastern	6
8	Florida Southern	NR