Monday, May 12, 2008

 

TUSCULUM MAKES SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCE,

PIONEERS FACE CARSON-NEWMAN ON THURSDAY IN TAMPA

 

                INDIANAPOLIS --- The 2008 NCAA Division II South Region field has been announced and for a second straight year, the Tusculum College baseball team will be the No. 2 seed in the six-team, double-elimination field, hosted by the University of Tampa.  The Pioneers (40-13) will face a familiar opponent in the opener as they take on fifth-seeded Carson-Newman College on Thursday.  Game time has yet to be determined.

 

                Tusculum punched its ticket for the NCAA postseason by winning last month’s Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament, gaining the league’s automatic bid.  Carson-Newman (41-16) earned one of the three at-large berths as the Eagles are making their second straight trip to the South Regional.

 

                Both teams are making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, but this will mark the first time the two have met in the South Regional.  Tusculum posted a 3-1 record against the Eagles this season, including three straight victories.  The last time the two teams met was the second round of the SAC Tournament as the Pioneers posted a 4-1 victory.

 

                Two-time defending national champion Tampa (38-9-1) will serve as the host institution for the South Regional for a third straight season.  The Spartans, who earned an automatic berth by winning the Sunshine State Conference regular season title, will open the tournament Thursday when they host Stillman College.  The Tigers (26-26), who won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, is the No. 6 seed and is making their second straight postseason trip.

 

                Catawba College, the SAC regular season champions, earned an at-large bid and will be the No. 3 seed.  Catawba (40-16) will face No. 4 seed Florida Tech (35-18-1), who also earned an at-large bid.

 

The Pioneers are making their fourth NCAA postseason appearance in the last six years.  This year marks the first time in league history that three South Atlantic Conference baseball teams have advanced to the NCAA Regional.

 

- NCAA -