INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee has announced the teams that will compete in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
The Division III championship provides for a maximum field of 42 teams. Six teams will compete at five first-round sites; four teams will compete at three first-round sites. All first rounds will use a double-elimination format. Conference champions qualified automatically.
Winners of the eight first-round tournaments will qualify for the double-elimination championship at Appleton, Wisconsin, May 28-June 1.
DATES/SITES/SEEDINGS: May 20-23 Hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 1. Ithaca College (31-6) 2. State University College at Brockport (30-13) 3. State University College at Cortland (28-14) 4. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (27-15) Hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin 1. University of Wisconsin, Whitewater (34-7) 2. University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) (36-6) 3. Ripon College (23-12) 4. Concordia University (Wisconsin) (20-16) Hosted by The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio 1. The College of Wooster (35-8) 2. Manchester College (33-11) 3. Heidelberg College (31-12-1) 4. Albion College (25-14) Hosted by the Centennial Conference, Boyertown, Pennsylvania 1. Johns Hopkins University (37-2) 2. Rowan University (36-6) 3. DeSales University (26-12) 4. St. Joseph's College (Long Island) (26-16) 5. Arcadia University (25-14) 6. Juniata College (24-15) Hosted by Chapman University, Orange, California 1. Trinity University (Texas) (35-8) 2. Linfield College (31-9) 3. George Fox University (31-9) 4. Chapman University (28-11) 5. California State University, Hayward (29-11) 6. University of La Verne (27-10) Hosted by Ferrum College, Martinsville, Virginia 1. Emory University (40-4) 2. Salisbury University (33-11) 3. Virginia Wesleyan University (31-10) 4. Mary Washington College (29-10) 5. Methodist College (27-17) 6. York College (Pennsylvania) (28-16) Hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois 1. Illinois Wesleyan University (28-17) 2. Carthage College (34-9) 3. Simpson College (29-14) 4. McMurry University (29-13) 5. Blackburn College (23-17) 6. Aurora University (22-17) Hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut 1. Eastern Connecticut State University (35-9) 2. Western New England College (31-12) 3. Babson College (24-17) 4. Bridgewater State College (23-14) 5. Endicott College (26-19) 6. Amherst College (19-16) First round matchups for the championship site will be as follows: Illinois Wesleyan Regional winner vs. RPI Regional winner Wooster Regional winner vs. Eastern Connecticut State Regional winner Boyertown Regional winner vs. Whitewater Regional winner Martinsville Regional winner vs. Chapman Regional winner CONFERENCES RECEIVING AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION BERTHS: American Southwest Conference - McMurry Centennial Conference - Johns Hopkins College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin - Illinois Wesleyan Commonwealth Conference - Juniata Commonwealth Coast Conference - Endicott Freedom Conference - DeSales Great Northeast Athletic Conference - Western New England Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference - Manchester Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Simpson Lake Michigan Conference - Concordia (Wisconsin) Little East Conference - Eastern Connecticut State Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference - Bridgewater State Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Albion Midwest Conference- Ripon Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - St. Thomas New England Small College Athletic Conference - Amherst New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference - Babson New Jersey Athletic Conference - Rowan North Coast Athletic Conference - Wooster Northwest Conference - Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference - Heidelberg Old Dominion Athletic Conference - Virginia Wesleyan Pennsylvania Athletic Conference - Arcadia St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Blackburn Skyline Conference - St. Joseph's (Long Island) Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - La Verne Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - Trinity (Texas) State University of New York Athletic Conference - Brockport State Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference - Rensselaer USA South Athletic Conference - Methodist Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wisconsin-Whitewater
In last year's championship, Chapman University had the tough task Tuesday of winning two games against Christopher Newport University at Fox Cities Stadium to claim the title at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Series. For the team of destiny from Chapman, beating previously unbeaten Christopher Newport twice would be just another feat in an amazing run to the national championship. After pounding the Captains 15-2 in the first game Tuesday to force a second championship game in the double-elimination tournament, Chapman beat Christopher Newport 15-7 to win its first national championship. The Panthers became the third team ever, and the first since Montclair State University in 2000, to win two games on the final day to claim the title.
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