Field Set For The Finals Of The NCAA Division III Baseball Championship

May 19, 2009 • Grand Chute, Wis.

And the last shall be first.

The final two teams to earn spots in the finals of the 2009 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will kick off the eight-team, double-elimination tournament when it begins Friday (May 22) at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.

The College of Wooster (Ohio) takes on Carthage College (Wis.) at 10 a.m. on Friday. The College of Wooster (39-9) earned its first trip to Grand Chute since 2005 and its fifth trip to the finals with a 4-3 victory over Marietta College (Ohio) on Monday (May 18) in the Adrian (Mich.) Regional final. A wild pitch scored Chris Wood of The College of Wooster, the national runner-up in 1997, with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Carthage College (36-7) was forced to play a second championship game on Monday but prevailed over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 8-3, in the Moline (Ill.) Regional final. Mike Hughes went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs to pace Carthage College in the title game.

Friday’s second game, slated for 1:15 p.m., pits the last two national champions, Kean University (N.J.) and Trinity College (Conn.). Kean University (38-9), the 2007 national champion, won the Lakewood (N.J.) Regional without losing a game. The Cougars beat Keystone College (Pa.),12-6, in the regional final.

Trinity College (33-5) took the 2008 title and is seeking to become the first school to win back-to-back national championships since Rowan University (N.J.) did it in 1978 and 1979. The Bantams went undefeated in the Mansfield (Conn.) Regional, knocking off four-time national champion Eastern Connecticut State University, 5-4, in the championship game.

Two newcomers to the finals meet in Friday’s third game at 4:30 p.m. when Shenandoah University (Va.) faces Farmingdale State College (N.Y.). Shenandoah University (37-8) went unbeaten en route to winning the Salisbury (Md.) Regional and knocked off last year’s national runner-up, Johns Hopkins University (Md.), twice in the process. Shenandoah University downed Johns Hopkins University in its first game of the regional and then beat the Bluejays, 11-7, to win the regional crown. Shenandoah University trailed 7-4 in the championship game but then scored seven times in the eighth to take command.

Farmingdale State College (30-15) took the long road back in the Farmingdale Regional after losing its opening game to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.). The Rams then reeled off four straight wins, defeating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 13-9 and 8-0, to capture the title.

Chapman University (Calif.) and the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) finish the opening day with a 7:45 p.m. game. Chapman University (30-15) returns to Grand Chute for the fifth consecutive year after winning the McMinnville (Ore.) Regional with a 7-4 victory over George Fox University (Ore.) in the championship game.

Chapman University, the 2003 national champion, is making its eighth appearance in Grand Chute and its ninth appearance in the finals overall. The University of St. Thomas (36-12), making its first appearance in the finals since winning the 2001 national championship, got a seven-hit shutout from Dan Leslie to beat St. Olaf College (Minn.), 5-0, in the Oshkosh (Wis.) Regional final. The Tommies won three elimination games in a 24-hour period to punch their ticket to the finals.

Serving as hosts of the finals of the 2009 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship are Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The tournament is being held at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium for the 10th consecutive year.

Tickets for the tournament can be purchased in advance by contacting the Lawrence University Box Office at (920) 832-6773. Credit card orders will be accepted until Wednesday (May 20).