The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team begins its march to the NCAA Division II East Region Championship on Thursday, taking the #2 seed into the 11:00am opener against #5 seed Goldey-Beacom College. This year's regional is being hosted by #4 seed Franklin Pierce University, and will be played at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H.
Click Here for NCAA East Regional Tournament Central
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How They Got Here - The Regular Season Champion and top seeded Spartans swept Queens College in their Best-of-Three ECC Semifinal series, before losing back-to-back one-run games to Molloy College in the East Coast Conference Tournament Final. STAC earned an at-large bid into the East Regional, which is their seventh trip to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament.
Goldey-Beacom took the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division Regular Season Title and were also the top seed for their tournament. However, the Lighting ran into a tough Chestnut Hill squad in the Quarterfinal round and were eliminated by the score of 9-6. Like St. Thomas Aquinas, Goldey-Beacom earned an at-large bid into the regional, which is their first-ever appearance in program history.
The Spartans (25-5) - St. Thomas Aquinas was ranked #17 in the nation in this weeks Collegiate Baseball News poll and #18 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. STAC's offense is sparked by Andrew Jemison, who is 3rd in Runs Scored (34), 4th in Doubles (11) and 5th in Batting Average (.366) in the ECC. Meanwhile, James Versage currently leads the league in Doubles (12) and RBI (35) and is 2nd in Home Runs with five. On the mound, ECC & NCBWA East Region Pitcher of the Year Alex Mack (7-0, 1.48 ERA), Angelo Baez (5-1, 4.09 ERA) and Aaron Dona (3-0, 2.08 ERA) rank among the circuit's top pitchers, while James Reilly holds a 1-2 record with four saves in 14 appearances and a 3.38 ERA.
The Lightning (20-7) - Goldey-Beacom posted two eight-game win streaks (Mar. 23-Apr. 17 & Apr. 24-29) and went 6-4 in their final ten games leading up to the East Regional. Mason Maxwell (.388 average, 8 Home Runs, 29 RBI) and Garrett Musey (.384 avg, 8 Home Runs, 23 RBI) provide the threats in the Lightning offense, while Trevor Jump (5-0, 4.21 ERA), Anthony DiMartino (4-0, 3.99 ERA), Mitch Guerrieri (3-1, 3.25 ERA) and Jake Kinsell (2-2, 3.00 ERA) have set the tone on the hill.
Unfamiliar Territory - This is the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Lightning, as the teams have never played a regular season or postseason contest against each other. While baseball under the current Goldey-Beacom College name, began play in 2016-2017, it actually was a re-instatement of the program for the institution. Baseball was played at what was then called Goldey College as early as 1922 and continued into the 1950s. This included an undefeated season in 1935 and the Atlantic Coast championship (no affiliation with the current Atlantic Coast Conference) in 1947.
In the Post-Season - With their regular-season conference championship, the Spartans have won the regular-season crown in 2008, '12, '13, '16, '17, '18 and '21, and captured the tourney title in 2013, '14, '15 and '18. STAC is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance 2013, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18 and '21. The Spartans have won the East Region Championship in 2014 and '17, and were among the three finalists for the 2017 National Championship.
Goldey-Beacom's 2021 regional appearance is the first in the program's history.
What's Next? - The winner of this game will advance to tournament Game 6 on Friday at 7:00 pm, taking on the winner of Game 2 between #3 Molloy and #4 Franklin Pierce. The loser will play an elimination contest in Game 4 on Friday at 11:00 am against the loser of Game 3 between #1 Southern New Hampshire and #6 Dominican. The winner of the regional advances to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina, which takes place June 5-12.
2021 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP EAST REGIONAL
Hosted by Franklin Pierce University
Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field (Rindge, N.H.)
Double elimination (seeds in parentheses)
Minimum 45 minutes between games, unless otherwise noted
Thursday, May 27
Game 1: (2) St. Thomas Aquinas vs. (5) Goldey-Beacom - 11 a.m.
Game 2: (3) Molloy at (4) Franklin Pierce - 3 p.m.
Game 3: (1) Southern New Hampshire vs. (6) Dominican - 7 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Game 4: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser - 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 2 Loser - 3 p.m. (Game 2 Loser eliminated with loss)
Game 6: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 7 p.m.
If four teams remain after Game 6, the following schedule will be used:
Saturday, May 29
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner - 11 a.m.
Game 8: Game 6 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner - 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 9: Game 7 Loser vs. Game 8 Winner - 7 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Sunday, May 30
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner - Noon
Game 11: Game 10 rematch* - 40 minutes after conclusion of Game 10
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 9 Winner wins Game 10.
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If five teams remain after Game 6, the following schedule will be used:
Saturday, May 29
Game 7: Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Loser - 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 8: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner - 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner - 7 p.m. (Game 7 Winner eliminated with loss)
If two teams remain after Game 9, the following schedule will be used:
Sunday, May 30
Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner - Noon
Game 11: Game 10 rematch* - 40 minutes after conclusion of Game 10
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 8 Winner wins Game 10.
If three teams remain after Game 9, the following schedule will be used:
Sunday, May 30
Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser - Noon (loser eliminated)
Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner - 3:30 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION
In light of current COVID-19 guidelines issued by the state of New Hampshire and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pappas Field will be open to spectators throughout the East Regional. Spectators must maintain appropriate social distance from participants and credentialed tournament staff at all times. Face masks will be required within designated areas of Pappas Field.
Spectator parking will be in the DiGregorio lot, which is located beyond left field at Pappas Field. The parking lot entrance is on Mountain Road.
Click here for a map of spectator areas (link will be added when it is available)
Tickets will be available at the gate to Pappas Field each day
Adults: $8
Children/Seniors: $5
College students with ID: $5
Children under two-years-old will be admitted free of charge.
Per NCAA policy, no complimentary admissions will be issued.
TRAVEL, PARKING & AREA INFORMATION
Directions
Campus Map (Spectator parking will be in DiGregorio lot, beyond left field of Pappas Field; parking lot entrance is on Mountain Road.)
LIVE STATS & VIDEO
Franklin Pierce will provide live stats and live video throughout the duration of the tournament. Details and links are available at the Championship Central web page via the Franklin Pierce University Athletics Website.