Catawba, Tusculum To Play In NCAA Baseball Tournament

AIKEN, S.C. - The USC Aiken athletic department and the NCAA Division II Baseball Committee released the bracket for the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional at Roberto Hernandez Stadium on Monday afternoon.

Both South Atlantic Conference regular-season champion Tusculum and Food Lion SAC Tournament champion Catawba will participate in the six-team NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

Tusculum is participating in the NCAA Championship for a third straight year and the fifth time in the last seven. Tusculum captured its fourth SAC Championship in the last five years this season and has clinched its fifth straight campaign with at least 35 victories and seventh in a row with 30 wins.

The Pioneers (36-16) are be the No. 5 seed in this year's Southeast Regional and will face second-seeded Francis Marion University Thursday at 3 p.m. Francis Marion claimed the Peach Belt's automatic bid by winning the PBC Tournament title Sunday night.

Georgia College & State University captured an at-large berth and is the No. 3 seed and will face No. 4 seed and Food Lion SAC Tournament Champion Catawba College at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Host USC Aiken is the top seed and will face sixth-seeded Belmont Abbey College, who earned an automatic bid by winning the Conference Carolinas Tournament title at 7 p.m. USC Aiken was the Peach Belt Conference regular season champion.

Ranked second nationally, the Pacers will take on the sixth-seeded Belmont Abbey Crusaders, who they have already defeated twice in 2009.

The bracket was shifted from its original form for the opening round so that USC Aiken could play the night contest on Thursday. The rest of the tournament will follow the normal bracket parameters.

The NCAA Division II Baseball Championship provides for eight regional sites - six sites will host six teams, the West region will host four teams and the South region will host eight teams. All regionals are double-elimination tournaments and will be played at on-campus sites May 14-18.

The USC Aiken regional will run Thursday, May 14-Sunday, May 17. The championship round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional will commence at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Ticket prices for each daily session of the NCAA Regional are: Adults: $8; Children (ages 6-12): $5; Children under the age of 6: Free.

For more information, visit the NCAA II Southeast Baseball Regional Web Site at: http://www.pacersports.com/ncaabaseball/#

Regional champions will advance to the double-elimination championship finals May 23-30 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. The finals will be hosted by Mount Olive College and the town of Cary, N.C.

NCAA II Southeast Baseball Regional
Aiken, S.C. ∙ USC Aiken ∙ Roberto Hernandez Stadium
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Game 3: 11 a.m. - No. 3 Georgia College & State vs. No. 4 Catawba
Game 2: 3 p.m. - No. 2 Francis Marion vs. No. 5 Tusculum
Game 1: 7 p.m. - No. 1 USC Aiken vs. No. 6 Belmont Abbey

Friday, May 15, 2009
Game 4: 11 a.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5: 3 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 6: 7 p.m. - Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3

(If four teams remain after Game 6, the following procedures will be observed)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Game 7: 11 a.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 8: 3 p.m. - Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 4
Game 9: 7 p.m. - Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8

Sunday, May 17, 2009 (Championship Sunday)
Game 10: Noon - Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11: TBA - Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10 (if necessary)

(If five teams remain after Game 6, the following procedures will be observed)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Game 7: 11 a.m. - Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 8: 3 p.m. - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 9: 7 p.m. - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7

(If two teams remain after Game 9, the following procedures will be observed)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Game 10: Noon - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11: TBA - If necessary, same teams as Game 10

(If three teams remain after Game 9, the following procedures will be observed)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Game 10: Noon - Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9
Game 11: TBA - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10