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 -