ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum College baseball team will be the fifth-seed in this week's Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament, to be held at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C. The Pioneers (29-16) will open against No. 2 seed Mars Hill College (27-15) on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament.

Tusculum and Mars Hill just completed a three-game SAC series this past weekend where the Pioneers captured two of the three games to win the series and solidify its spot amongst the top six teams in the conference to advance to Forest City.

Wingate University is the top-seed in this year's tournament and will face No. 6 seed Lincoln Memorial University at noon in Thursday's opening contest. Following the Tusculum/Mars Hill game, No. 3 seed Catawba College will take on fourth-seeded Carson-Newman College in Thursday's final game at 7:30 p.m.

The top six teams in the conference earned berths to the Food Lion SAC Tournament. The bracket format follows the NCAA regional six-team bracket.

Tournament play continues with three games on Friday with games at noon, 3:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Three more games are set for Saturday. The championship game will be played Sunday at 1 p.m., with a second game, if necessary, to follow.

The tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. Tusculum is in quest of its fourth-straight NCAA postseason appearance.

All-Tournament tickets will be available at the gate for $15 for adults and $7 for children and students. Daily ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for children and students.

Tusculum has captured the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament title on two previous occasions. TC won the 2005 title at Pioneer Park in Greeneville, becoming the first team to lose in its opening game and win six in a row to claim the championship. Tusculum captured its last SAC Tournament title in 2008 in Hickory, N.C., going a perfect 4-0. The Pioneers have advanced to the SAC Tournament Championship game the last three seasons and five of the last seven years.

- SAC -

2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament
McNair Field, Forest City, N.C.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Game 1: No. 1 Wingate vs. No. 6 Lincoln Memorial, Noon
Game 2: No. 2 Mars Hill vs. No. 5 Tusculum, 3:45 pm
Game 3: No. 3 Catawba vs. No. 4 Carson-Newman, 7:30 pm

Friday, April 23, 2010
Game 4: Wingate/Lincoln Memorial loser vs. Mars Hill/Tusculum loser, Noon
Game 5: Wingate/Lincoln Memorial winner vs. Catawba/Carson-Newman loser, 3:45 p.m.
Game 6: Mars Hill/Tusculum winner vs. Catawba/Carson-Newman winner, 7:30 pm

Saturday, April 24, 2010
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, Noon *
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:45 pm *
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 7:30 pm *

Sunday, April 25, 2010
Championship Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 1 pm *
Game 11 (if necessary), Game 10 winner vs. Game 10 loser, 4 pm
* If five teams remain after Game 6, and two after Game 9 OR If five teams remain after Game 6, and three after Game 9, then alternate brackets will be used.