Salem State Seeded Seventh In NCAA New England Baseball Regional, Faces Wheaton In Opening Round Wednesday Evening
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference champion Salem State is seeded seventh in the 2013 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regionals, as the Vikings begin their quest for the national crown on Wednesday evening by taking on second-seeded and 2012 national runner-up Wheaton in opening round action at Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass. at 8:00 p.m. EDT
Courtesy Salem State Sports Information
Salem, Mass. – Salem State has earned the #7 seed in the upcoming 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament New England Regional, and will face #2 Wheaton College on Wednesday, May 15th at 8:00 pm at Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass. Eight teams will compete at the regional site in a double-elimination format, with the winner advancing to the national championship at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin, May 24-28. 56 teams, including thirty-eight conference champions qualified for thr tournament.
All games from the New England Regional will be webcast @ www.ecacsports.com.
Salem State (25-13) earned the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) automatic bid after winning its first conference championship since 2006. The Vikings, also won their first tournament game that season, beating Southern Maine 8-5.
Salem State defeated Westfield State 5-0 in the MASCAC title game, and will enter the tournament having won six straight. Wheaton (30-10) ranked 15th in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) title with a 6-3 victory in the championship game over MIT. The Lyons, who are making their 12th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament were national runners-up a year ago. The Vikings played Wheaton earlier this season and lost 6-5 at home on March 28th.
Salem State is led by senior outfielder Steve Buitkus, the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Year and MASCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. A native of Reading, Mass., Buitkus batted .308 with six doubles and 15 RBI this spring, and had a league-leading 16 stolen bases. Freshman third baseman Richard Fecteau (Nantucket, Mass.), who earned the 2013 MASCAC Rookie of the Year Award, batted .369 with five triples and 24 RBI. Leading the Vikings in his inaugural season is head coach Mike Ward, who was recognized as the 2013 MASCAC Coach of the Year, after guiding the Vikings to a 12-2 conference record.
Day 1 Schedule: NCAA Division III Tournament New England Regional: Wednesday, May 15 at Whitehouse Field
Game 1: #4 Western New England vs. #5 MIT 9:30 a.m.
Game 2: #1 Southern Maine vs. #8 Daniel Webster 1:00 p.m.
Game 3: #3 Endicott vs. #6 St. Joseph's (ME) 4:30 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Wheaton vs. #7 Salem State 8:00 p.m.