'Berg Headed to Mideast Regional

For the second-straight year the nationally ranked Heidelberg University baseball team will be headed to the 2009 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships. The Berg is slated to take part in the Mideast Regional May 13-17 hosted by Adrian College at Nicoly Field.
 
Heidelberg (36-7) is the no. 1 seed of the six-team double elimination regional. Joining Heidelberg is the College of Wooster (35-8) as the two seed, followed by Marietta College (29-15), the host Bulldogs (31-9), Concordia (Ill.) (33-13) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (31-12). The Berg will take on no. 6 seeded Rose-Hulman at noon, Wednesday, May 13. Rose-Hulman captured the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament title to advance to postseason play for the second consecutive year. 
 
The NCAA Division III Baseball committee announced the 54 teams that will compete in the baseball championship early this morning. There were 35 automatic bids (Pool A), with six bids set aside for the teams not in one of those conferences (Pool B) and 13 at-large bids (Pool C) to round out the field. There are eight first round regionals and the winners will qualify for the double elimination championship at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisc. May 22-26.
 
Heidelberg is ranked fifth in the nation according to D3baseball.com and will make its third NCAA Regional appearance, including its second-straight (2004, 2008, 2009). The Berg has been awarded the no. 1 seed of the Mideast Regional for the second-consecutive year.
 
Its regional berth came via the Ohio Athletic Conference’s automatic qualifying bid after winning the OAC Tournament on Sunday.  The Berg also claimed the OAC Regular Season title as well. Under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Matt Palm, Heidelberg is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and will look to build off its experience of its regional championship appearance a season ago.