Heidelberg Seeded No. 1 in Mideast Regional
The 54 team field for the 2008 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships was announced early this morning and nationally-ranked Heidelberg College, under the guidance of ninth-year head coach Matt Palm, earned the No. 1 seed in the Mideast Regional hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terra Haute, Ind. Regional play begins Wednesday, May 14th and runs through Sunday, May 18.
Heidelberg will face No. 6 seeded Transylvania in game one at Rose-Hulman on May 14. First pitch is slated for noon.
Aside from No. 1 seeded Heidelberg and No. 6 Transylvania the Mideast Regional consists of No. 2 Wooster (34-9), No. 3 Calvin (32-8), No. 4 Rose-Hulman (31-13) and No. 5 Adrian (30-10).
Six teams will compete at five first round sites; eight teams will compete at three first-round sites. The regional sites are double-elimination format. Of the 54 teams selected 34 conference champions qualified automatically.
The winners of the eight first-round sites will qualify for the double-elimination championships at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisc. May 23-27.
Heidelberg, ranked ninth in the nation by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and 17th by D3baseball.com, earned a spot in the 2008 NCAA Regionals by virtue of an automatic qualifying bid following its 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The Berg topped Marietta College 5-3 and 9-8 in the OAC Tournament Championship to win the program’s second tournament title and earn its second trip to the NCAA Regionals. Its 2008 tournament title joins its 2004 championship.
Its tournament championship made it a clean sweep for the Berg on the year in the OAC. Heidelberg posted a 15-3 regular season record in the OAC to win its second-straight regular season title and earned the right to host the OAC Tournament. Overall Heidelberg has won three regular season crowns (2003, 2007, 2008).
Heading into regional play, Heidelberg boasts an overall record of 37-8, marking the most wins in a single season. Under Palm’s tutelage Heidelberg has posted at least 20 wins in each of his nine years, including four 30-win campaigns.