Baseball team earns NCAA tourney bid
Head coach 's first University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) baseball team has secured an NCAA Division II tournament bid. The Nighthawks earned the No. 4 seed in the Southeast Regional and will face No. 5 seed Francis Marion in the first round at 2 p.m. May 14 in Tigerville, South Carolina.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ (41-14) and Francis Marion (42-12) are part of a four-team, double-elimination pod hosted by No. 1 seed North Greenville University (47-10). No. 8 seed Lander (36-19), which swept Â鶹ÊÓƵ in the best-of-three Peach Belt Conference (PBC) championship series, rounds out the pod.
"Receiving an NCAA bid is incredibly exciting and a true reflection of the season our guys have put together. They earned this opportunity through their consistency and effort from start to finish, and I'm extremely proud of what they've accomplished up to this point," Belcher said. "It's exciting to be in, but we fully expect to go play good baseball and compete for a regional championship."
The team that advances from Tigerville will play in a best-of-three Super Regional series May 21-23 against the winner of a four-team, double-elimination pod including No. 2 seed Catawba, No. 3 seed Wingate, No. 6 seed Young Harris, and No. 7 seed Belmont Abbey.
In Belcher's debut season in Dahlonega, Georgia, the Nighthawks earned their first outright PBC regular-season championship since 2017. This is the second year in a row and fifth time overall that Â鶹ÊÓƵ has reached the NCAA tournament.
All eight Â鶹ÊÓƵ players who started at least 40 games have a batting average above .300, and the Nighthawks also have four pitchers with at least six victories. The Nighthawks will aim to make use of that balance as they enter the national tournament.
NCAA Division II Southeast regional pod
At North Greenville University
May 14
Game 1: No. 4 seed Â鶹ÊÓƵ vs. No. 5 seed Francis Marion, 2 p.m.
Game 2: No. 1 seed North Greenville vs. No. 8 seed Lander, 6 p.m.
May 15
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
May 16
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, noon
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 4 p.m.
May 17
Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, TBA
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