Baseball team rolls into PBC title series
The University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) baseball team made quick work of the opening weekend of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) baseball tournament. After three victories by a combined 32-4 score, the No. 1 seed Nighthawks will host No. 2 seed Lander in the best-of-three PBC championship series May 8-9 at Bob Stein Stadium in Dahlonega, Georgia. Game 1 of the PBC title series is at 5 p.m. May 8, with Game 2 at 1 p.m. May 9 and Game 3, if necessary, at 5 p.m. May 9.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ opened its four-team, double-elimination bracket with a 9-1 victory against Middle Georgia State on May 1, then beat Flagler 12-2 and 11-1 in consecutive days to advance to the PBC title series. The Nighthawks' two wins against Flagler each came in seven innings due to the run rule.
, and picked up pitching wins during the first weekend of the PBC tournament. had a pair of three-hit games, while and each had a three-hit game.
First-year Â鶹ÊÓƵ head coach 's team now sets it sights on the PBC championship matchup with Lander. The Nighthawks (41-12) won two out of three games against the Bearcats (34-19) from Feb. 20-22, with a 4-3 victory in 10 innings in the rubber game of the series in Dahlonega.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is seeking the program's second-ever PBC tournament title and first since 2008. The team has already secured its first outright PBC regular-season championship since 2017, which was the last time the program reached the eight-team NCAA Division II championship.
The Nighthawks are also putting themselves in strong position ahead of the NCAA Division II tournament, as they moved up to No. 3 in last week's Southeast Regional rankings. In the national postseason format, the top two teams in each regional host four-team pods in the NCAA tournament's opening weekend. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is all but assured of earning an NCAA bid for the second year in a row and fifth time since joining Division II in 2006.
Belcher earned PBC Coach of the Year honors. First-team All-PBC selections for Â鶹ÊÓƵ were Hamacher, Heard and Robitzsch. Second-team All-PBC selections for the Nighthawks were , , Duval, , , and .
PBC baseball championship series
Â鶹ÊÓƵ vs. Lander
Bob Stein Stadium, Dahlonega, Georgia
- Game 1: 5 p.m. May 8
- Game 2: 1 p.m. May 9
- Game 3 (if necessary): 5 p.m. May 9
Softball team earns PBC regular-season title
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ softball team used a late-season surge to earn its 12th consecutive Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship and will host the PBC tournament May 8-10.
Baseball team wins PBC regular-season title
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ baseball team has won its first outright Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship since 2017 and opens the PBC tournament May 1 against Middle Georgia.
Men's golf earns 6th straight NCAA bid
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ men's golf team has earned its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II postseason appearance and will compete in the South/Southeast Regional in Valdosta, Georgia.