Ferrum Release 5-17-04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

May 17, 2004

Ferrum to Co-Host NCAA Baseball Regional
Six-Team Regional Set for Hooker Field

Ferrum, Va. – Ferrum College will co-host an NCAA Division III Baseball Regional this weekend at Hooker Field in Martinsville, Virginia. The Panthers are hosting the event along with the city of Martinsville and the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.

The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee announced on May 16 the teams that will compete in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The Division III championship provides for a maximum field of 42 teams. Six teams will compete at five first-round sites; four teams will compete at three first-round sites. All first rounds will use a double-elimination format. Conference champions qualified automatically. Winners of the eight first-round tournaments will qualify for the double-elimination championship at Appleton, Wisconsin, May 28-June 1.

In the Martinsville Regional, Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia, earned the top seed. The Eagles bring a 40-4 record into the tournament under the direction of Coach Mike Twardoski.

The #2 seed belongs to Salisbury University from Salisbury, Maryland. The Sea Gulls are 33-11 under Coach Doug Fleetwood. Virginia Wesleyan College out of Norfolk, Virginia, earned the #3 seed. The Blue Marlins are 31-10 under Coach Nick Boothe and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament by winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament. Mary Washington College of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is the #4 seed. The Eagles are 29-10 under Coach Tom Sheridan. Methodist College of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is the #5 seed. Coach Tom Austin’s team is 27-17 and earned an automatic bid by winning the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament. York College of York, Pennsylvania, is the #6 seed. Coach Paul Saikia’s Spartans are 28-16. The Martinsville Regional begins May 20^th. Top-seeded Emory will face #6 York at 11 a.m., followed by #2 Salisbury vs. #5 Methodist at 3 p.m., and #3 Virginia Wesleyan vs. #4 Mary Washington at 7 p.m.

The entire NCAA Division III Baseball Championship is enclosed. The Martinsville Regional will be listed on the Ferrum College Athletics web site at www.ferrum.edu/athletics. For more information, please contact Ferrum Sports Information Director Gary Holden at (540) 365-4306.


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