BEREA, Ohio – The No. 8-nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team continues its season as it has advanced to the four-team and double-elimination Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament on May 7 through May 9 at Heidelberg University at Peaceful Valley Field in Tiffin, Ohio.
No.7-ranked Heidelberg (29-10), who was the regular season champion, is the top seed and will host the tournament as it finished with 14-4 record in the OAC.
BW (31-8), John Carroll University (24-14), Marietta College (24-15) and Ohio Northern University (30-9) all ended the regular season with identical records of 12-6 in OAC play to tie for second place.
In order to determine the final seedings, run differential among the four teams that tied for second place was the tie-breaker and deciding factor. Marietta had a +59 run differential against the other nine OAC teams and earned the second-seed. BW had a +26 run differential and is the third-seed. JCU had a +22 run differential and is the fourth-seed. ONU had a +18 run differential, and that is why it was left out of the tournament.
The Yellow Jackets, who lost in the OAC Tournament Championship Game last season to JCU, opens the tournament as it did a year ago by facing the Pioneers on Thursday, May 7 at 4 p.m. The only difference this season is the tourney is at Heidelberg. Last season, it was at Marietta.
The winner of the BW versus Marietta game will face the winner of the top-seeded Student Princes versus the Blue Streaks' game on Friday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m. A year ago, JCU and Heidelberg also played in the first round. The losers of the first two games will face in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. A second elimination game will round out the Friday schedule.
If all goes well, and the weathjer cooperates, the OAC Championship Game(s) are scheduled for Saturday, May 9 in Tiffin. Sunday, May 10 is the rain day.
Click Here for the complete OAC Tournament bracket.
The winner of the OAC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament which starts the Week of May 11. A year ago, BW won the Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional title and advanced to its first-ever Division III College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin at placed fifth of eight teams.
