INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the first time in school history, Newberry will play in the NCAA Baseball Championship.
The Wolves were named the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region, one of six teams to earn a selection into the 2019 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship from the region, and will host a three-team, double-elimination regional beginning Thursday night.
Newberry was an at-large selection after winning a school-record 41 games and compiling a 21-3 record in conference play, the fourth-best winning percentage in league history. The Wolves had two winning streaks of 12 or more games, went 23-2 at the Smith Road Complex, advanced to the conference tournament final for the first time in 20 years, and won all eight SAC series on their way to the program’s first-ever regular season conference championship.
The Wolves racked up eight all-conference selections, two SAC All-Defensive Team nods, and had an Academic All-District performer in addition to winning the SAC Player, Freshman, and Coach of the Year awards.
A familiar foe in No. 3 Catawba will join the Wolves in the regional, which will also see sixth-seeded Young Harris. The Catawba Indians earned the SAC’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament, while the Mountain Lions advanced with automatic bid from the Peach Belt Conference.
On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded North Greenville will host a three-team regional that also features No. 4 Mount Olive and No. 5 Lincoln Memorial. The two regional winners will square off in a best-of-three super regional next Friday and Saturday at the home of the higher seed, with one team emerging to represent the Southeast Region at the final site in Cary, North Carolina June 1-8.
Newberry’s best-ever postseason finish came in 1977, when the Wolves advanced to the NAIA World Series and finished the tournament tied for seventh.
Check newberrywolves.com throughout the week for information regarding tickets, parking, and more.
Newberry, S.C. Regional Schedule
Thursday, May 16
7:00 p.m. – Game 1: No. 3 Catawba vs. No. 6 Young Harris
Friday, May 17
3:30 p.m. – Game 2: No. 2 Newberry vs. Game 1 Loser
7:00 p.m. – Game 3: Newberry vs. Game 1 Winner
Saturday, May 18
3:30 p.m. – Game 4: TBD
7:00 p.m. – Game 5: TBD (if necessary)