CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 12, 2008
Baseball Team Headed to Terre Haute, Indiana, for NCAA III Mideast Regional
GRAND RAPIDS -- The Calvin baseball team has learned its destination for NCAA III Tournament play. The Knights will travel to Rose-Hulman Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana, to participate in the NCAA III Mideast Regional.
Calvin (32-8) will enter the double-elimination Mideast Regional as the third seed and will face host and fourth-seeded Rose-Hulman (31-13) in a first round game on Wednesday at a time yet to be announced. The Mideast Regional web site can be found on-line at: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/sports/baseball/08regional/
Calvin is one of two MIAA teams in the Mideast Regional field as Adrian (30-10) is also one of the six teams at the regional. Adrian received an at-large bid to the NCAA III Tournament while Calvin gained an automatic bid by winning the MIAA regular season crown with a league record of 23-5, one game ahead of 22-6 Adrian. It marks the first time in MIAA history that two member institutions have received bids to the NCAA III Tournament in the same year.
Heidelberg (37-8) is the top seed in the regional and will face sixth-seeded Transylvania (31-12) while Wooster (34-9) is the second seed and will meet Adrian which is the fifth seed.
Rose-Hulman is a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Engineers received an at-large bid to the NCAA III Tournament after finishing second at the HCAC Tournament won by Transylvania. Wooster is a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference and also received an at-large bid. Heidelberg received an automatic bid to the NCAA III Tournament after winning the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament this past weekend. Heidelberg also captured the OAC regular season crown.
Calvin will be making its fourth overall appearance in the NCAA III Tournament including its first since 2002 when it traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Knights are 0-6 in NCAA III Tournament play and have never met Rose-Hulman in post-season play.
At 32-8, Calvin has established a school record for victories, breaking the previous mark of 28 wins set by its 2002 team. The Knights are under the direction of head coach John Sparks who is in his first year at the helm of the Calvin baseball program. Sparks prevoiusly spent six years as the head coach at Tabor College (Kansas). Sparks is a 1995 graduate of Grove City College. Grove City is part of this year's NCAA III Tournament field and will compete in a regional tournament held in Ithaca, New York.
Calvin will enter NCAA III Tournment play with a nine-game win streak. Adrian is the only member of this year's NCAA III Tournament field that Calvin has met this spring with Adrian winning three of four meetings against the Knights this year. Calvin also faced Grand Valley State this season which earned a trip to the NCAA II Tournament announced this morning. Grand Valley defeated Calvin 10-1 in a game played on April 10.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Mon May 12 05:15:57 2008
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