May 26: 2017 NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series first round between No. 7 seed North Central College (29-16) vs. No. 2 seed University of Massachusetts-Boston (37-10)
First Pitch: 4:30 p.m., Fox Cities Stadium, Appleton, Wisconsin
Tournament Website: http://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/NCAABaseballChampionship/Index

Setting the Scene: 56 teams were selected to this year's NCAA Division III Tournament field, with eight teams emerging from their respective regionals to advance to Appleton, Wis. for the NCAA Division III Championship at Fox Cities Stadium, May 26-31. The Cardinals enter the tournament with an overall record of 29-16 and received the No. 7 seed after going 4-0 in the Central Regional and will take on No. 2 seed University of Massachusetts-Boston on Friday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m.  This marks the second time in school history that the Cardinals have advanced to the College World Series, looking for the first win in program history as the 1987 team went 0-2 at the championship.

Tournament Field: The State University of New York at Oswego received the No. 1 seed, while UMass-Boston enters the eight-team field with the No. 2 seed.  California Lutheran University enters the field with the No. 3 seed, followed by No. 4 seed Concordia University-Chicago (Illinois), No. 5 seed Washington and Jefferson College (Pennsylvania), No. 6 seed Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and No. 8 seed Roanoke College (Virginia).

About North Central: Winners of the Central Region Championship, North Central enters CWS play winners of 14 of the last 15, going unbeaten in regional play, leading all 56 qualified regional teams with a 1.18 team ERA and a 0.95 walks allowed per nine innings over regional play.

North Central opened regional play with a 3-1 win over Washington University-St. Louis, as Austin Polezoes tossed a complete game, allowing just one run in the bottom of the first while blanking the Bears over the final eight innings.  The Cardinals followed up with a 8-3 win over Wartburg College the next day, as the Knights plated three runs in the top of the first on a three-run homerun, but North Central battled back to score in four of the first five innings, including three in the fifth to put the game out of reach, while Evan Blunk and the Cardinal bullpen consisting of Lucas Tevyaw, Anthony Serafini and Nick Rogalski put up zeroes the rest of the way.
 
Russell Hoh followed with the next brilliant performance on the mound, shutting out sixth-ranked Birmingham Southern College, 5-0, allowing just five hits over his nine innings, striking out five and walking just one over 104 pitches.  The outstanding pitching continued into the championship game in a re-match with Birmingham Southern, as Nick Anderson toed the rubber for North Central.  Anderson made just one mistake all game long, as a 2-0 fastball caught too much of the plate and was rocketed to right center for a two-run homerun in the second inning, but after that Anderson retired 11 straight batters without surrendering a walk over his eight innings.
 
Nick Sotiros tied the ballgame with a solo homerun in the bottom of the eighth as the game went to the 11^th knotted 2-2.  With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 11^th, Chris Hill drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to send the Cardinals to the College World Series for just the second time in school history.
 
Sotiros was named the Most Valuable Player of the Central Regional, while Polezoes and Hoh were also named to the all-tournament team.

Michael Mateja was recently honored as Central Region Player of the Year by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings.  Sotiros was also named first team All-Central Region by D3baseball.com, while earning third team honors from ABCA/Rawlings.  Hill and Blunk were also named All-Central Region by the ABCA/Rawlings, as Hill was named to the second team in consecutive seasons and Blunk earned third team honors.

Five Cardinals were named to the All-CCIW teams earlier this season, led by first-team selections Mateja and Sotiros, while pitchers Blunk and Polezoes were named to the second team along with John Carmody as a utility player.  Mateja was named the conference's Player of the Year after leading the CCIW in nearly every offensive category, while Ed Mathey and his staff earned Coach of the Year honors, the fourth career honor for Mathey.

The Cardinal lineup features five players with a batting average of .330 or higher, led by Mateja's .414 average to go along with a team-leading 77 hits, 59 runs scored, 118 total bases, 21 stolen bases, a .634 slugging percentage and .489 on-base percentage, while reaching base safely in each of the last 40 games dating back to Mar. 20.

Sotiros leads the team with 60 RBI, 18 doubles and seven homeruns, while ranking second on the team with a .347 batting average, 66 hits, four triples and a .595 slugging percentage.  Carmody ranks third on the team batting .343, while his 14 hit by pitches lead the team and five homeruns rank second.

Senior catcher Hill enters with a batting average of .330, smacking four homeruns and 13 doubles while driving in 37 and drawing a team-high 24 walks.  Jeremy Quade is hitting at a .333 clip this season, ranking second on the team with 53 runs scored.

The Cardinal pitching staff features a pair of six-game winners, as Blunk is 6-2 with a 3.17 earned run average, striking out 33 over 54 innings pitched and walking just 12.  Blunk has allowed just four runs and three walks over his last six starts totaling 41 innings with a 0.88 ERA over that span.

Hoh has posted a record of 6-1 this season with a 4.34 ERA over 56 innings, punching out 28 with just 10 walks.  Rogalski has won five games in 25 appearances, all out of the bullpen, while also saving seven games.

Serafini has also appeared in 25 games out of the pen this season, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.78 ERA, while Tevyaw has recorded a 1.93 ERA over 17 appearances.

Scouting UMass-Boston: UMass-Boston punched their ticket to Appleton for the second time in school history, defeating Babson College in the final of the New England Regional.  The Beacons enter the CWS with a record of 32-10, ranked 19^th in the last D3baseball.com Top 25 poll.

The Beacon offense packs a powerful punch at the top of the lineup, with four players batting over .365, as Josh Lopez is batting a team-leading .394 with 54 hits and 39 runs scored.  Luke Nagle is hitting .388, while Kyle Boudrias leads the team with 68 hits, while batting at a .386 clip.
 
Chris Fowler leads the team with six homeruns, four triples, 46 RBI, 101 total bases, 32 walks and a .587 slugging percentage, while also batting .366.
 
Matt Tulley leads the team with an 8-2 record and 71 strikeouts over 61 innings, posting a 2.36 ERA over 12 appearance, including nine starts.  Bryan Kaufman sports a minuscule 1.08 ERA with four saves and a 3-0 record over 21 appearance, totaling 58 1/3 innings.  Bobby Tramondozzi has appeared in a team-leading 23 games, all out of the bullpen, with a 4-2 record and six saves.

Scouting SUNY-Oswego: The Lakers enter World Series play as the highest ranked team in the last D3baseball.com Poll, ranking seventh with a record of 32-9 to earn the No. 1 seed, winning the New York Regional with a 9-4 win over the University of Southern Maine in the championship, after a 7-6 loss earlier in the day forced the winner-take-all final game.

Eric Hamilton has started all 41 games this season, leading the team in nearly every offensive category, batting .434 with a team-leading 69 hits, 40 runs scored, 20 doubles, 36 RBI, 101 total bases, a .635 slugging percentage and a .489 on-base percentage.  His 20 doubles this season currently rank sixth nationally.

Mike Dellicarri leads the team with seven homeruns on the season, while ranking second on the team with 45 hits, 31 runs scored, 13 doubles, 33 RBI, 81 total bases and a .633 slugging percentage.
The Laker staff has been anchored by Tim Cronin and Mitchell Cavanagh, as Cronin sports a 9-1 record with a 2.28 ERA over 10 starts with six complete games.  Cavanagh enters with an unblemished 8-0 record over 10 starts with a 2.37 ERA, striking out a team-high 53 over 64 2/3 innings.

Scouting Cal Lutheran: Winners of the West Regional, the Kingsmen went unbeaten in regional play, defeating Concordia University Texas, 9-7 in the final.  Cal Lutheran comes in with a record of 35-10, ranking 15^th in the latest D3baseball.com Poll, making their sixth appearance to the finals in program history.

The Kingsmen are batting .317 as a team, led by Max Weinstein, as the junior is batting .382 on the season, starting all 45 games while also leading the team with 73 hits.  Gabe Gunter leads the team with five homeruns, 17 doubles and 39 RBI, while batting .350 with a .550 slugging percentage.

On the mound, five pitchers have accounted for 95 of the team's 122 appearances, as the Kingsmen have four players with 17 or more appearances, led by Miguel Salud's 29, all out of the pen, ranking fourth nationally with 11 saves.
 
Marshall Pautsch is tied for the Division III lead with 16 starts this season, posting a 3.19 ERA with 93 strikeouts over 101 2/3 innings with a 9-2 record.  Nate Wehner is 8-3 with three saves over 20 appearances, including 10 starts, sporting a 2.29 ERA over 94 1/3 innings.

Scouting Concordia-Chicago: The Cougars advance to the Division III finals for the first time in school history after wreaking havoc in the Midwest Regional as their smallest margin of victory during the regional was by five runs, running over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse by scores of 14-0 and 17-3 in the championship.  The Cougars enter CWS play with an overall record of 33-11 and were scheduled to play North Central during the regular season but was canceled due to inclement weather.
 
Bryan VanDuser has paced the Cougar offense batting .413 so far this season, while leading the way with 74 hits, 56 runs scored, three triples, 104 total bases, a .581 slugging percentage and a .498 on-base percentage.  Brent Spohr's 22 doubles this season currently rank second nationally, while the Cougars rank fourth nationally with 122 stolen bases and 14 with 39 homeruns.  Concordia-Chicago has five players with double digit steals, led by Kevin Garvey's 20 on 22 attempts.
 
Brian Musielak has backed the Cougar pitching staff, going 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA over 16 appearances, five starts, while Mike Formella has appeared in 25 games with a 6-1 record with seven saves.

Scouting Washington and Jefferson: Washington and Jefferson qualified for the finals after winning the Mideast Regional, as the Presidents began regional play 3-0 before suffering a 7-6 loss to the State University of New York at Cortland, before rebounding with a 6-3 win in the winner-take-all final.
 
Washington and Jefferson features one of the most powerful offenses in the country, leading the nation in hits (575), runs scored (451) and homeruns (49), while ranking second in batting average (.351), slugging percentage (.534) and doubles (120).  The Presidents enter CWS play with a record of 38-11, ranking 16^th in the latest D3baseball.com Poll.
 
The Presidents have three batters hitting over .400, led by Nick Vento's .438 average, ranking third nationally with 81 hits, and seventh nationally with 57 RBI and 124 total bases while starting all 48 games.  Five players have hit five or more homeruns, led by 11 off the bat of Derek Helbing, while Vento and Frank Fortunato have each smacked eight.
 
Nick Gatins is batting .424 and is tied with Mark Merlino for the team doubles lead with 18, while Kevin Begley is batting at a .414 clip this season.
 
Riley Groves leads the Presidents' staff with a 10-2 record over 13 starts with a 2.03 ERA, striking out 61 over 79 2/3 innings.  Bryce Schnatterly has posted an unbeaten 8-0 record with a 3.15 ERA over nine starts.  Will Bowser has appeared in 18 games out of the pen, sporting a 1.35 ERA with a 1-1 record and one save.
 
Scouting Wheaton (Mass.): Wheaton came away with a 1-0 nail-biter in the championship game of the Mid-Atlantic Regional over Shenandoah University, as Mike Bruemmel tossed a complete-game shutout to clinch the Lyons third trip to the finals, the first since 2012, entering with a record of 27-15.
 
Bruemmel is 5-2 on the season over nine starts, posting a 2.91 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 55 2/3 innings.  Brady Furdon is also 5-2, sporting a 3.39 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 71 2/3 innings.
 
Zach Goodwin-Boyd leads the team batting .343 with a team-high six homeruns and 39 RBI, while his seven doubles currently rank eighth nationally.  Josh Lajoie leads the team with 62 hits, 43 runs scored, 16 doubles and a .418 on-base percentage while batting .341 on the season.
 
Scouting Roanoke: Winners of the South Regional, Roanoke began regional play 3-0 before losing a tough 7-6 game to Salisbury University, but regrouped to run away with a 13-5 win in the final, entering CWS play with a record of 33-17.
 
The Maroons currently rank fourth nationally as a team with 26 triples on the season, as Will Decker ranks second with 11 and Sean Guida ranks third with 10. Guida also ranks 12^th nationally with 74 hits and 17^th with 54 runs scored.
 
Guida is batting a team-leading .343 on the season, also leading the team with 17 stolen bases.  Collier Donald is hitting .337 and has belted a team-high five homeruns, while tying Decker for the team lead with 43 RBI.
 
The Maroon staff features a pair of six-game winners in John Ruhlman and Sal Trancucci, as Ruhlman is 6-6 with a 4.17 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 99 1/3 innings, leading the nation with 16 starts.  Trancucci has appeared in 21 games, two starts, with a 6-2 record and 3.78 ERA, while Craig Kiley leads the team with five saves.
 
Cardinals in the Record Book: Sotiros now has two of the top 10 spots on the program's single-season doubles list as his 22 from last season rank atop the list and his 18 from this season currently rank third.  Sotiros' 60 RBI this season currently rank sixth on the program's single-season list, while his 68 hits from last season rank tied for fourth and his 66 this season rank tied for seventh.  Additionally, his 11 hit by pitches rank eighth and his 113 total bases this season rank 10th.

Mateja's eight triples this season broke the single-season record set by Kory Witmer in 1994, while his 77 hits also broke the single-season record of 76 set by Nick Robinson in 2010.  His 59 runs scored this season rank second, 21 stolen bases rank fifth, 118 total bases rank sixth and 11 hit by pitches rank tied for eighth.
 
The Cardinals have re-written the top-10 in single-season at-bats, as Quade's 195 this season broke his old record of 190 set last season, while Sotiros' 190 at-bats this season are tied for second.  Mateja's 186 at-bats rank fourth, followed by Hill's 183 in fifth, Sotiros' 175 from 2016 in seventh and Hill's 173 from 2016 in ninth.

Quade's 53 runs scored this season rank tied for fourth, while his 65 hits rank 10^th and 24 stolen bases from 2016 rank second.

Hill is currently tied for the program's all-time lead in doubles with 44, while his 19 in 2016 rank second on the single-season list.  Sotiros' 40 career doubles rank tied for fourth, while his 104 RBI rank 10^th.  Sotiros and Mateja are also tied for eighth on the career triples list, while Mateja also sits seventh in career steals with 39.  Three Cardinals sit in the top-10 in career sacrifice flies, as Hill ranks sixth with eight, while Mateja and Sing Fong ranks eighth with seven.  Additionally, Fong's six sac flies this season are tied for second on the single-season list.

On the mound, Rogalski and Serafini are both tied for the single-season record for appearances, both making 25 this season, while Rogalski's 20 appearances last season rank eighth.

Rogalksi's 11 career saves over the last two seasons currently rank tied for second on the program's career list, while his seven saves this season are tied for the single-season lead.  Blunk's 15 career wins are tied for eighth all-time, while his next start will tie him for ninth on the career list with 26.

Team Single-Season Records: The Cardinals entered the top-10 in multiple single-season categories so far this season, breaking the single-season records for hit by pitches (66) and putouts (1,192), while ranking third in hits (500) and assists (464), fourth in runs scored (323), total bases (685), sacrifice flies (22) and shutouts (3), fifth in RBI (288), sixth in wins (29) and saves (9), while ranking ninth in stolen bases (72) and strikeouts (228), and 10^th in triples (15). 

National Rankings: Sotiros' 60 RBI this season currently rank second among all NCAA Division III players, while Mateja ranks fifth in triples (8) and runs scored (59), sixth in hits (77) and ninth in total bases (118).

Rogalski and Serafini each rank sixth in appearances with 25 each, while Rogalski's seven saves rank 21^st nationally.