#3 LA ROCHE OPENS NCAA MIDEAST REGIONAL WITH #6 ITHACA IN ADRIAN, MI

The La Roche College Redhawks clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional after defeating Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday for their fifth straight AMCC Championship and their sixth in the past seven years.

This morning, it was announced that La Roche is the #3 seed in the NCAA Mideast Regional in Adrian, Michigan. The Redhawks open regional play on Thursday at 4:30pm against #6 seed Ithaca College. La Roche's second game will be played on Friday against either #2 Otterbein or #7 Adrian.  Other teams participating in the Mideast Regional are:

1. Wooster
2. Otterbein
3. La Roche
4. Marietta
5. Shenandoah
6. Ithaca
7. Adrian
8. Wabash

 #3 La Roche enters the NCAA Mideast Regional as champions of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. They have won five straight AMCC Conference Champions and six of the past seven. They have also appeared in five straight NCAA Regionals and six in program history. The Redhawks advanced to the 2016 College World Series and placed third. They are currently ranked 16^th in the nation in D3Baseball's national poll. La Roche has one of the top offenses in the country. They lead the nation in triples and rank in the top 10 in batting average, hits, and stolen bases. Tre Thomas ranks among the nation's leaders in wins and ERA. Shane Emrich is near the top in saves and Jon Spina in batting average.

Their opponent, #6 Ithaca, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional after winning the Empire 8 Conference for the seventh straight season. Ithaca is making its 47^th NCAA Regional appearance. They have advanced to 12 College World Series and won the National Championship in 1980 and 1988.

For the second consecutive season, Wooster is the #1 seed in the Mideast Region. They are ranked #2 in the country and received an at-large bid out of the NCAC. They have made five appearances in the College World Series including two runner-ups. The Redhawks defeated Wooster in the 2016 NCAA Mideast Regional in Washington, PA. The Scots open the regional with the team they lost to in the NCAC Championship, #8 Wabash. Wabash last appeared in the NCAA Regional in 2011.

#2 Otterbein earned an at-large bid after falling to Baldwin Wallace in the OAC Championship on Saturday. They earned a bid to the NCAA South Regional last season and were national runner-ups in 1983. Otterbein opens with #7 seed and host Adrian. The Bulldogs have appeared in the regional in 11 of the past 13 seasons including a College World Series berth in 2008. La Roche defeated Adrian 17-5 on April 30.

#4 Marietta opens with #5 Shenandoah. Marietta has made 41 appearances in the NCAA Regional and 22 in the College World Series. They won the National Championship in 1981, 1983, 1986, 2006, 2011, and 2012. The Redhawks went 2-1 against Marietta this season and they are one of only two non-OAC school's with at least 10 wins against the Pioneers. Shenandoah earns it fifth straight trip to the NCAA Regional after winning the ODAC Championship for the second time. They have just missed advancing to the College World Series after falling in the NCAA Regional Championship Game the past two years.

Tournament Schedule

Thursday, May 18
10:00 AM – Game 1 – #4 Marietta vs. #5 Shendandoah
1:15 PM – Game 2 – #1 Wooster vs. #8 Wabash
4:30 PM – Game 3 – #3 La Roche vs. #6 Ithaca
7:45 PM – Game 4 – #2 Otterbein vs. #7 Adrian

Friday, May 19
10:00 AM – Game 5 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
1:15 PM – Game 6 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
4:30 PM – Game 7 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
7:45 PM – Game 8 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Saturday, May 20
10:00 AM – Game 9 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7
1:15 PM – Game 10 – Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5
4:30 PM – Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
7:45 PM – Game 12 – Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9

Sunday, May 21
12:00 PM – Game 13 – Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11
3:30 PM – Game 14 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13

Monday, May 22
TBD – Game 15 – Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 (If Necessary)