May 19, 2009
From Mount Olive College

Field Set For NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals in Cary

May 23-30, 2009
USA Baseball National Training Complex - Cary, N.C.
Hosted by Town of Cary and Mount Olive College

National Championship Game
May 30 - Noon (Eastern)
Live On CBS College Sports
 

Tickets (Now on Sale)
Advance Tickets: 919-956-BULL or click HERE
Adults: $7 per day
Children (12-under): $5 per day
Children (2-under): free
All-Session: $25
Group Tickets (min. 12 people): $4 per person per day

The eight-team field has been set for the National Finals of the 2009 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, which gets underway Saturday at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Town of Cary and Mount Olive College are serving as co-hosts for the championship. Mount Olive won the 2008 National Championship. The national championship game is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 will be nationally televised on CBS College Sports.

The championship began Thursday with eight regionals throughout the country. Six berths in the National Finals were clinched Sunday and the final two were determined Monday.

A first-time national champion is assured as none of the eight teams have ever won the NCAA II Baseball National Championship. Grand Valley State is the only participating team to have reached the title game, earning a national runner-up finish in 2004. In addition, none of the eight teams that reached the 2008 National Finals are among this year's final eight.

The double-elimination tournament begins this weekend with first round games Saturday and Sunday. Southeast Regional champion Belmont Abbey (N.C.) takes on Central Regional champion Mesa State (Colo.) Saturday at 1 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. by Midwest Regional champion Grand Valley State (Mich.) vs. South Central Regional champion Emporia State (Kan.).

Sunday at 1 p.m., West Regional champion UC San Diego faces East Regional champion Dowling (N.Y.), followed at 5 p.m. by Atlantic Regional champion West Chester (Pa.) going up against South Regional champion Lynn (Fla.).

Monday's game times will also be 1 and 5 p.m. for Memorial Day. Game times next Tuesday through Thursday will be 3 and 7 p.m. Next Friday's schedule could feature as many as two games or could be an off day, pending Thursday's results. The National Championship Game is scheduled for noon on the 30th.

The tournament is broken up into two four-team brackets. For next Thursday's games, the one-loss team in each bracket will cross over to the opposite bracket. A win by a one-loss team will result in a rematch between the same two teams the following day. The National Championship Game is a winner-takes-all contest, regardless of whether or not a team in the title game has suffered a loss in the National Finals.

Cary is one of six cities nationwide that has been designated as a "Championship City" by the NCAA. Cary joins Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind.; St. Louis, Mo.; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. Cary has hosted numerous NCAA national championships, most recently the 2008 Division I Women's Soccer College Cup in December.

Cary becomes the sixth city to host the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, dating back to 1968. Springfield, Mo., hosted the first four national championships, followed by an eight-year run in Springfield, Ill, and five years in Riverside, Calif. The national championship moved to Montgomery, Ala., in 1985 and stayed there through 2007. Mount Olive won the 2008 national title in Sauget, Ill., just east of St. Louis, Mo.

Below is a complete schedule of the 2009 NCAA Division II Baseball National Finals.

Saturday, May 23
Game 1: Belmont Abbey (38-24) vs. Mesa State (43-13) 1 p.m.
Game 2: Grand Valley State (45-14-1) vs. Emporia State (46-13) 5 p.m.

Sunday, May 24
Game 3: UC San Diego (39-13) vs. Dowling (34-16) - 1 p.m.
Game 4: West Chester (46-10) vs. Lynn (42-16) - 5 p.m.

Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day)
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 26
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 3 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 - 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 27
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 - 3 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 - 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 28
Game 11: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 9 - 3 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10 - 7 p.m.

Friday, May 29
Game 13: If Winner Game 9 wins Game 11 - TBD
Game 14: If Winner Game 10 wins Game 12 - TBD
If there are two games, game times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
If there is one game, game time is 6 p.m.
If both unbeaten teams win Thursday, there are no games Friday.

Saturday, May 30
Championship Game - Noon