Trio Set for NCAA Baseball Postseason
INDIANAPOLIS — Lee, Delta State and Valdosta State will compete in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, with regional scheduled for May 19-22.
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Coming in as the No. 7-seed and making back-to-back trips are the Flames, who captured their first-ever league tournament title and the automatic bid. This is Lee’s second NCAA trip in program-history, after going 2-2 last season. The Flames, who carry a 31-22 record, are led by GSC Championship Most Outstanding Player Thomas Zazzaro at the plate, while First Team All-GSC selection Miguel Alba and GSC Freshman of the Year Jack Nedrow headline the pitching staff.
GSC regular-season champion, Delta State, will be No. 6-seed as it earned its sixth-consecutive berth and a league-best 32nd NCAA appearance. In their program’s history, the Statesmen are 93-65 all-time in the postseason, and have advanced to the Division II World Series 11 times, with the last coming in 2017. Delta State, who carry a 32-15 record, is led by GSC Coach of the Year Rodney Batts, as well as all-conference First Team honorees, Jack Barlow and Carson Clowers.
Valdosta State, which earned the No. 4-seed, will make its 13th NCAA trip, as it returns to the postseason for the time since 2019. The Blazers, who are 30-14 this season, will began play with an all-time 23-27 tournament record. The team is led by GSC Co-Player of the Year EJ Doskow as well as First Team All-GSC selection and pitcher Elijah Gill.
The regional round is broken into two-four team pods and hosted by the highest-seed. In South Region #1, No. 1-seed Tampa will welcome Valdosta State as well as No. 5-seed Nova Southeastern and No. 8 Spring Hill. In South Region #2, No. 2-seed Saint Leo will host Delta State, Lee and No. 3-seeded Rollins. Regional winners will advance to a best-of-three super regional set for May 27-28, with those winners advancing to the double-elimination championship slate for June 4-11.
GSC IN THE NCAA:
- As a league, this is the 32nd time the Gulf South Conference will be represented by three or more teams since 1974.
- Among the league’s active member, the GSC has made a combined 75 NCAA tournament appearances, which include 20 World Series trips.
- Of this year’s representatives, the GSC enters the NCAA postseason with a .556 win percentage (118-94 record).
- Four GSC schools have won a national six times — Troy (1986, 1987), Jacksonville State (1990, 1991), Delta State (2004), West Florida (2011).