The Middlebury baseball team has earned the top seed in the NESCAC West Division and will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series against Tufts (East #4) beginning on Saturday. The contests mark the first time in program history that the Panthers have hosted postseason games. The 2022 NESCAC Baseball Championship features a new format following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the top-four teams in each division qualify for the NESCAC Championship based on the standings from the round-robin divisional play. The eight teams will play a cross-divisional quarterfinal best-of-three series on the campus of the higher seeds on May 7 and 8. The winners from the quarterfinal weekend will advance to the championship weekend, May 13-15, at Trinity College. The NESCAC Champion will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Bowdoin and Colby finished the regular season with identical 8-4 marks in the East Division. The Polar Bears won the series over Colby to grab the top seed in the East while the Mules are the No. 2 seed. Bowdoin, Colby and the top two seeds in the West (No. 1) Middlebury and (No. 2) Hamilton will host the cross-divisional quarterfinal matchups the weekend of May 7-8.
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2022 NESCAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals (best of three series)
Saturday, May 7 & Sunday, May 8
Amherst (West #4) at Bowdoin (East #1)
Wesleyan (West #3) at Colby (East #2)
Tufts (East #4) at Middlebury (West #1)
Trinity (East #3) at Hamilton (West #2)
Championship Weekend at Trinity
May 13-15
Double-elimination tournament with the quarterfinal winners
#1 EAST – Bowdoin Polar Bears
2022 Record: 15-17 / 8-4 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 8
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 2 (last: 2012)
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Tiebreaker: The Polar Bears won the divisional series over Colby, 2-1, on April 23 to earn the tiebreaker over the Mules and the No. 1 seed in the East.
Notes: Bowdoin is making its eighth NESCAC Tournament appearance and first since 2013 … The Polar Bears are the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since 2006 and will host the West No. 4 seed Amherst in the quarterfinal series … The quarterfinal series marks the first home postseason games for the Polar Bears since they served as host of the 2006 NESCAC Championship … Bowdoin played Amherst in one 7-inning game over spring break on March 15 with the Mammoths posting a 10-1 victory … The Polar Bears are 3-1 against Amherst in the NESCAC postseason … The teams last met in the 2012 tournament which resulted in a 3-2 victory for Bowdoin in 11 innings.
#2 EAST – Colby Mules
2022 Record: 20-11 / 8-4 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 0
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Colby is making its first appearance in the NESCAC Championship in program history … The Mules will host West No. 3 seed Wesleyan in a quarterfinal series ... The two teams have never met in the NESCAC Tournament … Colby started the year with a 9-0 record and won four straight to finish the regular season.
#3 EAST – Trinity Bantams
2022 Record: 15-17 / 6-6 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 11
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 7 (last: 2016)
NESCAC Titles Won: 4 (last: 2012)
Tiebreaker: Trinity and Tufts finished with identical divisional records of 6-6. Trinity won the series over Tufts to earn the No. 3 seed in the East.
Notes: Trinity is the No. 3 seed in the East and back in the NESCAC Championship for the first time since 2016 and will travel to Hamilton, the West No. 2 seed … The two teams have never faced each other in the NESCAC postseason … Trinity won its fourth NESCAC title in 2012.
#4 EAST – Tufts Jumbos
2022 Record: 23-10 / 6-6 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 17 (7th consecutive)
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 11 (last: 2021)
NESCAC Titles Won: 6 (last: 2019)
Tiebreaker: Trinity and Tufts finished with identical divisional records of 6-6. Trinity won the series over Tufts to give the Jumbos the No. 4 seed.
Notes: Tufts was the NESCAC Runner-up in 2021, falling to Amherst in a best-of-three series in a modified NESCAC Championship due to a COVID-19 shortened season … The Jumbos are the No. 4 seed in the East in the expanded tournament … Tufts is making its seventh consecutive appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and 17th overall … The Jumbos travel to Middlebury, the No. 1 seed in the West … Tufts owns a 5-4 advantage over the Panthers in the NESCAC Championship series, including an 8-3 win in the 2019 championship game when the Jumbos won their sixth NESCAC title … Tufts opened the year with 10 straight wins and closed out the regular season winning four of its last six.
#1 West – Middlebury Panthers
2022 Record: 24-910 / 10-2 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 5
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 3 (last: 2019)
NESCAC Titles Won: 1 (2006)
Notes: Middlebury is the No. 1 seed in the West for the third time in program history and the first time since 2017 … The Panthers will host Tufts, the No. 4 seed in the East in a quarterfinal series … Middlebury trails in the NESCAC Championship series, 4-5, including an 8-3 loss in the 2019 championship game … The Panthers won their only NESCAC title in 2006 … Middlebury enters the NESCAC postseason having won 17 of their last 19 games.
#2 WEST – Hamilton Continentals
2022 Record: 16-14 / 7-5 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 0
NESCAC Finals Appearance: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Notes: Hamilton has qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the first time in program history … The Continentals will host Trinity, the East No. 3 seed, in the quarterfinals, marking the first meeting between the two teams in the NESCAC Tournament … The Continentals earned the No. 2 seed with a 7-2 victory over Williams in the final regular-season game of the conference slate on May 3.
#3 WEST – Wesleyan Cardinals
2022 Record: 18-14 / 6-6 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 10
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 3 (last: 2015)
NESCAC Titles Won: 2 (2014 & 2015)
Notes: Wesleyan is making its 10th appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and is the West No. 3 seed … The Cardinals will travel to Colby, the East No. 2 seed … The two teams have never faced each other in the NESCAC Championship … Wesleyan won back-to-back NESCAC titles in 2014 and 2015.
#4 West – Amherst Mammoths
2022 Record: 14-6-1 / 5-7 NESCAC
NESCAC Tournament Appearances (including this year): 14
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 7 (last: 2021)
NESCAC Titles Won: 5 (last: 2021)
Notes: The Mammoths won the 2021 NESCAC title after sweeping Tufts in a best-of-three series in the COVID shortened season … Amherst is the No. 4 seed in the new tournament format and will face Bowdoin, the top seed in the East in the quarterfinal series … The two teams played one 7-inning game over spring break on March 15 with the Mammoths posting a 10-1 victory … Amherst is 1-3 against Bowdoin in the NESCAC postseason … The teams last met in the 2012 tournament which resulted in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings for the Mammoths.
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