David Jablonski: Wittenberg earns NCAA tournament in berth in baseball for the first time in 32 years

TL;DR

Wittenberg Tigers baseball team earns its first NCAA tournament berth since 1994. They will face Webster University in Adrian, Michigan on May 15.

Key points

Wittenberg earns NCAA Division III baseball tournament berth
First appearance in NCAA tournament since 1994
Wittenberg's record is 31-11 this season
They will play Webster University in Adrian, Michigan
Game scheduled for May 15

Wittenberg TigersWebster UniversityNCAA Division III baseball tournament

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The Wittenberg Tigers will play in the NCAA Division III baseball tournament for the first time since 1994.

Wittenberg (31-11) received an at-large berth when the bracket was announced on Monday, May 11. It will play Webster University (30-14) on Friday, May 15, in Adrian, Mich., at a time to be announced.

Today is an exciting day for our program," said Wittenberg Head Coach Mitchell Griffiths in a press release. "Finally breaking through and earning a spot in the NCAA Regional for the first time in over 30 years is truly special. I'm incredibly happy for our current players, as well as all the former players who helped build this program and put us in this position. We're looking forward to heading to Adrian and competing against three outstanding teams for a regional championship.

Webster earned a bid by winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

The other game in the Adrian Regional features host Adrian College (31-10) against another North Coast Athletic Conference school, DePauw University (28-13).

EARLIER COVERAGE: Wittenberg has nation's best batting average

The 64-team tournament starts with double-elimination regionals. Regional winners advance to best-of-three Super Regionals.

If Wittenberg advances to the second weekend, the possible Super Regional opponents are the University of Scranton, Bridgewater College (Va.), the University of Chicago and Washington & Jefferson University.

Wittenberg, which ranked 13th in the Division III Baseball Coaches Poll last week, lost 14-8 to No. 1 Denison in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament Saturday in Chillicothe. Denison (40-1) won its seventh straight title.

Four Wittenberg players made the all-tournament team: junior first baseman Xander Rodriguez; senior second baseman Tommy Chilicki; freshman designated hitter Corbin Marshall; and senior third baseman Alex Nemunaitus.

Denison also beat Wittenberg twice in the regular season: 8-7 and 13-12 in Springfield on April 25.

In 1994, when Wittenberg last played in the tournament, it beat Marietta and then the host school, Wooster, before losing two games to Wooster.

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Q&A

When did Wittenberg last participate in the NCAA baseball tournament?

Wittenberg last participated in the NCAA baseball tournament in 1994.

Who will Wittenberg play in the NCAA tournament?

Wittenberg will play Webster University in the NCAA tournament.

What is Wittenberg's baseball record this season?

Wittenberg has a baseball record of 31 wins and 11 losses this season.