2017 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament

2017 NCAA Division III
Baseball Tournament
Season	2017
Teams	56
Finals site	Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium; Grand Chute, Wisconsin;
Champions	Cal Lutheran (1st title)
Runner-up	Washington & Jefferson
	()
	← 2016 ; NCAA Division III Baseball Championship; 2018 →;

The 2017 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 2017 NCAA Division III baseball season to determine the 42nd national champion of college baseball at the NCAA Division III level. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin for the championship. Eight regional tournaments were held to determine the participants in the World Series. Regional tournaments were contested in double-elimination format, with four regions consisting of six teams, and four consisting of eight, for a total of 56 teams participating in the tournament. The tournament champion was Cal Lutheran, who defeated Washington & Jefferson in the championship series in three games.^[1]^[2]

On Sunday, May 21, the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen advanced to the Division III College World Series for the first time since 1999, with a 9-7 victory over Concordia University Texas. The team historically finished third in 1999 and were the runner-up in 1992 and 1996. The team started strong in the World Series, beating Wheaton College 4-2 and taking 14-5 and 10-8 decisions over North Central College. This meant Cal Lutheran was in the best of three championship series against Washington & Jefferson.^[3]^[4]^[5] The team was led by head coach Marty Slimak for the 24th year. Slimak had played in the DIII College World Series five times before and had helped his team to the national championship game twice.^[6]

On May 30, Cal Lutheran won its first baseball championship after defeating the Washington & Jefferson College Presidents 7-3 in the decisive third game at the Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. CLU had to win twice on Tuesday, May 30, in order to win the championship title. Kingsmen player of the Philippines was named the SCIAC Most Outstanding Player.^[7]^[8]^[9] He was also an NCAA Division III West All-Region Third-Team pick and a SCIAC second-team pick.^[10]

It was Salud's first and only season of collegiate baseball at CLU. As a closer, Salud led Division III in saves with fourteen. He delivered six saves in ten playoff games during postseason play. Salud played a key role in the team winning their first World Series.^[11]^[12] He appeared in 33 games, second-most for Division III players that season, and went on to earn fourteen saves with a 3-2 record. Cal Lutheran finished with a 40-11 record for the season.^[13] Another Kingsmen player, Brad Fullerton, finished with a tournament-best 11 hits to help CLU win the Division III College World Series.^[14]

The Kingsmen earned the second Division III national title in the university's history, joining the 2015 women's volleyball team.^[15]^[16] The 40-11 season was the best in team history and included a 5th straight SCIAC regular season title.^[17]

Bids[]

The 56 competing teams were: ^[18]

By Team[]

By conference[]

Conference	Total	Schools
American Southwest Conference	2	Concordia (TX), Texas–Tyler
Empire 8	2	Ithaca, St. John Fisher
Little East Conference	2	UMass–Boston, Southern Maine
MAC Commonwealth Conference	2	Alvernia, Arcadia
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	2	Macalester, St. Thomas (MN)
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference	2	Babson, Wheaton (MA)
New Jersey Athletic Conference	2	Rowan, TCNJ
North Coast Athletic Conference	2	DePauw, Wooster
Old Dominion Athletic Conference	2	Roanoke, Shenandoah
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	2	Greenville, Webster
Southern Athletic Association	2	Birmingham–Southern, Rhodes
State University of New York Athletic Conference	2	Oswego, Cortland
University Athletic Association	2	Emory, Washington (MO)
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	2	Wisconsin–La Crosse, Wisconsin–Whitewater
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference	1	La Roche
Capital Athletic Conference	1	Salisbury
Centennial Conference	1	Johns Hopkins
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin	1	North Central (IL)
Colonial States Athletic Conference	1	Keystone
Commonwealth Coast Conference	1	Salve Regina
Great Northeast Athletic Conference	1	Suffolk
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference	1	Earlham
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	1	Wartburg
Landmark Conference	1	Elizabethtown
Liberty League	1	RIT
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference	1	Worcester State
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association	1	Adrian
MAC Freedom Conference	1	Misericordia
Midwest Conference	1	St. Norbert
New England Collegiate Conference	1	Lesley
New England Small College Athletic Conference	1	Tufts
North Atlantic Conference	1	Castleton
North Eastern Athletic Conference	1	Penn State–Berks
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference	1	Concordia (IL)
Northwest Conference	1	Linfield
Ohio Athletic Conference	1	Otterbein
Presidents' Athletic Conference	1	Washington & Jefferson
Skyline Conference	1	SUNY Maritime
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	1	Cal Lutheran
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference	1	Centenary
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference	1	St. Scholastica
USA South Athletic Conference	1	LaGrange
Independents	0	none

Regionals[]

Bold indicates winner. ^[19]

Midwest Regional[]

Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium-Whitewater, WI (Host: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater)

First Round/Elimination Round 1			Second Round/Elimination Round 2			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

Winner's Bracket
4	Wisconsin–Whitewater	4
5	St. Norbert	2
				Wisconsin–Whitewater	2
				Wisconsin–La Crosse	5
1	St. Scholastica	2
8	Wisconsin–La Crosse	11
							Wisconsin–La Crosse	0
							Concordia (IL)	14
3	Adrian	5
6	St. Thomas (MN)	2
				Adrian	2
				Concordia (IL)	7
2	Concordia (IL)	8
7	Macalester	3											Concordia (IL)	17	—
													Wisconsin–La Crosse	3	—
Loser's Bracket
	St. Norbert	0
	St. Scholastica	2		Adrian	8
				St. Scholastica	11
							St. Scholastica	5
	St. Thomas (MN)	3					St. Thomas (MN)	10		Wisconsin–La Crosse	8
	Macalester	2¹¹		Wisconsin–Whitewater	2					St. Thomas (MN)	3
				St. Thomas (MN)	7

Mideast Regional[]

Ross Memorial Park-Washington, PA (Host: Washington & Jefferson College)

First Round/Elimination Round 1			Second Round/Elimination Round 2			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

Winner's Bracket
1	Wooster	2
8	Earlham	6
				Earlham	6
				Washington & Jefferson	15
4	Washington & Jefferson	12
5	Misericordia	7
							Washington & Jefferson	8
							Keystone	4
3	La Roche	2
6	Keystone	5
				Keystone	10
				DePauw	3
2	Cortland	5
7	DePauw	8											Washington & Jefferson	6	6
													Corltand	7	3
Loser's Bracket
	Wooster	12
	Misericordia	0		DePauw	13
				Wooster	4
							DePauw	0
	La Roche	2					Cortland	9		Keystone	4
	Cortland	10		Earlham	0					Cortland	22
				Cortland	5

New York Regional[]

Onondaga Baseball Complex-Syracuse, NY (Host: State University of New York Athletic Conference)

First Round			Second Round/Elimination Round 1			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

1	Oswego	11
6	Ithaca	10		Oswego	1
				Tufts	0
2	TCNJ	4					Oswego	6
5	Tufts	3					Southern Maine	4
				TCNJ	1								Oswego	6	9
				Southern Maine	10								Southern Maine	7	4
3	Southern Maine	5								Southern Maine	4
4	Castleton	3					TCNJ	4		Ithaca	0
				Ithaca	5		Ithaca	9
				Castleton	2

South Regional[]

American Legion Field-Danville, VA (Host: Averett University)

First Round			Second Round/Elimination Round 1			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

1	Salisbury	5
6	Roanoke	15		Roanoke	4
				Emory	2
2	Rowan	10					Roanoke	5
5	Emory	2					LaGrange	2
				Rowan	5								Roanoke	6	13
				LaGrange	12								Salisbury	7	5
3	LaGrange	7								LaGrange	2
4	Otterbein	1					Rowan	7		Salisbury	4
				Salisbury	6		Salisbury	8¹¹
				Otterbein	4

New England Regional[]

Whitehouse Field-Harwich, MA (Host: Massachusetts Maritime Academy)

First Round/Elimination Round 1			Second Round/Elimination Round 2			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

Winner's Bracket
4	UMass–Boston	9
5	Penn State–Berks	8¹⁰
				UMass–Boston	4
				Babson	0
1	Salve Regina	3
8	Babson	14
							UMass–Boston	13
							Suffolk	4
3	St. John Fisher	0
6	Suffolk	4
				Suffolk	1
				Arcadia	0¹¹
2	Arcadia	4
7	Worcester State	3¹²											UMass–Boston	11	—
													Babson	8	—
Loser's Bracket
	Penn State–Berks	4
	Salve Regina	12		Arcadia	0
				Salve Regina	5
							Salve Regina	4
	St. John Fisher	14					Babson	5		Suffolk	1
	Worcester State	7		Babson	12					Babson	9
				St. John Fisher	8

Central Regional[]

GCS Ballpark-Sauget, IL (Host: Webster College)

First Round			Second Round/Elimination Round 1			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

1	Birmingham–Southern	14
6	Greenville	6		Birmingham–Southern	6
				Webster	4
2	Wartburg	3					Birmingham–Southern	0
5	Webster	0					North Central (IL)	5
				Wartburg	3								North Central (IL)	3	—
				North Central (IL)	8								Birmingham–Southern	2¹¹	—
3	Washington (MO)	1								Birmingham–Southern	6
4	North Central (IL)	3					Wartburg	1		Wartburg	1
				Greenville	1		Washington (MO)	0¹²
				Washington (MO)	7

West Regional[]

Irwin Field-Tyler, TX (Host: University of Texas at Tyler)

First Round			Second Round/Elimination Round 1			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

1	Texas–Tyler	2
6	Rhodes	7		Rhodes	11
				Linfield	7
2	Centenary	12					Rhodes	8
5	Linfield	1					Cal Lutheran	10
				Centenary	2								Cal Lutheran	9	—
				Cal Lutheran	8								Concordia (TX)	7	—
3	Cal Lutheran	6								Rhodes	4
4	Concordia (TX)	3					Centenary	4		Concordia (TX)	6
				Texas–Tyler	2		Concordia (TX)	13
				Concordia (TX)	5

Mid-Atlantic Regional[]

PeoplesBank Park-York, PA (Host: Middle Atlantic Conferences)

First Round/Elimination Round 1			Second Round/Elimination Round 2			Semifinals/Elimination Semifinals			Elimination Finals			Finals

Winner's Bracket
4	Johns Hopkins	15
5	Lesley	2
				Johns Hopkins	13
				Alvernia	9
1	RIT	4
8	Alvernia	8
							Johns Hopkins	1
							Wheaton (MA)	6
3	Wheaton (MA)	8
6	Elizabethtown	6
				Wheaton (MA)	6
				Shenandoah	0
2	Shenandoah	5
7	SUNY Maritime	3											Wheaton (MA)	4	1
													Shenandoah	5	0
Loser's Bracket
	Lesley	6
	RIT	5¹⁵		Shenandoah	4
				Lesley	1
							Shenandoah	8
	Elizabethtown	13					Alvernia	6		Johns Hopkins	2
	SUNY Maritime	5		Alvernia	11					Shenandoah	4
				Elizabethtown	1

World Series[]

Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium-Grand Chute, WI (Host: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh/Lawrence University/Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau) ^[20]

First Round/Elimination Round 1			Second Round/Elimination Finals			Semifinals				Championship Series

MW2	Concordia (IL)	2

ME4	Washington & Jefferson	4
				Washington & Jefferson	11

				Roanoke	1
NY1	Oswego	7

S6	Roanoke	8
							Washington & Jefferson	8	—

							Roanoke	1	—
	Concordia (IL)	9

	Oswego	4
				Roanoke	10

				Concordia (IL)	3



											Washington & Jefferson	12	4	3

											Cal Lutheran	2	12	7
NE4	UMass–Boston	2

C4	North Central (IL)	5
				North Central (IL)	5

				Cal Lutheran	14
W3	Cal Lutheran	4

MA3	Wheaton (MA)	2
							Cal Lutheran	10	—

							North Central (IL)	8	—
	UMass–Boston	3

	Wheaton (MA)	2
				North Central (IL)	5

				UMass–Boston	4

References[]

^ "Cal Lutheran wins Game 3 to claim first national title". NCAA. May 31, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
^ "Kingsmen trump Presidents to ascend throne". d3baseball.com. May 30, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
^ "Cal Lutheran Advances to Division III Baseball World Series". 21 May 2017.
^ "Say cheese: CLU wins World Series". June 2017.
^ https://www.vcstar.com/amp/343610001
^ "College World Series Champion Kingsmen Return to Campus".
^ "Kingsmen Sweep Presidents to Win First NCAA Baseball Title". 30 May 2017.
^ "Kingsmen ballplayers go fishing, catch NCAA championship".
^ "Cal Lutheran Crowned Baseball National Champions". 30 May 2017.
^ "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.
^ "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.
^ "Pautsch, Salud Lead Division III in Statistical Categories".
^ "Pautsch, Salud Lead Division III in Statistical Categories".
^ "Cal Lutheran wins Division III College World Series title for first time".
^ "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.
^ "College World Series Champion Kingsmen Return to Campus".
^ "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.
^ "2017 NCAA Division III baseball championship selections revealed". NCAA. May 15, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
^ "2017 Division III Regionals". Baseball Reference. May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
^ "2017 Division III College World Series". Baseball Reference. June 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.

[1] "Cal Lutheran wins Game 3 to claim first national title". NCAA. May 31, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.

[2] "Kingsmen trump Presidents to ascend throne". d3baseball.com. May 30, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2018.

[3] "Cal Lutheran Advances to Division III Baseball World Series". 21 May 2017.

[4] "Say cheese: CLU wins World Series". June 2017.

[5] ttps://www.vcstar.com/amp/343610001

[6] "College World Series Champion Kingsmen Return to Campus".

[7] "Kingsmen Sweep Presidents to Win First NCAA Baseball Title". 30 May 2017.

[8] "Kingsmen ballplayers go fishing, catch NCAA championship".

[9] "Cal Lutheran Crowned Baseball National Champions". 30 May 2017.

[10] "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.

[11] "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.

[12] "Pautsch, Salud Lead Division III in Statistical Categories".

[13] "Pautsch, Salud Lead Division III in Statistical Categories".

[14] "Cal Lutheran wins Division III College World Series title for first time".

[15] "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.

[16] "College World Series Champion Kingsmen Return to Campus".

[17] "College Update: Salud saves, Cal Lutheran baseball wins first NCAA DIII World Series". Los Angeles Times. June 2017.

[18] "2017 NCAA Division III baseball championship selections revealed". NCAA. May 15, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.

[19] "2017 Division III Regionals". Baseball Reference. May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.

[20] "2017 Division III College World Series". Baseball Reference. June 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]