Manhattan to Play Florida in NCAA Baseball Championship
MAAC Sports
Manhattan College, the 2011 MAAC Champion, will take on the University of Florida, the No.2 national seed, in the first round at the Gainesville Regional of the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. Game time is slated for 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3 and can be seen live on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network.
The Jaspers (34-17) won three games to claim the 2011 MAAC crown and earn their first trip back to the NCAA Championship since 2006 and the second time in 54 years. In Manhattan's last trip to the NCAAs, the Jaspers advanced to the Regional Finals in Lincoln, Neb. after defeating #6 Nebraska and Cornhuskers' starter Joba Chamberlain, along with San Francisco.
The Gators (45-16) captured their first SEC Championship title since 1991 with a 5-0 victory over Vanderbilt (47-10) on Sunday. It was the sixth SEC Tourney crown for the Gators, which previously brought home the hardware in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988 and 1991.
In the first matchup on Friday, the University of Miami (Fla.) will take on Jacksonville University at noon, which can also be seen on ESPNU. The Hurricanes (36-21) are in the NCAA field for the 39th consecutive year, extending its own record. The Dolphins (36-22) made it to the third round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
All of the double elimination games at the Gainesville regional will be televised on ESPNU. Two games take place on Saturday, June 4 and two more will be played on Sunday, June 5. Game seven, if necessary, will be played on Monday, June 6.