2018 MAAC Baseball Championship Set to Begin on Wednesday

5/22/2018 11:09:44 AM

Championship Central | Bracket | Tickets | Live Stats | Notes

STATEN ISLAND, NY – The 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship is set to begin on Wednesday, May 23. For the first time in conference history the championship will be played at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, NY from May 23-26.

All games will air on ESPN+, which marks the first time in conference history that every game of the MAAC Baseball Championship will be broadcasted on an ESPN platform.

2018 MAAC Baseball Championship Schedule
Bracket	Matchup	Date	Time	Network
Winner’s Bracket	#3 Canisius vs. #6 Niagara	May 23	12:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Winner’s Bracket	#4 Siena vs. #5 Marist	May 23	3:30 p.m.	ESPN+
Winner’s Bracket	#1 Monmouth vs. Game 1 or 2 winner (lower Seed)	May 23	7:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Winner’s Bracket	#2 Quinnipiac vs. Game 1 or 2 winner (higher Seed)	May 24	12:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Elimination Bracket	Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser	May 24	3:30 p.m.	ESPN+
Elimination Bracket	Game 3 or 4 loser (lowest seed) vs. Game 5 winner	May 24	7:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Winner’s Bracket	Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner	May 25	12:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Elimination Bracket	Game 3 or 4 loser (higher seed) vs. Game 6 winner	May 25	3:30 p.m.	ESPN+
Elimination Bracket	Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 winner	May 25	7:00 p.m.	ESPN+
Championship	Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner	May 26	12:00 p.m.	ESPN+
*If necessary, Game 11 to immediately follow Game 10

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
Monmouth claimed the Regular Season title and top seed in the championship for the first time in program history. The highest they were previously seeded in the championship was No. 3 in 2016. The Hawks finished their conference slate with 16 wins, which were tied for the most they have posted since joining the MAAC in 2014. They also won 16 games in 2016. Monmouth will be making its fourth appearance in the MAAC Baseball Championship.

LET’S PLAY THREE
The 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship opens up with three games on Wednesday, May 23. No. 3 seed Canisius College (31-20, 16-8 MAAC) goes head-to-head with rival No. 6 seed Niagara University (24-25, 13-11) on Wednesday, May 23, at noon on ESPN+.

The second game of the championship features another rivalry matchup between No. 4 seed Siena College (19-33, 14-10 MAAC) and No. 5 seed Marist College (26-21, 14-10 MAAC) on Wednesday, May 23, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

Monmouth plays its first game of the 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship on Wednesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. They will meet the lowest remaining seed from games played earlier in the day.

No. 2 seed Quinnipiac (25-28, 16-8 MAAC) is in action on Thursday, May 24, at noon on ESPN+. The Bobcats take on the highest remaining seed from games played on Wednesday.

IN A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
For the fourth year in a row the MAAC Baseball Championship will be played in New York. This year’s championship marks the first-year of a three-year agreement to host the MAAC Baseball Championship from 2018-20, at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

SEED-BY-SEED SUCCESS

Since the MAAC went to the six-team championship format in 2014, a No. 5 seed and a No. 6 seed has never made an appearance in a championship final.
The last No. 4 seed to appear in the championship round was Iona in 2017. The last No. 4 seed to win the MAAC Baseball Championship was Rider in 2008.
Canisius was the last No. 3 seed to appear in a championship final and was able to capture the title in 2013.
The last No. 2 seed to appear in the championship round was Marist in 2017 and were able to win it all.
As the No. 1 seed, Fairfield claimed the 2016 MAAC Championship.

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST
The 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship is co-hosted by Fairfield University, Iona College, and Siena College. Fairfield will oversee media operations, Iona will oversee the broadcast operations and productions of all games on ESPN+, while Siena handles athletic training.

PUNCH THAT TICKET
The winner of the championship earns the MAAC’s automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Baseball Championship.

ONE TOP OF THE NATION
Niagara’s Greg Cullen finished the regular season as the nation’s leading hitter with a .457 batting average. He also ranks second in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.549) and sixth in hits per game (1.68).

GOING THE DISTANCE
Six MAAC starting pitchers sit inside the nation’s top-10 for complete games. Tommy Miller, Siena (6), John Signore, Fairfield (5), Willie Krajnik, Saint Peter’s (4), Brandon Shileikis, Quinnipiac (4), Matt Simonetti, Manhattan (4), and Brendan White, Siena (4). Miller is tied for the nation’s lead with six complete games.

DOUBLE THE BASES, DOUBLE THE FUN
Canisius’ Liam Wilson is one double away from breaking the MAAC’s single-season record for doubles (26). Wilson is currently tied with Niagara’s Reed Eastley for the record with 25 doubles this season. He is currently fourth in the nation in two-baggers.

POSTSEASON AWARDS SHOW
The 2018 MAAC Baseball Postseason Awards Show will be held at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Tuesday, May 22 at 6 p.m. The Awards Show will be streamed on MAAC.TV.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
For all information on the 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship, visit maacsports.com/baseball. Be sure to join the conversation on all social media platforms using #MAACBaseball.

Championship tickets can be purchased at ticketreturn.com, and will also be sold on-site during the event.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37^th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.