Canisius Draws No. 14 Minnesota in 2018 NCAA Baseball Championship Minneapolis Regional
2018 NCAA Baseball Championship Bracket
EDISON, NJ – 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Champions, Canisius College (35-20) is set to face the University of Minnesota (41-13) in the NCAA Baseball Championship Minneapolis Regional. Regional play begins on Friday, June 1, at 8 p.m. (ET) from Siebert Field in Minneapolis, MN, and will stream live on the ESPN app.
Gonzaga University and UCLA make up the rest of the Minneapolis Region. Minnesota is the No. 1 seed in the region, followed by No. 2 seed UCLA, No. 3 seed Gonzaga, and No. 4 seed Canisius. The NCAA Baseball Championship begins with 16 Regionals, each with four teams playing in a double-elimination format.
The Griffs will be making their third appearance in the NCAA Championship and first since 2015. In two prior appearances in the NCAA Championship, Canisius has collected an (0-4) record. In 2015, the Griffs competed in the Springfield Reginal and in 2013, they played in the Chapel Hill Regional.
Canisius defeated Monmouth University, 11-0, in the 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship finale on Saturday, May 26, to earn the leagues’ automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship. The Griffs went (4-0) in the MAAC championship en route to their third title in program history (2018, 2015, 2013).
Canisius is tied with Iona College, Manhattan College, and former member Fordham University for the fifth-most MAAC Baseball Championships. Since 2009, the Griffs have competed in seven championship games which are the most in the conference over the 10-season span.
John Conti, Mark McKenna, Tyler Smith, Ryan Stekl, and J.P. Stevenson were named to the 2018 MAAC Baseball All-Championship Team. Stevenson was tabbed the Championship Most Valuable Player. Smith earned the 2018 MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year honor, while Stevenson claimed 2018 MAAC Pitcher of the Year.
Canisius leads the MAAC in on-base percentage (.398), runs scored (390), hits (537), RBI (337), triples (17), walks (278), hit by pitches (99), and stolen bases (70). The Griffs rank second in the league in batting average (.283), slugging percentage (.418), doubles (108), home runs (38), total bases (793).
On the mound Canisius leads the conference in ERA (4.30), opposing batting average (.238), innings pitched (475.2), strikeouts (422), and saves (14).
For all information on the 2018 NCAA Baseball Championship, visit
NCAA.com. Be sure to join the conversation on all social media platforms using #MAACBaseball.
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.