Canisius Set to Face No. 14 Minnesota in NCAA Baseball Championship Minneapolis Regional

Canisius Set to Face No. 14 Minnesota in NCAA Baseball Championship Minneapolis Regional

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Champions, Canisius College (35-20) takes on the University of Minnesota (41-13) in the NCAA Baseball Championship Minneapolis Regional. The Griffs go head-to-head with the Golden Gophers on Friday, June 1, at 8 p.m. (ET) from Siebert Field in Minneapolis, MN and will stream live on ESPN3.
 
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.
 
GRIFFS ARE GOLDEN
No. 3 Canisius defeated No. 1 Monmouth, 11-0, to earn its third MAAC Baseball Championship in program history and first since 2015. The win was the first-ever shutout in a MAAC Baseball Championship finale.
 
Canisius is now 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.
 
GOING DANCING
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.
 
MAAC TEAMS IN REGIONAL PLAY
The last MAAC team to win a NCAA Tournament game was No. 4 Siena College in 2014. The Saints defeated No. 2 Dallas Baptist, 9-8, in 10 innings. Prior to Siena’s win in 2014, Manhattan College was the last MAAC Team to win a NCAA Tournament game. The Jaspers won two contests in the Nebraska Regional in 2006.
 
GRIFFS BY THE NUMBERS
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).
 
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.
 
IN A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
For the fourth year in a row the MAAC Baseball Championship was played in New York. This year’s championship marked 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.
 
MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP 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 claimed the 2018 MAAC Championship as the No. 3 seed.
  • 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.
 
ONE TOP OF THE NATION
Niagara’s Greg Cullen finished the regular season as the nation’s leading hitter with a .458 batting average. He also ranks second in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.556) and 10th in hits per game (1.65).
 
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 set the MAAC single-season record for doubles with 26. Wilson hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth inning in a win over Quinnipiac on Thursday, May 24
 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
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.
 
All-session tickets can be purchased at a cost of $90 for a reserved stadium seat, $60 for an adult reserved bench seat, or $50 for a student, youth, or senior bench seats. Single-game tickets will be priced at $20 for remaining stadium seats while bench seats will be $12 for adults and $10 for students, youth, and seniors. Tickets can be purchased here.
 
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 37th 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.