Franklin Pierce Earns Top Seed, Will Host NCAA Northeast Regional NE-10 Champion Ravens to host Southern Conn. State, Adelphi and UMass Lowell at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field Thursday through Saturday 

RINDGE, N.H. (May 16, 2005) - 2005 Northeast-10 Conference Champion Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 27 in the most recent Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, has been selected as the top seed and will host the 2005 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Tournament this week.

Franklin Pierce (30-12, 21-9 NE-10), which reached the 30-win plateau for the fourth-straight season after claiming its first NE-10 Tournament title on Sunday, will host the four-team double-elimination event Thursday through Saturday (May 19-21) at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field.

All-day tickets for the event are $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for senior citizens, students with valid ID's and children under the age of 12. Per the NCAA, no complimentary tickets will be issued for the tournament.

The top-seeded Ravens will host second-seeded and No. 24-ranked Southern Connecticut State University (28-12, 25-5 NE-10), the Northeast-10 Regular Season Champions, third-seeded Adelphi University (25-17, 13-7 NYCAC) and fourth-seeded UMass Lowell (27-18, 17-13 NE-10).

Action will begin Thursday with Southern Connecticut State facing Adelphi at noon, followed by UMass Lowell at Franklin Pierce at 3 p.m. (there will be a minimum of 30 minutes between games). Action will continue with three games on Friday with the regional final on Saturday. The complete schedule with times is below.

All contests will be broadcast by WFPC-LP 105.3 FM and webcast through the College's athletics website.

The Northeast Regional Champion will advance, along with the seven other regional winners to the 2005 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships in Montgomery, Ala., May 28-June 4 at Riverwalk Stadium, which will be hosted by Valdosta State University and the city of Montgomery. In the 2004 championship, Delta State University claimed its first national title by defeating the Grand Valley State University, 12-8. This year marks the 38th annual championship, and the 21st consecutive year that the finals will be held in Montgomery, Alabama.

Franklin Pierce will be hosting the Northeast Baseball Regional first the first time in school history. The contest will be held on Dr. Pappas Field, which opened just this spring. The infill artificial surface was installed by EdelGrass, Inc., of Amsterdam, Holland, and is the first facility of its kind constructed by the company in the United States.

Franklin Pierce is making its second appearance in the NCAA Baseball Tournament in program history. The Ravens swept through the 2003 Northeast Regional at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., to advance to the College World Series in Montgomery, Ala., reaching the semifinal round after receiving a No. 3 seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

2005 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional
Hosted by Franklin Pierce University

Dr. Arthur & Martha Pappas Field, Rindge, N.H.

Thursday, May 19
Game 1: #3 Adelphi (25-17) vs. #2 Southern Conn. State (28-12), Noon
Game 2: #4 UMass Lowell (27-18) at #1 Franklin Pierce (30-12), 3 p.m.

Friday, May 20
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9:30 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 21
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, Noon
Game 7: If necessary, 30-minutes upon the conclusion of game six.

Note: there will be a minimum of 30-minutes between all games.

Tickets:
Adults - $6.00
Seniors, students w/ID, children under 12 - $3.00