PREVIEW: Baseball Set for 17th NCAA Championship Appearance
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (May 18, 2022) – The Franklin Pierce University baseball team will open pursuit of its eighth regional title on Thursday afternoon, as NCAA Championship play opens. The first step on the path to the trophy is a four-team sub-regional at Mitchel Athletic Complex, featuring second seed and host Molloy, third-seeded Adelphi, the sixth-seeded Ravens, and seventh-seeded Le Moyne.
East Regional play at Molloy opens with a pair of games on Thursday, as Molloy takes on Le Moyne at 11 a.m., with Franklin Pierce against Adelphi scheduled to follow at 3 p.m. Thursday's schedule is subject to change, with wet weather possible on Long Island in the morning. From there, the two losing teams will meet in an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Friday, followed by a winners' bracket game at 3 p.m. Saturday features a second elimination game, at 11 a.m., followed by the first game of the championship round, at 3 p.m. Should the team coming out of the losers' bracket force a winner-take-all seventh and final game, it will occur at noon on Sunday.
Full information on the Molloy regional site can be found at the Championship Central website (link). Play will also take place concurrently at Wilmington (Del.), where three teams will be competing. Full information on the Wilmington site is available as well (link). The winners at each regional site will meet next week, in the best-of-three East Super Regional, at the site of the best advancing seed. The victor of the Super Regional will represent the East Region at the National Finals in Cary, N.C.
Scouting the Field
Molloy (36-12) is ranked No. 20/23 in the nation and qualified for the field with an automatic berth as champion of the East Coast Conference. The Lions are making their third all-time NCAA appearance, as well as their second straight, and are 4-4 all-time in the tournament. Molloy is led by junior right-hander Charlie Cucchiara, who took home ECC Pitcher of the Year accolades and owns a 2.96 ERA through 82 innings on the mound. The Lions feature eight All-ECC players, including a quintet who earned First Team accolades: Cucchiara, senior catcher Thomas Brady, graduate student outfielder Matt Overton, senior outfielder Vincent Pecora and graduate student left-handed starter Mike Andreoli. Head coach Joe Fucarino is the ECC Co-Coach of the Year.
Adelphi (30-13-2) returns to the NCAA Championship field after a one-season hiatus, for the 18th time overall, with an at-large bid out of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Panthers are 32-25 all-time in the national tournament, including regional titles in 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1999. Adelphi features the NE10's Southwest Division Player of the Year, in junior third baseman Matt Alifano, who boasts a .406/.521/.703 slash line, which is good for a 1.224 OPS over 165 at-bats (67-for-165). Alifano was joined on the All-NE10 First Team by junior first baseman Michael Draskin.
Franklin Pierce (28-15) is a seven-time regional champion (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2016) and earned an at-large bid out of the NE10 to make its 17th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship, as well as its fourth straight. The Ravens are 44-37 in the national tournament, including a trio of national semifinal appearances (2003, 2006, 2010). Three All-NE10 First Teamers lead the way for Franklin Pierce: sophomore second baseman Randy Flores (Brooklyn, N.Y.), sophomore shortstop Ian Battipaglia (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore right-hander Kyle Roche (Braintree, Mass.).
Le Moyne (26-23) returns to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2018 and makes its 15th all-time appearance, also courtesy of an at-large bid out of the NE10. The Dolphins are 30-29 in NCAA play, including regional titles in 1978, 1979 and 1981. Le Moyne features the NE10 Southwest Division Pitcher of the Year, junior right-hander Jacob Marshall, who has piled up 103 strikeouts in 78.1 innings of work. Marshall was joined on the All-NE10 First Team by graduate student outfielder Michael Smith.
Schedule
Double-elimination
Thursday, May 19
Game 1: (7) Le Moyne at (2) Molloy - 11 a.m.
Game 2: (6) Franklin Pierce vs. (3) Adelphi - 3 p.m.
Friday, May 20
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 - 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 - 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 - 11 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 - 3 p.m. (Game 5 winner eliminated with loss)
Sunday, May 22
*Game 7: Game 6 rematch - Noon
* Game 7 only necessary if Game 5 winner wins Game 6.