Thursday, June 02, 2011

MACON, Ga. - Three Atlantic Sun Conference teams begin play in the 2011 NCAA Baseball Championship on Friday with Belmont, Jacksonville and Stetson all representing the league. With three squads in the 64-team tournament for the sixth time in conference history, the A-Sun returns to a multiple-bid league for the first time since 2007.

Third-seeded Jacksonville opens play for the A-Sun at noon on Friday against two-seed Miami in the Gainesville Regional and will be broadcast nationally by ESPNU. The A-Sun’s top seed and regular season champion, Stetson, squares off against No. 3 seed North Carolina State at 1 p.m. in the Columbia Regional. The victors of the 2011 A-Sun Baseball Championship, the Belmont Bruins, stay close to home in the Nashville Regional where they face top-seeded Vanderbilt at 8 p.m.

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Stetson Hatters: Columbia Regional No. 2 Seed I Home I Schedule I Regional Info I Media Guide I Buy Stetson Gear I

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Stetson makes its conference leading 14th appearance in the NCAA Championship and first since 2007. The Hatters own the most NCAA wins in the A-Sun with 15 in the past 24 years. Head Coach Pete Dunn's squad captured the A-Sun Regular Season Crown in impressive fashion by winning nine of their ten conference series en route to a 23-7 league record. With a 12-12 record against NCAA Tournament participants, Stetson enters postseason play with the 23rd best RPI in the nation. The Hatters begin the national tournament with a 41-18 record, which is the most wins in the A-Sun this season.

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Jacksonville Dolphins: Gainesville Regional No. 3 Seed I Home I Schedule I Regional Info I Regional Notes I Adam Brett Walker and Dan Gulbransen Feature Story I Buy Jacksonville Gear I

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Jacksonville makes its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament, all of which have come under head coach Terry Alexander. It is the Dolphins first at-large bid since 2006 and third in program history. The Dolphins finished the regular season with a 36-22 record and 19-11 in A-Sun play, which earned them the two seed in the conference tournament. JU went 7-7 against NCAA Tournament Participants, which includes a win against Florida, the top seed in the Gainesville Regional and No. 2 overall, on May 17th. Standing at No. 46 in the RPI, Jacksonville earned two wins at the A-Sun Championship against ETSU and Stetson. All games played in the Gainesville Regional will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN3.com .

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Belmont Bruins: Nashville Regional No. 4 Seed I Home I Schedule I Regional Info I Postseason Notes I Derek Hamblen Feature Story I Buy Belmont Gear I

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Belmont claimed the A-Sun Championship for its first conference title in program history to earn its first NCAA Baseball Championship appearance. The Bruins went 4-0 in Nashville by outscoring their opponents, 34-15, despite being the six seed in the tournament. Head Coach Dave Jarvis and the Bruins played 13 games against NCAA Tournament participants during the season and finished with a 6-7 record, which included their game-one opponent, Vanderbilt, which resulted in a 6-2 road loss. Belmont (36-24) entered the A-Sun Championship as the No. 91 RPI team, but with their four wins against Top-100 RPI conference opponents jumped up 19 spots to No. 72 entering the national tournament. Nashville Regional games will be video streamed online at NCAA.com.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.