INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- For the first time in ODAC history, four conference teams earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship bracket as announced via selection show on NCAA.com on Monday. ODAC champion Shenandoah University will be joined by at-large entries Bridgewater College, University of Lynchburg, and Randolph-Macon College.
The Division III baseball bracket includes 64 teams with 41 qualifying automatically as conference champions like Shenandoah. The remaining 23 entrants were determined by ranking in the NCAA Power Index (NPI) once all games went final on Sunday evening. Lynchburg owned the nation's second-best NPI score and was the top at-large team off the board. While not needed, SU posted the sixth-best NPI rating. Bridgewater slotted 11th and marked the fourth at-large selection, while Randolph-Macon placed 27th and was the 11th pick via NPI ranking.
All teams in a given sport -- 378 in D-III baseball -- earn a NPI rating. Those NPI ratings are ranked sequentially and form a transparent method of selecting teams at-large to Division III brackets, replacing the former process of the sport championship committees selecting teams at-large based on predetermined selection criteria. Once the 41 automatic qualifiers were known, the next 23 best NPI-rated teams formed the list of at-large selected programs to fill out the bracket.
Lynchburg and Shenandoah were both selected to host regional pods, while Bridgewater and Randolph-Macon will be on the road to begin their NCAA experience.
Lynchburg (36-61-1) will face Penn State-Behrend in its first game at Fox Field with Maryville College and Christopher Newport University meeting in the other first round game. The Lions (31-10) won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) championship. The Scots (27-17) are an at-large entry out of the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS), while the Captains (24-15) are also an at-large pick out of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C).
Shenandoah (35-10) opens with Farmingdale State College with Transylvania University and Messiah University clashing in the other first round game. The Rams (35-10) won the Skyline Conference title. The Pioneers (29-12) lifted the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) trophy, while the Falcons (32-12) claimed the MAC Commonwealth championship.
Bridgewater (33-13) heads north to Washington & Jefferson College for regional play in Washington, Pa. The Eagles open squares off with the University of Scranton in their first game, while W&J meets the University of Chicago in the other first round game. The Royals (28-15) won the Landmark Conference championship. The Presidents (32-11) hoisted the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) trophy, while the Maroons (27-13) won the University Athletic Association (UAA) title.
Randolph-Macon (26-14) will also travel north to Troy, N.Y., for play at Russell Sage College. The Yellow Jackets meet Trinity College (Conn.) in their first game, while host Sage faces Penn State Harrisburg. The Bantams (27-13) are an at-large entry out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). The Gators (36-6) claimed the Empire 8 title, while the Lions (33-13) won the United East Conference (UEC) pennant.
Double-elimination regional play runs Friday-Sunday, May 15-17. The eight best-of-3 super regional series are set for Friday-Saturday, May 22-23. Those eight winners will play for the national title May 29-June 4 at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio.