The fourth-ranked LaGrange baseball team hosts Centenary (La.) in the LaGrange Region of the 2022 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The best-of-five series begins Friday at noon at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium.
The Panthers (37-6) are making their fifth straight and sixth overall appearance in the Division III tournament. LC won the USA South Tournament championship last Saturday for the fifth year in a row but the victory was tempered by the loss of freshman pitchers Stephen Bartolotta and Jacob Brown in a car accident hours later that also killed LaGrange native Rico Dunn.
Centenary (27-16) won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, defeating nationally ranked Trinity (Texas) for the championship. The Gents are in their second NCAA national tournament after making their first appearance in 2017. The two teams are meeting for the first time. They were scheduled to play at the Millsaps Classic on March 13 but the game was canceled.
The Panthers have played in a two-team region one other time. They lost to Birmingham-Southern in five games in 2019. The national tournament field is made up of 60 teams playing in 14 four-team regions and two two-team regions. The 16 region winners advance to the Super Regionals.
This marks the first time a LaGrange College athletic team has hosted a NCAA event.
Schedule
Game 1, Friday, May 20, 12 p.m.
Game 2, Saturday, May 21, 11 a.m.
Game 3, Saturday, May 21, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4 (If necessary), Sunday, May 22, 11 a.m.
Game 5 (If necessary), Sunday, May 22, 2:30 p.m.
