NJAC Tournament Championship Bracket
NJAC Tournament Central
PITMAN, N.J. – The second-seeded William Paterson baseball team (27-6, 14-4 NJAC) will look to secure the program's 13th New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament title when the Pioneers play at top-seeded Rowan (23-4, 17-1 NJAC). The best-of-three championship series begins with a doubleheader Friday, May 21, at 12:00 p.m. If necessary, a single game will be played Saturday, May 22, at Rowan at 2:00 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAMES
WHERE
- Rowan Baseball Field; Glassboro, N.J.
THE FORMAT
- Rowan will be the home team for Friday's first game, and the Pioneers will be the home team for Game Two. If a third game is necessary, the Profs will be the home team on Saturday.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
- The NJAC Tournament winner will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
WP IN THE NJAC TOURNAMENT
- The Pioneers are seeking their 13th conference title (1959, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997).
SCOUTING THE No. 19 PIONEERS
- Ranked 19th nationally in the May 18 D3Baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Poll, William Paterson is 27-6 overall and 14-4 in league play. The Pioneers have won 11 of their last 12 contests.
- WP swept seventh-seeded Rutgers-Camden (9-18, 7-11) in the NJAC Tournament quarterfinals, 6-2 and 16-3, May 7, and sixth-seeded The College of New Jersey (11-17, 8-10 NJAC), 4-2 and 11-6, in the semifinals May 14.
- Senior outfielder Frankie Deane (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) (33-32 GP-GS, .402, 8 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 38 R), senior catcher Dylan Habeeb (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) (33-33 GP-GS, .345, 12 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 38 RBI, 36 R) and junior utility player Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) (33-33 GP-GS, .390, 16 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 42 R) garnered spots on the All-NJAC First Team.
- Junior third baseman Chris Liriano (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) (29-28 GP-GS, .269, 5 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 24 R) and sophomore starting pitcher Darmany Rivas (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) (10-8 GP-GS, 8-0, 2.32 ERA, 2 SV, 56 K, 54.1 IP, .179 OPP AVG) were voted to the All-NJAC Second Team.
- Junior outfielder Adrian Alarcon (Belleville, N.J./Belleville) (23-22 GP-GS, .333, 4 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 19 R), senior shortstop Matt Ferrara (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) (33-33 GP-GS, .353, 13 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 43 RBI, 38 R) and senior first baseman Carson Weis (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) (33-32 GP-GS, .313, 8 2B, 3 3B, 26 RBI, 29 R) were honorable-mention all-conference selections.
- Seniors Jack DeFouw (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) (10-10 GP-GS, 7-1, 3.15 ERA, 45 K, 60.0 IP) and Jason Palmeri (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) (8-8 GP-GS, 4-3, 5.98 ERA, 31 K, 40.2 IP) have anchored the starting rotation with Rivas, and junior Matt Lawler (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) (13-1 GP-GS, 3-0, 4.58 ERA, 1 SV, 25 K, 35.1 IP) has seen the most action out of the bullpen.
SCOUTING THE No. 8 PROFS
- Ranked eighth nationally in the May 18 D3Baseball.com/NCBWA Poll, top-seeded Rowan is 23-4 overall and 17-1 in league play.
- The Profs advanced after a 6-8, 7-2, 6-1 quarterfinal series May 7-8 against eighth-seeded Stockton (11-15, 7-11 NJAC), and a 10-4, 7-1 semifinal sweep May 14 of fifth-seeded Kean (17-15, 10-8 NJAC).
- Senior third baseman Ryan McIsaac (27-27 GP-GS, .410, 15 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 40 R), junior outfielder Ryan Murphy (27-27 GP-GS, .409, 7 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 32 R) and senior shortstop Nick Schooley (23-21 GP-GS, .321, 9 2B, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 16 R) were selected to the All-NJAC First Team.
- Senior Drew Ryback (9-9 GP-GS, 6-1, 3.90 ERA, 57 K, 60.0 IP) was named the NJAC Pitcher of the Year, and was joined on the All-NJAC First Team by sophomore Eli Atiya (8-8 GP-GS, 7-1, 2.05 ERA, 55 K, 48.1 IP). Senior Zach Listro (13-0 GP-GS, 3-0, 1.88 ERA, 5 SV, 24 K, 24.0 IP) was selected as the NJAC Fireman of the Year as the league's top reliever.
MEETINGS THIS SEASON
- Rowan swept a regular-season doubleheader from William Paterson in Glassboro April 17, 6-0 and 8-3.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
