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    1. UNG
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    UNG to compete in NCAA D2 baseball championship tournament

    May 22, 2017
    UNG's NCAA Division II baseball team clinched a berth in the national championship tournament by winning the Southeast Regional Championship tournament 5-4 over Catawba College.

    Article By: Staff

    The nationally ranked University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team will compete in the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship tournament that begins May 27 in Grand Prairie, Texas, after defeating Catawba College 5-4 in the Southeast Regional Championship game on Monday, May 22.

    No. 6 UNG held the lead Monday until Catawba tied it up 4-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning. The winning run came from UNG catcher Andres Perez, a freshman from Duluth, Georgia, who belted a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to put UNG up 5-4. UNG held Catawba in the ninth to clinch the regional championship and punch their ticket to Texas.

    UNG swept through its opponents in the regional tournament, and entered the championship game unscathed after beating host University of Mount Olive, the top-ranked NCAA Division II baseball team in the nation, 13-6 on Saturday, May 20.

    UNG has been ranked in Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s top 10 every week of the regular season, highlighted by the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking on March 20.  UNG notched a 19-5 conference season record, earning the regular-season Peach Belt Conference (PBC) title, and 40-8 overall mark.

    UNG has racked up hardware this season with honors for Coach Tom Cantrell, in his 18th season coaching the Nighthawks, and individual players.

    At the conclusion of the regular season, Cantrell was named PBC Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons. The PBC Coach of the Year honor marks the sixth time that the veteran has earned the league's top coaching honor. He also earned the honor in 2001, 2003, 2007 (PBC) and 2015 (PBC).

    Additionally, UNG had a conference-high nine Nighthawks land on the PBC All-Conference team; Michael Bell (second base), Michael Gouge (outfield), Steven Bower (pitcher) and Dylan Peppers (pitcher) earned first-team honors and Devin Gearhart (third base), Connor Hoover (shortstop), Bill Leroy (designated hitter), Daniel McCrary (pitcher), Josh Bryan (pitcher) represented UNG with second team All-Conference honors.

    UNG also landed seven players on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-Southeast Region squad. Outfielder Michael Gouge was voted to the First Team, while pitcher Daniel McCrary and shortstop Connor Hoover collected Second Team honors. Steven Bower (pitcher), Dylan Peppers (pitcher), Michael Bell (second base) and Bill Leroy (designated hitter) each landed on the Honorable Mention list.

    Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport.

    The NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Tournament is May 27 through June 3 in Grand Prairie, Texas. Tickets are available at https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Team.asp?SponsorID=9771#.WSMFHnqQQ4d.

    Contact the Author

    Softball team wins national title

    Softball team wins national title

    The UNG softball team won 7-3 and 3-0 against Grand Valley State to earn the program's second national title. The first championship came in 2015.
    Softball team reaches NCAA championship

    Softball team reaches NCAA championship

    UNG has advanced to the NCAA Division II championship with a dominant Super Regional performance against Wingate. The Nighthawks enter the eight-team event as the No. 3 seed.
    Men's golf advances to NCAA championship

    Men's golf advances to NCAA championship

    The UNG men's golf team advanced to the NCAA championship, the softball team will host a Super Regional against Wingate, and women's golfer Maddie Ananthasane excelled in her regional.
    Softball dominance part of strong spring

    Softball dominance part of strong spring

    The UNG softball team won its ninth consecutive PBC tournament title and is the No. 1 seed in its NCAA regional. It is one of multiple spring Nighthawks teams excelling nationally and in conference play.

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