Baseball 5/13/2018 10:30:00 PM

Baseball Tabbed as Top Seed and Host of NCAA Division II East Region Championship

INTERACTIVE BRACKET | PRINTABLE BRACKET | SELECTION SHOW | NCAA RELEASE

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Following the Northeast-10 Conference tournament this past weekend, the University of New Haven baseball team has been selected as the No. 1 seed of the NCAA Division II East Region Championship from May 17-21, which is set to take place at Peter X. Finnerty Field on the campus of Pace University in Pleasantville, N.Y. The field features five NE10 teams and the automatic qualifiers from the East Coast Conference (ECC) and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC.)

As the top seed, New Haven receives a valuable first-round bye and will serve as the tournament host throughout the entirety of the tournament. The berth returns the Chargers to the NCAA Championship for the second-straight season and 30^th time in program history.

New Haven advances to the national tournament with a 37-10 record with all 47 contests coming against East Region opponents. Overall, the NCAA Championship berth is the third under seven-year head coach, Chris 16313

Celano, who led the Chargers to a program record-breaking 37 wins in a single season on Friday.

Leading the Blue and Gold during the postseason thus far is Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush), who was named to the NE10 All-Conference Second Team and All-Tournament team. During the conference championship, Walraven hit .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. Also named to those two squads was Joe Caico (Hopedale, Mass./Worcester (MA)), who tallied six hits and six RBI in the tournament, including a three-run home run last Friday. Sophomore Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) also hit well at the plate during the five-game stretch, going 6-for-15 with one double and seven walks.

In all, seven Chargers were named to the NE10 All-Conference team, led by David Palmer (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) who was named the league's Co-Pitcher of the Year and was one of two first team honorees for New Haven. Brandon LaManna (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) was also selected to the First Team as a relief pitcher, and Tim Kennedy (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood) (second team), Kellen Croce (Cheshire, Conn./Gunnery School) (third team) and Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) (All-Rookie Team) were among the other honorees.

New Haven will meet the winner of No. 4 Southern New Hampshire vs. No. 5 Franklin Pierce on Friday, May 18 at 3:00 pm. This season, New Haven defeated Southern New Hampshire twice, and did not meet with Franklin Pierce. Merrimack received the automatic qualifier from the NE10, while Le Moyne, Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce were at-large selections. St. Thomas Aquinas received an automatic bid from the ECC, and Wilmington won the CACC Championship for its automatic bid.

2018 NCAA Division II East Region Championship
Thursday, May 17
Game 1: No 3 Le Moyne vs. No. 6 Merrimack - 11:00 am
Game 2: No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 7 Wilmington - 3:00 pm
Game 3: No. 4 Southern New Hampshire vs. No. 5 Franklin Pierce - 7:00 pm

Friday, May 18
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser - 11:00 am (loser is eliminated)
Game 5: No. 1 New Haven vs. Game 3 Winner - 3:00 pm
Game 6: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 19
Game 7: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Loser - 11:00 am (loser is eliminated)
Game 8: Game 6 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser - 3:00 pm (loser is eliminated)
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner - 7:00 pm

Sunday, May 20
Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner - 12:00 pm (loser is eliminated)
Game 11: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser - 4:00 pm (loser is eliminated)

Monday, May 21
Game 12: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner - 12:00 pm
Game 13: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser - 4:00 pm (if necessary)

Additional information will be posted on NewHavenChargers.com as it becomes available. Stat and video links to watch all 13 games of the East Region Championship on the Charger Sports Network will be posted on the Championship Central Page, along with ticket information, the most up-to-date tournament schedule and box scores, visitor information and team information.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Joe Caico: LHP/OF; 6' 1"; Senior; L/L

#32 Matt Chamberlain: OF; 6' 0"; Sophomore; L/R

#30 Kellen Croce: LHP; 6' 3"; Senior; L/L

#8 Tim Kennedy: RHP; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#1 Brandon LaManna: RHP; 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R

#18 David Palmer: RHP; 6' 5"; Senior; R/R

#2 Tom Walraven: INF; 5' 9"; Graduate Student; R/R

#3 Izaiya Mestre: RHP; 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#22 Joe Caico
: 6' 1"; Senior; L/L
: LHP/OF

#32 Matt Chamberlain
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#30 Kellen Croce
: 6' 3"; Senior; L/L
: LHP

#8 Tim Kennedy
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: RHP

#1 Brandon LaManna
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#18 David Palmer
: 6' 5"; Senior; R/R
: RHP

#2 Tom Walraven
: 5' 9"; Graduate Student; R/R
: INF

#3 Izaiya Mestre
: 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R
: RHP